Nursery World - Study backs later school start

There is no 'educational rationale' in having children start school at the age of four or five and it could harm children's motivation to learn, claims a leading education research body. A new report by the National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER) compares the educational attainment of UKchildren with those in European countries where the school starting age is six.

A new report by the National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER) compares the educational attainment of UKchildren with those in European countries where the school starting age is six.

The report, School Starting Age: European Policy and Recent Research, says, 'It is clear that the UK is out of step with other countries in introducing children to school and thereby to more formal learning early in life. There are several elements of a child's experience in school that distinguishes it from a child's experiences in most pre-school environments, even educationally-oriented pre-school provision.

'First, reception class teachers tend to take a more didactic role, and children spend proportionately less time on tasks of their own choosing.

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