The headlines Call to lower school age to four is a real concern. At the moment it will be voluntary. The compulsary age that children in New Zealand have to begin school is 6 with most children going to school at age 5. As home educators we need to apply for an exemption just before our child turns 6. It will be a real concern if it becomes compulsory for children to be in school from the ages of 4 – 16.

It is interesting to note the findings of  Dr Richard House, a senior lecturer at Roehampton University’s Research Centre for Therapeutic Education, who says that bright children should not start school until the age of 6. Infact he is due to present his findings at a major conference in central London on Wednesday, calling on the Government to launch an independent inquiry into England’s school starting age. Read more here: Bright children should start school at six, says academic

And

Nurturing children: Why “early learning” doesn’t help

Children should start attending school later, not earlier, Canadian development psychologist Dr. Gordon Neufeld reveals. “Early learning” programs for young children have no benefits for kids, he adds. So why are governments running down the opposite track?

Two more links:

https://hef.org.nz/2012/home-v-ece/

and

https://hef.org.nz/2008/value-of-parents-praised/