School Placement - Early Entry

1. Physical Development

Is your child physically mature enough to cope with a full-time programme of education?

School places physical demands on children for approximately five hours each day. If a child is not physically mature enough to deal with the school situation, problems may arise in relation to:-
i. Concentration on a task.
ii. Mastery of basic learning skills.
iii. Acceptance by other children in relation to the demands of both classroom and playground activities.

2. Emotional/Social Development

Is your child emotionally and socially mature enough to cope with a full-time programme of education?

As a consequence of early admission to school the child would be younger than the other pupils in the class. Difficulties may arise for the child in relation to:-
i. Separating from parent.
ii. Making friends with others within the class group.
iii. Play activities within the classroom and the playground.
iv. Behavioural problems due to lack of maturity.

3. Learning Development

Has your child developed sufficiently to cope with the learning programme in a school?

The child learns informally through play and through other individual, social and
family experiences in the pre-school period. Early entry to school may deprive the
child of such activities and experiences, which prepare him or her for the more formal
learning situation.

4. Long-Term Implications

Have you considered the long-term implications for your child throughout his or her career?

(i) At the end of P1, when it may be felt that the child is not ready to proceed to P2, because of difficulty in adjusting to the school learning environment.
(ii) At the end of secondary education when the child will be too young to leave school along with his/her class group and when there may therefore be difficulties with entrance to a desired form of higher education.

Early Entry Requests

A press advertisement will appear in the month of December advising parents of their right to make a placing request and asking for applications to be made by the beginning of February. Applications for early entry requests should also be made at this time.

Acknowledgement will be sent within 5 working days of receipt. Address and
telephone number of the Director of Community Services is as follows:-
Argyll & Bute Council,
Education Offices,
Alexandra Parade,