Starting school - does age matter?

As each new school year begins many parents have to make the tough decision about whether or not their child is ready to make that big step from home or pre-school to kindergarten. How do you know if you’ve made the right decision? 

Peter and Marg are worried. Young Jack turns five next May and can start school at the beginning of the year.  But should they let him – or would it be better to delay his enrolment for another year? 

They know that Jack would be among the youngest in the class. He does seem a bit socially immature for his age but, then again, he’s quite a bright little fellow and, to be honest, Marg needs a break! 

Similar dilemmas are shared every year by many parents of children born between April and July. Should they enrol now or should they wait? The answer is not simple but there is some information that might help. 

Reasonable considerations 

Parents who start their children on the younger side of average often focus, quite rightly, on such things as general maturity, competence with intellectual tasks, and what teachers call ‘readiness’. 

Denise and Tom, for instance, had no hesitation in starting June-birthday, Laura. 

‘She’s just rearing to go!’ said Denise. She knows her alphabet and numbers. And all her pre-school friends will be starting. It would be such a shame to hold her back.’ 

On the other hand, parents such as Clare’s mother, Michele, tend to take a longer-term view. 

‘I know Clare would cope very well now,’ Michele says, ‘but I think she would be more on top of things if she is one of the older, rather than younger, children in her group as the years pass.’

 ‘I’m thinking of adolescence, particularly. And even at the end of school when the older ones in the class are getting their drivers’ licences, while the younger ones in the group look on enviously.’   

An individual decision 

There is no general rule of thumb applying to all situations. Conditions which profoundly affect one child may have little impact on another. Children don’t all learn and grow at the same pace.  And some need more time to develop as they should. 

Psychologists often claim that, at the age of five, many boys are less mature and competent at school-type activities than girls. Well-known writers such as Steve Biddulph and Michael Carr-Gregg actually suggest that boys should start school later than girls – at age six – to enhance their chances of future success. 

Why not repeat later? 

Some parents decide to enrol their younger children early on the assumption that a child can always repeat a grade later on if he or she is not coping. 

Psychologist and Catholic Education Office (CEO) Manager of Special Needs, Lynn Booth, warns against this strategy. 

‘The research strongly questions the value of repetition,’ she says. 

‘Once children experience such dramatic failure that repetition is considered appropriate, the damage to self-esteem has already been done. And this can be both inhibiting and enduring.’

Lynn stresses the important of preparing for the commencement of schooling by providing quality home and/or pre-school experiences. 

‘Language is particularly vital,’ she says. ‘Children need plenty of conversation and stories; they need to be part of a talking, listening, sharing community. Where there are problems, early assessment by a speech pathologist is important.’ 

The research 

There is not a lot of hard research on the benefits, or otherwise, of delaying the enrolment of children who will be in the younger group in the class. But there is some.  Here are two samples. 

A very significant study of over 10,000 children, published in the British Medical Journal in 2003, suggests that children in the youngest third of the class are at greater risk of developing emotional and behavioural problems as the years pass. 

In the United States, James Uphoff, author of Real Facts from Real Schools, reports that the youngest children in each grade in the American schools that were surveyed there, are more likely to be followers than leaders, to be less attentive in class, to lag behind in social development, to underachieve in relation to their ability and to be diagnosed as having a learning disability. 

Such research is complicated by the fact that early school commencement is often associated with unrealistic parental expectations and pressure which may be contributing factors as much as age itself. 

Financial reasons 

In Australia, it does seem that financial factors affect parental decisions on enrolment.  More affluent parents are now more likely to enrol their children – especially their boys – at the later age.   

In families which are poorer or where parents are very constrained by their employment responsibilities, pre-school may not be an option and early school enrolment may be very attractive. 

There seems to be a general consensus among teachers and psychologists that for those children with mid-year birthdays, it is probably better to start school later rather than earlier. 

But every child is different. And common sense must prevail. When faced with the dilemma of early or late enrolment, some issues worth considering are: 

• the child’s emotional maturity: handling frustrations, self-confidence, ability to deal with new situations, independence and resilience generally
• social maturity: friendships, willingness to cooperate, relationships with caring adults
• intellectual maturity: able to express ideas, pay attention, solve problems and follow instructions
• family circumstances
• long-term effects of the decision – e.g. might this particular child be at a disadvantage when commencing high school at eleven-and-a-half?

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