Starting school at a younger age could benefit children in South Africa

Starting school at a younger age could benefit children in South Africa (24 October 2017) Children in South Africa could benefit from starting school a year earlier, according to new research by Durham University in the UK and the University of Pretoria in South Africa. The study found that those children who started school in Grade R, equivalent to Reception in the UK, were better prepared for school than those who started in the usual Grade 1. Overall, however, children were ready for school in Grade 1 and made good academic progress during their first year despite some of the complex environmental and social factors acting as barriers to successful schooling. For example, some children live in homes without running water and toilets, some are orphaned and some have recently arrived in the area. Challenges in South Africa The study, which was conducted within 112 primary schools in the Western Cape of South Africa, also showed the teachers gave the children unusually high ratings of levels of inattention, hyperactivity and impulsivity. These rating were related to lower starting points and to slower progress, but more research would be needed to investigate the reasons for these associations. Lead author of the report, Professor Peter Tymms from the Centre for Evaluation and Monitoring at Durham University, said: "Generally, the school system in the Western Cape is working well in the early years.