How does this impact on Community Wellbeing? Reduces stress ans trauma to child. Removes stress of parent forced to choose between finance and their childs needs. Long term outcome is inproved wellbeing as child has not been forced to school at 4yrs old when they cant cope with it Why should the Committee focus on this as part of their future work? Children are our future. Getting it wrong in esrly years has long lasting effects for the child, their community and scoiety at large. Furthermore there is a bigger cost attached to meeting needs of teenagers/ adults who were failed as children. 4yr olds who struggle in P1 continue tondo so throughout out primary schhol meaning more resources required for secondsry school and possibly thereafter
I’d think children attend primary school too early in life and would be better not to start formal education until the age of 7 years.
I am a mother of Nov born twins and am currently preparing myself for deferral.. the application doesn’t need to be submitted till January - already I am hitting a brick wall with nursery and health visitors - whilst they are sympathetic as to why I wish to defer, they are misinformed and believe that they have a passive role in the process of supporting such applications - already my stress levels are through the roof. Bracing myself for stressful few months ahead!! The system is so unfair!!!
This is about getting it right for every child. Having seen the difference in my January born child having an extra year in Nursery it has been amazing. Removing the funding worry will allow parents to really focus on their children and make the right decision for them. It will also improve attainment and allow kids to develop at a pace that is right for them.
Currently causes a significant amount of distress to families across Scotland. Children and parents should be supported to make the decisions which are right for them without the postcode lottery.
The longterm impacts of forcing our children into school before they are ready shouldnt be a postcode lottery. Oir little onea are our future and thrive from that extra time at home. Go on to do well in high schools and beyond they didnt know when they were born the nightmare being a few days early would become and the implications would follow them to adulthood
Children need to start school the school commencement date after they turn 5 so why can some 4 year olds get automatic funding and others can't? It's not fair. All 4 year olds should get nursery funding if their parents feel they need it.
As a single parent it will be financially crippling next year to defer my daughter to have an extra year at nursery, where she is settled and thriving. But it feels too important to let her have this last year of play-based learning before entering school the following year. If there was funding, it would make a significant difference to our situation and the stress levels in our home.
This issue should be focused on because it is an arbitrary rule. If we care about the performance of individuals in our schools (which we do) then we must also care about how individuals begin school. Dont set a child up for hardship, stress or hide behind language associated with "resilience" . The solution to this issue must include the decision of a family so that the support network of a child then supports a child to start school. This is an inclusive stance to adopt on this issue.
So important as a primary teacher of p1 and early stages for many years the difference between the 4 year olds and 5 year olds is huge and they thrive at 5 not 4! Some 4 years cope even get on well but once they are 5 they are much more ready there is no rush to get through school let them play let them thrive let’s get this right
If children have the right to defer entry to P1, it is discrimination to only fund some. Parents should not feel they need to focus on or find weaknesses in their child to justify why they should be given funding for their deferred year. If a parent decides to defer their child because they want them to thrive rather than cope in school, that should be their right irrespective of the month the child is born in and all children should be treated equally when funding is allocated.
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