AnonyMouse_15046 Posted February 4, 2010 Posted February 4, 2010 I just thought I'd share this which email I received today. You signed a petition asking the Prime Minister to "reject unconditionally > Recommendation 14 or the Primary Curriculum Review which proposes the > lowering of school admission age." > > The Prime Minister's Office has responded to that petition and you can > view > it here: > > http://www.number10.gov.uk/Page22357 I wonder why they think starting school at six would be such a bad thing when it works so well elsewhere
AnonyMouse_5970 Posted February 4, 2010 Posted February 4, 2010 Yes and why do they call beginning school 'starting education'? What is Early Education then? Just playing perhaps? Beehive
Guest Posted February 4, 2010 Posted February 4, 2010 I so agree that children should not be starting school until they are 6. Almost everyone involved in Early years is agreed on this and yet they are still pushed to go to school before they are ready. We currently have a large number of children with summer birthdays in our setting. We are torn between letting these little ones delight in all the wonderful experinces of being 3 but knowing also that we need to prepare them to some degree for the skills needed for school.
AnonyMouse_3139 Posted February 4, 2010 Posted February 4, 2010 What a load of nonesense. How is parental choice being addressed? Every parent I know will be worried that if little johnnie doesnt start school at age 4 with his peers he'll be losing out in someway, even parents who arent happy for their child to go to school so early will follow the crowd. I did, I didnt know I could have kept my oldest at home for another 6 months, but would I have taken the option? Load of codswallop
AnonyMouse_11485 Posted February 5, 2010 Posted February 5, 2010 Such a shame that those who have the power to change things don't listen to the people who are really informed about the issues. On a lighter note, the kisses at the end made me laugh!
AnonyMouse_15046 Posted February 6, 2010 Author Posted February 6, 2010 On a lighter note, the kisses at the end made me laugh! Yeah me too! What on earth is that about? I did wonder if a name was meant to be there?
Guest SueV Posted February 6, 2010 Posted February 6, 2010 Reading this letter from Downing Street has caused my blood pressure to rise! I too am so against these "babies" having to cope with a school system well before they are ready. It also makes me cross that non of these people have any experience in Early Years and they refuse to listen to those of us who have axperience. The problem is that parents will not often defer their child's entry, which I keep telling them they have the right to do, because they want their child settled in school. I feel like I am bashing my head against a brick wall but do not have an answer to the problem. This makes me sad for the children as they have to be in the school system for so long that it is no wonder they are sick and tired of education by the time they are in their early teens.
AnonyMouse_4544 Posted February 6, 2010 Posted February 6, 2010 The problem is that parents will not often defer their child's entry, which I keep telling them they have the right to do, because they want their child settled in school. Many parents want their child in full time school as soon as possible because it is free childcare 9-3 ish others just don't see what comes before school as education and want to push their child http://community.tes.co.uk/forums/t/383922.aspx?PageIndex=1 unbelievable!
Guest Posted February 6, 2010 Posted February 6, 2010 While parents have the right to defer school entry (to the term after chn are 5), it is not always helpful to the child. Last year I had a Y1 child in my class of YR who was doing her first year at school (summer born so didn't have to start til the sept of y1). It was a nightmare of a year with her because mother had highly overinflated ideas of what her daughter could do (not helped by the nursery she went to) and the fact that she was behind her peer group (the other y1s). Of course she would be - they had already had a year at school. So if parents are like this it is very hard to have a child who has had a deferred entry. Also, I have taught lots of other very young (for their year group) chn, and while they may not have been top of the class academically at the end of YR, some have had brilliant social skills (etc), and they have made excellent progress in Y1 as they were 'exposed' to the routines, environment and learning in YR. Had they not had this, they would have had to take all that on board as well as everything else in Y1. However, if a summer born child was able to defer entry to the sept, but then start in YR and not Y1, that would be much more beneficial I think. Was at a conference yesterday where the speaker was explaining that chn should have experiences related to their age and stage of development (as individuals), not related to their cohort or year group. She was meaning when they are in Y1/2 as much as anything - but applied to reception, that should mean autumn borns and summer borns can all do well for themselves. Sorry if I have just gone off at a tangent there!
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