British report: Delay Formal Schooling to Age 6!

"The three Rs can wait a bit. So says a 608-page report by the 'Cambridge Primary Review' that concludes that British children should not start formal schooling unitl they are six years old. If the British education system adopts this recommendation, it would be more closely aligned with other continental European countries, such as Germany, France, The Netherlands, and Belgium [to name a few], which do not begin formal education until children are six.  Delaying formal schooling would allow children more time to experience play-based learning.

In addition to recommedning that children not begin formal schooling until age six, the report criticizes Britain's mandatory standardized test for elementary students, the Scholastic Aptitude Tests (SATs) [equivalent to California's STAR testing], usually given to children at ages 7 and 11. The authors argue that British schools create un-necessary anxiety forboth teachers and students by focusing learning on preparation for the SATs. The report also strongly advocates better and more comprehensive teacher training.  Writtten by Robin Alexander and 13 other authors, the report (three years in making), 'Children, their World, their Education: Final report and recommendations of the Cambridge Primary Review' (Routledge, 2009), draws on more than 4,000 published sources going back to 1960 to 2009.  Go to http://www.routledge.com/9780415548717 for details."