Ready or Not? The Science Behind Delaying Your Child’s School Entry

Author: Alyssa Lee

Editor: Martha W

Introduction

Parenting is filled with facing many decisions and choices, each having impacts on their child’s development. Parents want to make sure their choices are aimed at optimising this growth. One of the most crucial decisions a parent must make, particularly those who have ‘summer born’ children (April-August), is deciding when to enter their child in formal education.

In the UK, most children start Reception after their fourth birthday. However, this is not compulsory and parents can decide to defer their child’s entry until January or April in the same academic year, to send them part time, or to skip Reception entirely and have their child start in Year 1. For ‘summer born’ children, parents have the additional option to request their child start Reception at age five, effectively delaying their progression by a year (UK Government). In the wake of all these options, what does child psychology say about the developmental effects of delaying school entry?

Emotional Development, Mental Health and Self-Regulation

Research consistently links delayed school entry to higher emotional and self-regulation skills. A Danish study using a large-scale survey of Danish children (the Danish National Birth Cohort or DNBC) found that delaying entry into kindergarten by one year (age six) significantly improved the child’s mental health. Specifically, the researchers found a reduction in inattention and hyperactivity at age seven. These benefits were still exhibited at a later age (eleven years old) and noted that the presence of such self-regulation in children strongly correlates to an improvement in academic performance (Dee & Sievertsen, 2018).

Consistent to these findings, a longitudinal study by Simpson et al. (2026) investigated the impact of deferring school entry on executive function and self-regulation. By comparing first-year students to those who remained in preschool for an additional year, they found the deferred group exhibited better baseline verbal working memory and inhibitory control, alongside improved parent-reported socio-emotional outcomes. However, these differences partially diminished by the end of the academic year, suggesting the initial developmental advantage may level out over time.

Overall, research has established the benefits of delaying school-entry by a year for cognitive and emotional development. Why might this be? Both studies postulate that it may provide children more time to develop self-regulatory and emotional understanding in informal settings. Unstructured play is vital for the healthy development of children; it allows children to express their feelings, problem-solve, get creative and navigate social scenarios in a safe and engaging environment. By delaying school-entry, children are given more time to play, helping them master behavioural regulation before facing the demands of a formal classroom (Nijhof et al., 2018).

Academic Performance

Additionally, delaying school-entry positively correlates with early academic advantages. Educational tracking data and academic assessment comparisons has shown that older entrants initially perform better in math and language assessments (Attar & Cohen-Zada, 2018; Dhuey et al., 2019) and demonstrate a higher competency in receptive vocabulary (Görlitz et al., 2022). However, later in education (high school), this academic gap closes, indicating school starting age has little long-term effect on standard test scores (Dhuey et al., 2019; Görlitz et al., 2022).

Conversely, some research suggests that delaying school entry has no significant impact on certain academic milestones. For instance, Sucena et al. (2020) demonstrated that a delayed start does not affect a child's success in reading acquisition. Instead, socioeconomic status is a much stronger predictor of success. They found that children from higher socioeconomic backgrounds consistently performed better in phonemic awareness and letter-sound knowledge, highlighting the crucial role of early educational interventions in closing this socioeconomic gap.

Conclusions and Limitations of The Research

Current research suggests delaying school-entry offers clear benefits, though the duration and strength of the research varies. Emotional and social advantages, such as improved self-regulation, tend to have longer-lasting effects, while the initial academic leverage diminishes early on (~1 year) or may not have even existed.

Despite the advancements in the child development field this research has provided, it is important to note their limitations. There is a lack of longitudinal studies tracking children from school entry through adulthood, making it difficult to fully understand the lifelong impacts of delayed entry. Furthermore, no two children are identical; what benefits one child may not suit another and their socioeconomic background may play a larger factor on their academic performance rather than the age they entered school.

Ultimately, while  scientific research supports giving children extra time to develop foundational skills through play, the decision cannot be made relying wholly on this information. Parents must weigh the empirical evidence against their personal circumstances and the unique needs of their child.

References

Attar, I., & Cohen-Zada, D. (2018). The effect of school entrance age on educational outcomes: Evidence using multiple cutoff dates and exact date of birth. Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, 153, 38–57. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jebo.2018.06.007

Dee, T. S., & Sievertsen, H. H. (2018). The gift of time? School starting age and mental health. Health economics., 27(5), 781–802. https://doi.org/10.1002/hec.3638

Dhuey, E., Figlio, D., Karbownik, K., & Roth, J. (2019). School Starting Age and Cognitive Development. Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, 38(3), 538–578. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1002/pam.22135

Görlitz, K., Penny, M., & Tamm, M. (2022). The long-term effect of age at school entry on cognitive competencies in adulthood. Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, 194, 91–104. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jebo.2021.12.009

Nijhof, S. L., Vinkers, C. H., van Geelen, S. M., Duijff, S. N., Achterberg, E. J. M., van der Net, J., Veltkamp, R. C., Grootenhuis, M. A., van de Putte, E. M., Hillegers, M. H. J., van der Brug, A. W., Wierenga, C. J., Benders, M. J. N. L., Engels, R. C. M. E., van der Ent, C. K., Vanderschuren, L. J. M. J., & Lesscher, H. M. B. (2018). Healthy play, better coping: The importance of play for the development of children in health and disease. Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews, 95, 421–429. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neubiorev.2018.09.024

Simpson, H. G., Chevalier, N., & Booth, J. N. (2026). School Entry Deferral: Effects of Age and Schooling on Children's Longitudinal Executive Function Development and Parent-Reported Socio-Emotional and Regulatory Outcomes. Developmental Science, 29(5), e70257. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1111/desc.70257

Sucena, A., Marques, C., Silva, A. F., Garrido, C., & Pimenta, R. (2020). Is Redshirting Beneficial for Reading Acquisition Success? Front Psychol, 11, 1165. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.01165

UK Government. School admissions: School starting age. Retrieved 18 August from https://www.gov.uk/schools-admissions/school-starting-age