When to start school?
Prep is the official start of school in Queensland. There is one annual intake for prep in January and children must be five by June 30 in the year they commence.
But what about children born in June? If they were born a couple of weeks later in July they wouldn't start school for another year, so what factors should parents take into account when considering when to start school?
"Social and emotional maturity skills are a great indicator of a child's potential to thrive in the first year of school," said Kings Christian College early learning director Tracey Verreynne. "Children don't need to be able to be fluent readers and writers at the start of prep - that's what they learn in school."
Ms Verreynne said that more important questions to ask were:
"Can my child play well with others?"; "Can she take turns and share?"; "Is he interested in stories and enjoy being read to?"; "Can he listen to and follow instructions?"; "Does she express emotions and deal with conflict appropriately?"; "Can he hold scissors correctly?"; "Can she climb or catch a ball?"; "Does she identify shapes and colours?"; "Can he balance on one foot?"
These social and emotional skills give an excellent guide to a child's readiness for school.
