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21
Apr 2021
Ex-teachers from Knaresborough support calls for children to start school aged 7
Two former teachers who live in Knaresborough are supporting calls for children to start formal education aged seven.
Husband and wife Shan Oakes and Bill Rigby said starting at seven, as opposed to four or five, would improve wellbeing and attainment in later years.
The couple, who taught at secondary schools in East Yorkshire, said they had seen children burnt out from learning by the time they were teenagers and believe the UK should adopt an approach inspired by countries like Norway and Finland.
In these Scandinavian countries, children learn through play at kindergartens or nurseries until they are seven.
The proposal is part of the Scottish Green Party manifesto for the upcoming Scottish Parliament election. Education philosophies such as Montessori and Steiner also advocate starting school at a later age.
The couple are both members of the Harrogate & District Green Party and Shan said she knew parents of young children in the Harrogate district who had decided to adopt home schooling to prevent stress.
She said:
Bill added:
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In the Harrogate district last week, parents of three and four-year-olds were informed which primary school their children will be starting in September.
But Shan and Bill believe children should spend longer outside of formal classrooms and learn more about nature.
Shan was full of praise for Harrogate schools but said the system often let children down by focusing too much on learning facts and excessive testing.
She added:
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