Northern Ireland has one of the youngest primary school starting ages in Europe, but changes could be in the offing.
It has emerged that there is strong support for allowing some children to delay starting school by a year.
The change would allow children born between 1 April and 1 July to defer starting preschool education and school if their parents choose.
Northern Ireland has one of the youngest primary school starting ages in Europe. Most children start school in September of the school year after their fourth birthday, but those whose birthdays fall between 2 July and 31 August usually start in the September after their fifth birthday.
This means that children start primary school aged four and two months, while others are over five.
Northern Ireland’s Department of Education wants to allow flexibility in the school starting age for children born between 1 April and 1 July. The proposed change to legislation would mean children not reaching compulsory school-starting age until 1 September after their fifth birthday.
A consultation on the proposed change attracted over 750 responses, two-thirds of them from parents. It received responses from 78 principals (headteachers) and 89 teachers.
Nine in every 10 respondents were in favour of giving parents the option to delay their child starting preschool or school if they were born between 1 April and 1 July. Most who responded also said that any child born prematurely, as well as looked-after children, should have the option to defer starting school.
A small minority of those who responded to the consultation objected to the proposals.
In many other European countries, children do not start formal primary education until they are aged six or even seven.
The DfE is now bringing forward a bill to change the law on school starting age in Northern Ireland, although time is limited given that the next Stormont election is due to take place in May.
