I think it would be a good idea to raise the school starting age to six. As both a parent and a childcare student I have seen how very young children have to conform to the national curriculum, which is too structured and inflexible. Children are expected to sit still and listen to the teacher for 30 minutes at a time, which is an unrealistic expectation, and they are required to sit at tables and write for most of the rest of the day. This is stealing away their childhoods and robbing them of the richness of deeper learning gained through play.
I think it would be a good idea to raise the school starting age to six. As both a parent and a childcare student I have seen how very young children have to conform to the national curriculum, which is too structured and inflexible. Children are expected to sit still and listen to the teacher for 30 minutes at a time, which is an unrealistic expectation, and they are required to sit at tables and write for most of the rest of the day.
This is stealing away their childhoods and robbing them of the richness of deeper learning gained through play.
Mary Madigan
Feltham, Middlesex
