Traditionally in Scotland, children start school between four and a half and five years old. If your child is four years old between 1 March and 28 February, he or she will start the first year of primary education that August. Since August 2002, children with birthdays in January or February have the right to deferred (delayed) entry and a free nursery place for an additional year.

 

Children with birthdays that fall between the autumn term (mid-August) and 31 December also have the right to delay starting school but a free pre-school education place is not automatic and is at the discretion of the local authority.

 

Staff at your child’s nursery can give you more information as well as an application form. For children whose birthdays fall between the autumn term and 31 December, recommendations for deferred entry need to be made by your child’s nursery staff to be granted an extra year before starting primary school. If your child is not attending a nursery and you still want to defer you need to supply supporting information from another professional that knows your child well, for example a health visitor.

 

The local authority considers a child is ready for school, if usually they can:

 

• Separate happily from the parent/carer when arriving at the nursery
• Mix well with other children
• Cope with the day-to-day activities in the nursery
• Share with others
• Control their feelings most of the time
• Concentrate on a task
• Play and work more independently.

 

Most nurseries will have detailed knowledge about your child’s development and a parent’s view is always of central importance.

 

For more information call Edinburgh Council’s education department, early years team on 0131 469 3421.

 

Will your child benefit from delayed entry into formal education?

 

There seems to be general agreement that early exposure to books helps children develop an interest in books and reading. Many would argue that the first two years of a baby's learning are crucial. Seventy-five per cent of brain development occurs between birth and the age of two. However, there is an increasing debate over the best time to start formal education.

Many expererts say even starting at seven does not disadvantage children.

The Rudolf Steiner method of teaching endorses delayed entry to formal teaching and does not move children from their kindergarten in Edinburgh until children are five and a half to six and a half years old.

Liz Gallacher -  Qualified Primary School Teacher and Nursery Director  of Heriot Hill Nursery says:-

My advice to parents who are unsure if their child is ready for Primary School is to talk it over with Nursery staff. They will know your child well and will have built up quite a detailed profile of your child's learning and development and will know how your child copes in a group setting. Secondly I would go with your own instinct as a parent as you know your child better than anyone else. I would also advise parents to delay their decision as long as possible as in my experience children sometimes mature quite considerably in the few months leading up to starting school”

 

Nikki Miller, Editor of the Nursery and School Guide, says:

“As a parent of a child whose birthday is  on 27 February, I had this dilemma and finally chose to delay entry and certainly do not regret it.

“At the ‘make your mind up time’ I felt my son was ready for school, but all the professionals and parents I spoke to with experience endorsed delayed entry. The main justification seemed to be at the ‘other end’ –  exam time, leaving school, starting university – I was told it would be then the extra year would make all the difference. I was concerned because my four-year-old was showing a ‘hunger for knowledge’ and I felt another year of ‘play’ would not be stimulating enough.

“Now he has just completed his first year at primary school, having deferred a year, I can see he would have coped the previous year with all aspects of primary 1, but not excelled as he has done. All children love to succeed, and I believe these early years play an important role in forming a child’s expectations regarding his or her own ability. Whilst all schools will no doubt encourage every child to believe they are doing well, you can’t pull the wool over children’s eyes. They know if they are often the last to finish, struggle to complete a task or find instructions and reading an uncomfortable challenge. Not taking the option of deferred entry might mean your child is the youngest in a class with an age range spanning up to 16 months older. I believe this is putting unnecessary pressure at such an early age.

“Obviously every child is different and many children will be ready and excel starting primary education at four and a half. At state schools where composite classes can be formed in P2, a class will normally be made up with the youngest from the senior class and oldest of the junior class so having made this nail-biting choice, your child could end up in the ‘in-between’ class after all. The final decision on whether your child is ready should always be yours, to promote their best interest. Take advice from friends and professionals. If you are still in doubt, from my personal experience, if you have the option– delay entry.”