One of the more challenging choices a parent faces is trying to determine when their child is ready for school.
This would take the onus off parents. It would also empower teachers to more successfully tailor lessons to a wider group of students within a smaller age band. This view is confirmed in a study of more than 100,000 NSW kindergarten children published in academic journal, which found that half of the parents delayed their child’s schooling if they turned five between January and July.
Just make sure mothers don’t send their kids early because they want to get them out of the house and have their social life back.
The starting age for school should be increased by at least 6 months from where it is now. Parents send kids to school who are not even toilet trained, simply because they see it as free child-care, versus having to pay for pre-school or child-care.
Gosh, a Jan 1 cut off would be terrible! That means kids who are almost 5 and ready to start are held back almost a full year! Better to keep it as a mid year cut off and stop parents holding their kids back so late!
School education needs to be expanded to early childhood years. All children should be required to attend government financed early childhood education from 3 yrs. Those who currently don't start kindle educationally behind their peers & never catch up only falling further behind