School Start Age

[LucyLight]

I posted this on Mum's Net once before and got a really interesting response - mostly my children are fine. We are one of the very few countries that start formal schooling before the age of 7. If we compare our long term education results with countries that have a different system we do significantly worse. Those countries work with an extended pre school system concentrating on imaginative play and exploration, i.e. learning to learn and be curious.

When looking at GCSE results, summer birthday children, i.e. the youngest in the year, are still performing on average 10% less well than their peers. If you support reviewing the school starting system please sign this petition - only two days to go.

petitions.number10.gov.uk/Startat6/

I'm not a political activist and this will make no difference to my children (one of whom is due to start school at 4 years and 2 weeks in September) as any changes will be too late. I just believe passionately in the opportunities that good education can bring.

Sorry but haven't theNo 10 petitions been put in limbo while the new government decide what to do with the whole e petitions set up?

yes you are right - sorry. Just so passionately want thinking to move on this issue

How are we performing compared to those countries with a different system?

badly

Here in Wales, although they start school the term after their 4th birthday (so my DD turned 4 in February and started school after Easter), the Foundation Phase stretches right up to the end of Year 2 (age 7).

Where there is a staggered intake through the year being the eldest or youngest in a year doesn't make very much difference.

And when Learning through Play covers the whole age range up to 7 then school does exactly the same as nursery school or playgroup.

Perhaps this is just an English problem?

Isn't blaming the educational failings on school start dates been shown to be an overly naive and simplistic view of the matter?

Its been a few years since I did my MA in Education, but I seem to think that there was lots of research to show that actually the issue was far more complex than just the age a child started school - such as the complexity of the language, cultural attitudes towards schooling and education in general, methods employed within the classroom once the child is at school and so on...

I thought that there were some countries where children started school later than the UK that did better, but equally, there were countries where children started later that did worse, and also there were countries where the children started school at a younger age compared to the Uk and had higher educational standards than the uk.

I think simply signing a petition without being fully aware of the facts is too naive and simplistic an approach. Sorry.

But what about those children who ARE ready to start formal education before the age of 7? My DS would be bored senseless 'learning through play' for another 2 years

Read this over view of some research - whilst it is not entirely about starting school later (rather it is asking whether starting earlier confers any benefits, so it does not really consider the benefits to starting later per se), it does make interesting reading and highlights some of the numerous difficulties in assessing this issue.

www.nfer.ac.uk/nfer/publications/44410/44410.pdf

I think this quote best summarises my view

"Top-performing countries in the TIMSS study had a school starting age of six, as
did those participating in the earlier IEA study of reading attainment. However,
this cannot be taken as evidence of a causal link between later starting and better
achievement, because many factors could contribute to the higher achievement
demonstrated in these countries."

I don't know what the answer is, whether we should delay entry go over to a more flexible entry or what the solution is - but I do know I won't be signing petitions based on half truths and suppositions that may not even be accurate.

Of course there are a number of variables Home background remains an important influence on later educational achievement.

and I know it is a cliché to cite Finland but here goes

"Finland, a global superstar in education terms, is consistently among the top performers. But it is also at the very bottom of the league in terms of the hours spent in the classroom.

Finnish pupils start formal education at seven and then enjoy 11-week summer holidays - and they end up with the highest educational standards in Europe.

Poland, a rapid-climber in international education league tables and overtaking England at reading skills, is also another country where pupils do not start until the age of seven.

There is another egalitarian argument for starting school early. Pupils from poorer homes, with parents who are less able to help their learning, might be held behind if they didn't start lessons until six or seven. "

www.primaryreview.org.uk/Downloads/Int_Reps/2.Standards_quality_assessment/Primary_Review_WhettonRud dockTwist4-2briefingStandards-Internationalevidence_071102.pdf

Interesting reading Mrz, particularly the parts stating that Britain has high standards in Reading and Science. Shows the whole thing is such a can of worms...

Reading
"Within the 35 participating countries, England?s performance in PIRLS 2001 was in the top group of countries which included Sweden, the Netherlands and Bulgaria, and was significantly higher than all other participating countries, including France, Germany, Italy, Scotland, New Zealand and the United States. It was therefore evidence of high standards of reading in English primary schools for children at the age of about nine."

Science
"The next full TIMSS survey was in 2003. England?s performance level increased significantly from 1995 to 2003. Only Singapore and Chinese Taipei outperformed England, with Japan, Hong Kong and the USA performing at a similar level. England?s score was significantly higher than that of all the other participating countries. Again England showed a high level of performance, outscoring all the other European countries which participated."

It would be interesting to see some up to date research but as there are so many variables which influence children's later attainment which it is impossible to eliminate interpretation of data is always going to be open to question.

On radio 4's "Any Answers" at the weekend, someone (sorry, don't know who) said that we're wrong to still look at Finland's Education system as being so good. As they are not doing so well at all now.
(I don't know where that conclusion's come from).

I half heard that on the BBC news but couldn't find the full story anywhere ...

teaching reading early research I came across this while looking for something else wonder what people think