To Send Your Child to School Early or Not: Here's What I Think

If you're a parent of a child born in the first half of the year in New South Wales, you've probably already been asked the question, or you're going to be soon. Are you sending them to Year K next year, or waiting?

Here in NSW, children can start formal school in the year they turn five, if their birthday falls before the end of July (Private schools often have an earlier cut off date). The alternative is waiting until the year they turn six, which is considered the standard age. What this creates is a potential age gap of up to eighteen months between the oldest and youngest child sitting in the same classroom. And it creates a question that generates enormous debate, strong opinions and a fair amount of parental anxiety.

I want to share my perspective on this, while being clear that it is just that: my perspective, informed by my background in child development. There is no universally right or wrong answer here, and every child and family situation is different. But I do think there are some important things worth considering before you make this decision.

Why this decision is harder than it seems

What I often observe is that the decision to send a child to school early is influenced by factors that have less to do with the child's readiness and more to do with external circumstances. One of the most common is preschool peer grouping. Some centres structure their rooms in a way that younger children find themselves alongside older children who are heading off to school. Naturally, parents start to wonder whether their child has outgrown the setting, whether they'll be bored for another year, or whether they'll be separated from their friends if they don't go at the same time.

If you've found yourself using these as reasons to send your child early, I'd gently encourage you to pause and try to look at the situation a little more objectively. These are valid feelings, but they're not the same as your child being ready for school.

If your current preschool can't adequately engage and extend your child for another year, that might actually be a sign that it's time to change preschools rather than rush into formal schooling. A good early childhood setting should be able to adapt to the needs of every child in the room, whether that means supporting those who need more time or extending those who are ready for more challenge. My advice is always to talk to the director of your current centre, and if it genuinely isn't the right fit, explore other options before defaulting to school.

Being advanced in one area doesn't mean ready across the board

One of the most important things to understand about early childhood development is that it doesn't happen evenly. A child can be well ahead of their age in cognitive ability or language skills, and that is genuinely impressive. But it can also create a blind spot.

When parents or educators notice one area of strength, it can sometimes overshadow the areas where a child still has growing to do. The skills that actually help children thrive in Kindergarten, and in primary school more broadly, are not just academic. They include social skills, emotional regulation, resilience, independence and stamina. Kindergarten is a significantly greater demand than preschool in every way, and these foundational skills are what allow children to meet that demand without constantly struggling to keep up.

Importantly, these are not skills that can simply be taught in a classroom. They develop with time, maturity and experience. And that is precisely why age matters more than many parents realise.

What another year at preschool actually gives your child

I am a genuine believer in the irreplaceable value of early childhood education, and I would hate to see a child miss out on it prematurely in the rush toward formal schooling.

Preschool offers something that Kindergarten simply cannot: unhurried time. Time to explore, to play freely, to follow curiosity without the structure and academic demands of a school day. The learning that happens in that environment, the building of confidence, a sense of self, natural inquiry and the ability to manage and navigate the social world, is foundational to everything that comes after it. When children arrive at school having had enough time in that space, they tend to be settled, confident and genuinely ready to embrace what school has to offer rather than spending their early years playing catch-up.

Questions worth asking before you decide

If you're working through this decision right now, here are the conversations I'd recommend having before you land on an answer. Talk to your child's current preschool teacher and ask for their honest assessment of where your child is developmentally, not just academically. Talk to the principal of the primary school you're considering and ask what they see in children who start young versus those who wait. And then set aside what everyone else in your social group is doing, or what the preschool structure seems to be nudging you toward, and think about your child specifically.

No one knows your child the way you do. And this decision, ultimately, is about them.

My bottom line

I want to be clear that this is not a judgement of parents who choose to send their child to school early. Many children who start young go on to thrive completely. But my view, grounded in what I know about child development, is that there is real value in giving children every possible advantage of time and readiness before they begin formal schooling. Childhood is best kept unhurried, and the gift of another year to simply be little, to play, to grow and to prepare, is rarely something a child or their family ever regrets.