Children Who Start Grade One Aged Below Six Years At Higher Risk Of Having To Repeat

Children who enter grade one at the minimum age of 5 years are at a significantly higher risk of repeating the year than those who wait until they are six to start school, a study has shown.

The report by Stellenbosch University also says boys who transition to English as the language of instruction in grade four encounter more difficulties than girls, even though all children begin with similar proficiency in an African home language.

In the Eastern Cape, the repetition rate for boys starting school aged five years and six months was 31, compared with 19 for girls. Boys who entered grade one a year older, at six years and six months, had a repetition rate of 20, versus 8 for girls.

This suggests that younger entrants often may lack the developmental readiness required for formal schooling, leading to early academic struggles, says the report, the findings of which are partly based on data collected from the Annual Schools Survey published by the department of basic education.

In South Africa, two different streams of application are applied for entrance into grade one. The first rule is that children can start the grade when they are five years and six months, provided they meet this age requirement by the end of the year preceding their entry. The second rule says children can start grade one any time after turning six years, but before turning seven.