Children start school too early

Based on an in-depth survey on the UK’s education system and the biggest review of its kind in 40 years, the Cambridge Primary review say there is no evidence that formal teaching styles benefited young children.

This has caused a hot debate amongst education experts around the country, with some disagreeing and others believing it would be a right move.

Dame Gillian Pugh, chairwoman of the review, agrees with the latter. “If you introduce a child to too formal a curriculum before they are ready for it then you are not taking into account where children are in terms of their learning and their capacity to develop, “ she has said. “If they are already failing by the age of four to five, it’s going to be quite difficult to get them back into the system again.”

The Schools Minister, Vernon Coaker, who strongly believes that pushing back the age barrier will disadvantage children, especially those from disadvantaged areas, has rejected the review. “It is crucial that children are in that formal but appropriate type of learning environment so they can gather the skills and get the skills they need as they go through life,” he told GMTV. “Leaving it to six would leave many of our children, particularly those in disadvantaged areas, starting a long way behind the others.”

British children under-five are already getting at least 12.5 hours of education per week. In other European countries such as Finland, Germany and Sweden, children start school at the age of 6 and 7.

The Cambridge Primary review is urging for education in the UK to drop its ‘Stalanist’ control and to stop with the obsession with testing at a young age. They believe that pupils nowadays receive a less rounded education than those in Victorian times.

However, Vernon Coaker wholly disagrees, “We are clear that it would be a retrograde step to return to the days when the real achievements of schools were hidden.”

What the review thinks should change:

• Children should begin school at the age of 6, not 5

• SATs and league tables should be scraped

• There should be no single class teacher who covers every subject

• The 6-week summer holidays should be shortened and parents should have access to advice on how to encourage learning

• Crack down on ‘politicised’ teaching and letting the children think for themselves