Five "too young for formal learning" - heads

Young pupils should learn through play and not start formal learning until the age of six, the National Primary Headteachers’ Association has said.

In their submission to the Primary Review, the biggest review of primary education for 40 years, they criticised a current ‘obscene rush’ to get children producing academic work.

The body called for reception classes to be extended a year and highlighted research from Scandinavia finding that delaying the start of formal schooling could lead to higher academic results in the long run.