A mum feared starting school at the age of four would have been ‘traumatic’ for her daughter after she missed nearly a whole year of nursery due to the pandemic.
Chloe Milne, of Cellardyke in Fife, deferred her daughter Robin’s entry into P1 this year.
Robin turned five this month and Chloe felt she was not emotionally ready to start school in August.
Chloe said: “I didn’t think she was ready at four, there was quite a big difference between her and children with March birthdays.
“And she hadn’t been to her school nursery for nearly a year because of lockdown then when it re-opened she was told she could only go to one nursery, because she was at a private outdoor nursery too.”
Having chosen the private outdoor nursery due to opening hours, Chloe felt a jump straight into school was too much for Robin.
And rising trends in deferral rates across the whole of Tayside and Fife appear to show many share her views.
Rising trend
School deferrals for kids starting primary 1 have increased in every region of Tayside and Fife, newly released figures show.
The number of parents deferring their child’s entry into school has increased, when compared to figures from two years ago, in the academic year beginning 2019 – pre pandemic.
In Dundee, 217 children who were entitled to start P1 in August were deferred, compared to 173 two years ago.
In Angus there were 183 children deferred from starting school this academic year, compared to 176 in 2019.
Perth and Kinross’ figures rose to 90 this year, having been 81 in the academic year beginning 2019.
And Fife’s figures shot up to 210 this year, from 126 two years ago.
Chloe said: “Children have missed out on so much because of Covid, especially the social aspect which helps build their confidence.
“Lots of schools weren’t doing transition days either and some children hadn’t met their teacher so it’s a huge change for them and can be traumatic for the ones that aren’t ready.”
Parents and carers have the legal right to defer their child’s entry to primary school if they are not yet 5-years-old at the beginning of the school year.
All will have their own reasons for doing so, but rising figures could appear to support the views of campaigners who believe Scotland’s formal education system starts when children are ‘too young’.
Campaign for change
Those at organisations such as Give Them Time and Upstart Scotland have campaigned for years in the hope of lifting the school starting age.
Annie McCluskey, from Give Them Time, deferred entry into school for her own twins three years ago. They are now in P2.
Annie, from Glenrothes, said: “When I did it people weren’t aware it was an option, even the school – it’s just not publicised. It’s positive that more parents are aware they can do it now.
“The pandemic will have also had an impact on the figures, without a doubt.
“People have spent a lot more time at home with their kids and realised they’re not ready for school, or feel they have missed too much nursery.”
Upstart Scotland argues that a kindergarten stage should be introduced in replacement of our current primary 1 and 2, with a less formal approach to learning than school.
And that more emphasis should be placed on child development and allowing youngsters time to build skills through play – a view which parents hold mixed reactions to.
Sue Palmer, chairwoman at Upstart Scotland, said: “Covid helped parents realise that a lot of kids are not ready for school at the age of four, and when better to change things than now.
“It’s more important now, than ever, to give children more time to focus on their development.”
LONG READ: Should Scotland’s primary school starting age be raised to seven?
