From August 2023, thousands more four-year-old children will be entitled to funding to stay in nursery rather than start school.
The right to another year of funded early learning and childcare for those with January and February birthdays will be extended to those who turn five between term starting in August and December.
But according to campaigners that will come too late for the many youngsters ‘just not ready’ to start school until then, particularly those whose development has been hampered by Covid-19.
And while it’s widely known that January and February-born children can start school a year later, campaign group Give Them Time says current discretionary funding for August to December-born children is little-known and a postcode lottery.
It reckons many more parents would consider putting off their children’s P1 enrolment if only they knew they could or were not discouraged from doing so.
Lack of awareness
In Tayside and Fife last year, only 253 applications were made to fund an extra year in nursery for children who turned five between August and December. Of those 18 were rejected.
A survey conducted by the National Parent Forum of Scotland in 2018 found only one in three respondents were aware of the right to defer for December-born children and fewer than 5% knew August-born children could defer.
Thanks to friends working in the field, Annie McCluskey, of Glenrothes, was among those who knew and fought what she described as a “long slog” to delay her twin daughters’ school start.
But she said: “The whole process was so convoluted and so long.”
She explained: “Because they are twins they hadn’t really made friends with anyone else; they had their own little bubble.
“When I approached the school they had dealt with deferrals for children with January and February birthdays before but they had never encountered this and they were a bit perplexed as to why I was asking.”
School and nursery staff were supportive but university student Annie she said she was told her application for funding to keep her daughters in nursery would likely be rejected.
She said: “I was told they would probably cope in school, but I didn’t want them to cope I wanted them to thrive.
“I was told they would probably cope in school, but I didn’t want them to cope I wanted them to thrive.”
Parent Annie McCluskey
“The twins are in P1 now and are older than some of the P2s, but especially with Covid and how much nursery they missed, thank goodness we did this.
“They come home speaking about different sets of friends and that was one of the important things for us.”
Going through the process now
A Dundee parent hoping to defer her four-year-old son’s school start said she felt like she was having to list his all his defects and weaknesses.
She said: “He’s a happy, bright and active boy with considerable energy but lacks the emotional maturity to make the most of class-based learning in a busy environment.
“He’s is also sensitive and affectionate but can struggle to regulate his emotions at times.
“He still has toilet accidents and lacks the understanding in how to deal with these type of situations.
He’d be robbed of this experience if he was sent to school at four years old and his feelings of inadequacy and low self-esteem could continue throughout primary and beyond.”
A Dundee parent
“I think an extra year and allowing him to become one of the older boys would enable him to realise he can have his own opinions and speak up for himself, giving him confidence which he’ll carry with him going forward.
“He’d be robbed of this experience if he was sent to school at four years old and his feelings of inadequacy and low self-esteem could continue throughout primary and beyond.”
Postcode lottery
Patricia Anderson, chairwoman of the Give Them Time campaign, said funding to continue nursery was often a postcode lottery.
She said: “While we are in the long term delighted that the law is being changed we are really gutted, because every day we support parents on the Deferral Scotland Facebook page who are concerned now going through the application process and not knowing what the outcome is going to be for their child.”
She said there a lack of awareness of right to defer for children who turn five between August and December, and is concerned parents are accepting misinformation.
She added: “I’ve been flabbergasted by the stories people have told me about their experiences.
Every day we support parents …who are concerned now going through the application process and not knowing what the outcome is going to be for their child.”
Patricia Anderson, Give Them Time
“One woman was told that if she didn’t send her November born son to school she would be breaking the law and she would have to get a lawyer.
“How terrifying would that be?”
While all applications for discretionary funding this academic year were approved by Angus Council and all but one by Dundee City Council, eight were rejected by Perth and Kinross Council and nine by Fife Council.
Mid Scotland and Fife MSP Claire Baker said the right to further funded nursery for all four-year-olds needs to come now.
She said: “While the decision to provide an automatic right to further funded learning is welcome, delaying this until 2023 means many families will miss out.
“This funding should be accelerated so that the postcode lottery can stop.”
A pilot programme is being run in five areas – including Angus – but the Labour MSP said it made “no sense” that these were in areas with 100% approval rates.
She said: “The Scottish Government points to issues of costs but I believe that some of these issues would be resolved if earlier discussions took place with parents whose children would be starting school at four.
At present, these children receive the least amount of nursery education, and I believe there is a strong case for engaging with parents before their child starts nursery to consider all options for when they start school.”
Claire Baker, Labour MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife
“At present, these children receive the least amount of nursery education, and I believe there is a strong case for engaging with parents before their child starts nursery to consider all options for when they start school.”
Scottish Liberal Democrat education spokesperson Beatrice Wishart MSP also wants funding available now.
She said: “Children have missed out on so much because of the virus. And so more families than ever before will now be wondering if their four-year-old is ready to start school this August.
“And yet this August there will be a £4,500 price tag hanging over families who want to give their children more time.”
More families than ever before will now be wondering if their four-year-old is ready to start school this August.”
Beatrice Wishart, Scottish Liberal Democrat education spokeswoman
As the legislation was approved last week, Minister for Children and Young People Maree Todd told the Scottish Parliament it would make 20,000 children newly eligible and that this must not jeopardise the expansion to 1,140 hours of early learning and childcare by August 2021.
She said: “We do not know what impact the change will have on parental behaviour, in terms of changing demand for deferred places.
“Local authorities have planned carefully for the 1,140 hours expansion and are working to full capacity to ensure that sufficient places will be available across the public, private and third sectors in August.
Risk to 1,140 hours delivery
“To add the additional pressure of the deferral obligation during the final stages of preparation would introduce an unacceptable and unnecessary level of risk to successful delivery of the expansion.
“We must therefore gather robust evidence to help us to better understand likely changes in uptake of the entitlement, ahead of full roll-out.
“That is why we announced £3 million in December to support five local authorities to pilot implementation in 2021-22, which we intend to extend to more authorities during 2022-23.
“Ahead of full implementation, I expect local authorities to continue to use their discretion on funded deferrals, with the interests of the child being at the heart of those decisions, whether the request is due to the impact of Covid-19 or otherwise.”
