Since devolution, the Scottish Government has had powers for education and child family policy (The Scotland Act, 1998) which sit apart from England, Wales and Northern Ireland. This is the Scottish Government's great strength. This article begins by exposing the Scottish early learning and childcare context across the spectrum of policy,…

The School Admissions Code ('the Code') requires school admission authorities to provide for the admission of all children in the September following their fourth birthday. This is when children usually start school, but a child does not reach compulsory school age until the "prescribed day" following their fifth birthday (or on their…

Early years are a critical period for skill development. In this sense, the Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) programmes have an important role in promoting children's learning during this period. This study aimed to explore the effectiveness of ECEC programmes by analysing the relationship between students' ECEC attendance and their later…

The aim of this study is to determine the school readiness of the 60-65 months first grade primary school students. The study was designed in accordance with qualitative case study. The participants of the study was composed of 20 teachers and 15 parents in Van/Turkey provincial districts in the 2017-2018 academic year. Semi-structured interview…

This case study outlines the challenges of eight Australian mothers with intellectually gifted preschoolers. The ideal ways of nurturing children's giftedness, the parents' role in early identification and the effect of maternal depression and possible association with twice exceptionality (gifted with a disorder) are discussed. The narratives of…

As a result of Universal Primary Education (UPE) and reform efforts, primary school enrollment in Uganda doubled from 2.9 million in 1995 to 5.8 million by 1998. By 2016, enrollment had reached 8.3 million. Although enrollment gains have been dramatic, the completion rate has stalled for at least a decade, with only about 60% of learners…

Differences between monolingual and multilingual vocabulary development have been observed but few studies provide a longitudinal perspective on vocabulary development before and following school entry. This study compares vocabulary growth profiles of 106 multilingual children to 211 monolingual peers before and after school entry to examine…

This paper describes a 2016 pilot study undertaken in Uganda to document the real repetition rate in Primary 1 classes and to examine the relationship between repetition in Primary 1 and attendance in pre-primary education. The study explored knowledge and practice about the age of entry for children into pre-primary education and Primary 1. It…

This phenomenological research study examined the perspectives of parents and caregivers of persons with low-incidence exceptionalities through the use of semi-structured interviews. The purpose of the study was to determine what, if any, barriers they face in providing the best life possible for their children. All of the adult children in…

Parents of children of preschool age ask school education to meet certain requirements. Research shows that there are four main concerns: assessing the optimal age to begin schooling, how to choose an appropriate school, the goals of the educational program, and the professional and personal qualities of the schoolteacher.

Noting the importance of procedures for welcoming and admitting children younger than 5 years of age into English Infant schools, this paper presents the results of a survey which compared the ways three schools work with parents before and after children's school entry. Personnel from the three schools were asked questions concerning the nature…

Starting school is a transition marked by excitement, trepidation, happiness, or sadness for all involved. This issue of the Australian Early Childhood Association Research in Practice Series discusses some of the issues described as important by children, parents, and preschool and elementary educators in an interview study of children's…

Interviewed teachers and parents concerning newly developed school services for 6-year olds in Stockholm, Sweden, where the traditional age for starting school will change from 7 to a flexible 6 or 7 in 1997. Results from ratings done by teachers indicate that the new services have had a positive influence on the children's adjustment and peer…

The purpose of this study was to obtain and analyze information on the characteristics of the child entering school for the first time in junior kindergarten, senior kindergarten and grade one. A sample of 209 children from different areas in Ontario, Canada, including rural, urban, inner city and metropolitan areas, was studied. Information was…