The question of what is the right age for children to start school is an ongoing debate. Some people believe that children should be going to school when they approach the ages of three or four because it provides them with a better foundation in educational development and cognitive and social skills at an early age.. They believe starting early helps later literacy and numeracy outcomes, and also helps prepare children for getting used to the environment of school with its rules and expectations. Many of the proponents of early schooling believe that children benefit from early opportunities to learn independently by learning to make choices, how to meet deadlines, and how to socialise with their peers in a learning environment.
Others promote a later start to schooling at around age six or seven, suggesting that young children are better served when learning happens informally through play, rather than formal academic instruction in a school. They suggest delaying school will reduce the risk of young children developing unnecessary stress or pressure and give time for their more natural development to occur in a far more healthy and appropriate period. They also suggest that children who are delayed in their start to school better perform exceptionally better as adults, in that they are often emotionally more available and more intellectually competitive with peers they are educated with.
In my opinion, the best start age for any child to start school should be based on the child’s readiness rather than that of age.