Around the world almost universally children start school much later than the age of 4. In the UK it is 4.

Why 4? 4 is not based on any research.

 130 UK early year education experts have called for informal, play-based preschool activities to continue to the age of 7 and only at 7 start formal schooling.

The evidence from Scandinavian countries is that this approach leads to more confident children and better educational experiences and better results for the children concerned. Scandinavia has more patents, PhD’s etc per head of population even that the UK. We’ve even had UK sponsored Dept of Education research supporting more play-based schooling.

 So why the push to lower the start of formal schooling in the UK from the Secretary of Sate and UK Office for Standards?

 My concern is that formal schooling results in more introverted conservative children. That the push for earlier formal schooling is not about better schooling for children but about creating more regimented children with conservative outlooks.

Versus the more liberal scandinavian approach.