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• 1. At 08:25am on 16 Oct 2009, i.moore wrote:

  Another world shattering issue we have been worrying ourselves silly about.

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• 2. At 08:35am on 16 Oct 2009, pjseamark wrote:

  I AM A TEACHER. THIS IS A GOOD IDEA-YOUNG BOYS ESPECIALLY ARE NOT READY FOR SITTING FORMALLY AT THE AGE OF 4, THEY FALL BEHIND THE GIRLS IMMEDIATELY, AND CAN OFTEN START TO BECOME TURNED OFF FROM EDUCATION. COUNTRIES SUCH AS USA AND SCANDINAVIAN COUNTRIES START THERE KIDS LATER, YET THEY ACHIEVE BETTER THAN US LATER. UP TO THE AGE OF 6 KIDS WILL LEARN MORE BY PLAY, SOCIALISING WITH OTHER KIDS. YOU TRY TO GET A 4-6 YEAR OLDS TO SIT DOWN FOR AN HOUR, ITS NOT EASY OR NATURAL!

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• 3. At 08:59am on 16 Oct 2009, Old_Leftie wrote:

  Every time the education system is changed, it gets worse. I believe that around 20% of school leavers today are unable to read and write to any given standard. When I left school in 1954, everybody could read, write and do arithmetic.
  
  My first school was in Dunster in 1944, then we moved back to North London in '45. None of the teachers pandered to the children during my school days and there was discipline. Now at the age of 70, (and an official grumpy old man), I despair at yet another education change.
  
  Maybe we should take a look at education in the GDR, (as was.) Leaving out the politics, I believe they had it right.

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• 4. At 09:11am on 16 Oct 2009, zeldalicious wrote:

  I think we do start children too early in school. Play based education is much better for younger kids. I used to live on the continent and the women I knew were horrified that we start children in school so young. In all honesty the whole education system needs a radical overhaul because for all the years our kids send in schools, somethings not working, huge amounts of children are simply not being educated properly and leaving with minimum qualifications.

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• 5. At 10:12am on 16 Oct 2009, digitalMugsborough wrote:

  I don't know which is the more depressing: the results of the latest study, which state the obvious conclusions, or the knee-jerk reactions to it.
  I retired from secondary education and taught early years in continuous supply teaching. I saw the beginnings of the new idea where very young children were taught through academic methods. This was at the expense of language development and social interaction. The growth of these techniques has led to a generation of schoolchildren whose imaginative development has been stifled. This leads later to a lack of empathy on the part of the young.
  Two mistakes are made by critics of learning through play: 1) the conditions under which this takes place are structured. 2) Factual knowledge is more deeply established through experience. A small child learns that the large cardboard box is lighter than the small brick. When we ask a child to multiply two by three, the end result is more likely to be accurate if the child has experience of what constitutes the numbers: handling quantities as opposed to writing down meaningless symbols forms part of a developmental process which will lead more effectively to mental arithmetic.
  Last year, another study found that music could benefit a child's educational experience. Now that's an original thought.
  The discussion that will now take place should look at the methods used by countries whose successes in educational methods are tried and tested. Another use of learning through experience.
  

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• 6. At 10:18am on 16 Oct 2009, The Wenger Years wrote:

  In response to the shouting teacher above, I completely disagree. As a mother of two boys now aged 16 and 14, I can honestly say that for them and our situation the education starting age was spot on. It is understandable that some children ( boys and girls) may struggle at 4 yrs old, depending on the support of their familiy and home bcakground.
  
  Our experience was very positive. My older son is one of the oldest in his year, born in October, the other son has an August birthday.
  
  Both boys have relished School, the two schools in our village of Bottisham have been excellent. They made lifelong friends, joined in with singing dancing, sport, school shows, love the trips they went on and also have developed creatively in art and music. Their academic level is now very high.
  If they were home educated, they would have missed so much.
  By waiting to 6 years old, they would have become bored and frustrated. I know this is just one persons experience, but maybe it's because I spent time with them from birth until they started school that they flourished.
  As parents we were actively involved in their early years, both at play school, nursery and in the first 3 years of school. We attended weekly shared writing, when the children could sit with a parent or carer and write about what they had been doing the past week, perhaps aholiday or club they attended. Th echildren got a lot out of this.
  In the times today, despite us being only ahaed of France in reading, we were 2nd behind China in Science and Maths, both equally important subjects. Lets stop bemoaning what we've got, but embarce it and help other parents to have more time with their chilren from 0-5.
  
  

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• 7. At 10:21am on 16 Oct 2009, The Wenger Years wrote:

  I know my spelling is all over the shop, it's because I didn't have time to edit. Also sorry to The times newspaper, where I saw the tables which I've referred to.

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• 8. At 10:48am on 16 Oct 2009, zeldalicious wrote:

  We could certainly do with an edit facility!

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• 9. At 11:32am on 16 Oct 2009, dependabledennis wrote:

  My Daughter went to school about six weeks after she turned five, she'd been at a private nursery since being six months old and had had some schooling in the form of French lessons and basic reading at the nursery. My daughter was probably ready for school, she' very bright and has passed key stage reading for children who are a year older than she is and she loves school.
  
  On the other hand my son is 2 and has never been to a nursery, my wife's wage would have just about covered the fees but we'd have had to put our daughter to pre and after care. The knock on effect is that my son is not as advanced at the same age. Some will argue that boys are slower anyway, but I can see now that at five he won't be ready, moreover he will only be five one week before he starts school.
  
  I would favour the swiss system where kids start later but once they do start the school day is different. The kids there go to School on a Saturday morning and in general it's much more intensive once they do go.

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• 10. At 11:35am on 16 Oct 2009, Sarnia wrote:

  The 'shouty' teacher needs to learn spelling and punctuation him/herself. 'Start there kids later...' There? Good grief! "Its not easy..." There should be an apostrophe between the t and the s.
  
  Yes, I may be pedantic but really I wouldn't want someone who can't punctuate properly and unable to differentiate between their and there teaching my children.
  
  

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• 11. At 11:39am on 16 Oct 2009, dependabledennis wrote:

  I would like to say to the Wenger years, you live in a totaly different enviroment to me. I am within what would be classed as an inner city area and many kids here will not have the same backup as you gave to your kids and I would suspect that most of the kids in your village got the same.
  
  The life style in a lot of area is different, so please don't try to say one size fits all. I would bet that you had much more time to spend with your kids, I on the other hand work a 60 hour week and although I'd love to, never get the chance to sit and listen to my daughter read.
  
  It's not just about age it's about enviroment and opportunities, some have better structures in place than other.

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• 12. At 11:42am on 16 Oct 2009, cassandra wrote:

  Spot on, Sarnia. I had to put my fingers in my ears! Mind you at least they correctly used the i before e rule!

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• 13. At 12:03pm on 16 Oct 2009, The Wenger Years wrote:

  I agree with dependabledennis that one size does not fit all. I'm not suggesting that it should, however there is a lot of benefit for children to be together and to learn to socilaise. Participating in joint activities should enable children to grow in confidence for the more formal times. Good teachers can adapt the learninmg environment for those of diffent age and ability.
  If anything should change for younger school age children, it should be to remove unnecessary assessments for teachers to complete, to enable them to spend more quality time with the children.
  The structured part of the school day tends to be the smallest part already, with PE, outdoors learning, painting,music and cooking are among other activities that the children can enjoy.
  It is a pity that teachers are currently at work and therefore cannont fully participate in this debate.
  Any radical change should be approached very cautiously.

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• 14. At 6:24pm on 16 Oct 2009, 2nd Earl of Itterby and Oole wrote:

  School should start at 9'Clock in the morning.
  
  

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• 15. At 7:01pm on 16 Oct 2009, Hyperstar wrote:

  I see they using Twitter now

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