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Parties 'reject' call for raised school age
16 October 2009
Several key political parties have voiced their opposition to a proposal to raise the school starting age suggested by the Cambridge Primary Review.
The report recommends children start school no earlier than the age of six, citing concerns that children may currently be faced with too much pressure too young by commencing school aged five.
However, Shadow Minister for Schools Nick Gibb MP rejected the proposal, saying his Party has no plans to 'end school for four to six-year-olds'.
The measure was also dismissed by Minister of State for Schools and Learners Vernon Coaker MP, who said: 'The world has moved on since this review was started'.
Chair of the review Dame Gillian Pugh claimed that introducing children to skills such as literacy before they are ready can put them off education and added that evidence shows children in countries where school starts later accelerate faster at learning.
The Cambridge review based its recommendations of four main sources of evidence: submissions, soundings, research surveys and official data searches.