Author Archives: Caesarean Birth
New Q and A’s on summer born children from the DfE
Below is an extract of the Q&As contained within Advice on the admission of summer born children, a new publication this week from the Department of Education for local authorities, school admission authorities and parents. Key points School admission authorities are … Continue reading
DfE publishes new advice on the admission of summer born children
The Department for Education has today published new advice for local authorities, school admission authorities and parents of summer born children. The document Advice on the admission of summer born children can be downloaded on the DfE website page, which also provides a summary of … Continue reading
Is there a magic ‘age’ for kids to begin playing sports?
In the context of expert opinion that many children are experiencing “too much too soon”, I thought that this article might be of interest to readers of this blog: Is there a magic ‘age’ for kids to begin playing sports? … Continue reading
New government proposal: Formal Testing at age 4
There are many individual reasons why some parents want to wait until their child reaches compulsory school age (i.e. the term following their 5th birthday) before starting school, but news of the latest government proposal — formal testing for all children within weeks … Continue reading
Thought for the Day – an absolute must read
Reverend Lucy Winkett, Rector of St James’s Piccadilly, presented today’s Thought for the Day on BBC Radio 4, and I was really touched by it: New tests have been announced this week for 11 year olds and a new national league … Continue reading
What can five-year-olds be expected to learn?
This week, Hannah Richardson, a BBC News Education Reporter, asked the question: What can five-year-olds be expected to learn? Of course, as we know, the vast majority of children are only four years old when they start school, and many summer … Continue reading
Parent fights for full-time flexibility of age 4 school start
The article below appears in The Observer today, in which journalist Paul Gallagher explains how a parent who WANTS her child to begin school in Reception class age 4 (so the very opposite of parents in our summer born facebook … Continue reading
Under-Fives need More Time to Play
Emily Dugan’s article in The Independent this week is worth reading: Under-fives need more time to play, say carers as they warn of ‘schoolification’ of children’s early years (July 9, 2013)
Vote: Should there be more Formal Testing of children at Nursery?
Vote: Should there be more formal testing of children at nursery? Sir Michael Wilshaw (Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector, Ofsted) and Dr Richard House (senior lecturer in Early Childhood Studies, University of Winchester) set out their case for and against – … Continue reading
Do Cheques have Better Rights than Children?
Using cheque books used to be ‘the norm’ for almost everyone. Until debit and credit cards came along and cheque usage fell dramatically. But when in 2009, the UK Payments Council announced plans to close its central cheque clearing facility, there were complaints … Continue reading
Early Day Motion tabled for Summer Born Children
Thanks to Annette Brook MP, the Early Day Motion below has been tabled this week, and signatures of support can be read here.
BBC report: Flexible school starts urged for summer-born children
BBC News education reporter Hannah Richardson published this article on June 14, 2013: BBC: Flexible school starts urged for summer-born children
Fighting for Flexibility
2013 June article: Fighting for Flexibility by PM Hull (published in Under 5s magazine)
American Pre-School President Supports Parents’ Choice
This week in an interview on the ABC News website, Dana Vela, president of Sunrise Preschools in Arizona, says: “The reasons parents choose to redshirt their child vary, depending on the child’s emotional, social and academic readiness to join school.“
The Scandal of the Summer Born
The June 2013 edition of the Early Years Educator Magazine carries this Opinion article, which the EYE publishers have kindly given us permission to post here: The Scandal of the Summer Born – by Richard House and Stefan Richter
Summer Born are Stymied from the Start
Dr Richard House, from the Department of Education Studies, at the University of Winchester, has had the letter below published in the TES magazine website today:
National Children’s Day UK – May 15th
The first National Children’s Day is being celebrated today – Celebrating the Rights and Freedoms of Children – by organisers savechildhood.net (read more in this Nursery World article). “Childhood is precious. It creates the values, mindsets and dispositions that determine … Continue reading
Bliss is campaigning for flexibility for children born prematurely
The babies’ charity Bliss says it “would like to see flexibility for all children entering primary school. Preterm summer born children who are facing developmental delays should be allowed the flexibility to delay their entry to reception class by up to … Continue reading
2013 Canadian research worth reading
A friend of mine who teaches in a Canadian primary school was shocked to learn that most 4-year-old children in England MUST start school at age 4 OR lose their Kindergarten (Reception) year of teaching. I decided to take a look at some … Continue reading
IFS report argues against flexibility without direct findings
Its new report, When You Are Born Matters: Evidence for England, makes very interesting reading, and will likely lead to vigorous debate among policy makers and education professionals. I’d like to quickly share a few things that struck me almost immediately. The authors clearly state that their findings do … Continue reading
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