Children should not start lessons until the age of six

The Cambridge Review which is based on six years of academic studyand is  co-authored by Dame Gillian Pugh concluded that introducing children to a formal learning setting before the age of six has very little value and they would learn far more from recreational learning at this young age.

The report says that "This would give sufficient time for children to establish positive attitudes to learning and begin to develop the language and study skills which are essential to their later progress."

Giving children a learning through play setting for an extra year would bring the UK in line with many European countries which have higher standards and where children are often not introduced to formal lessons until the age of six or seven.

Play based learning has already been adopted in Wales where it has been extended to the end of Key Stage 1, when children are aged seven. This approach to learning is soon to be introduced in Northern Ireland.

Have your say: Will leaving formal education until the age of six disadvantage brighter children?