FAMILIES up and down the country have been learning whether their children got into their first choice of primary school.

A few will be disappointed but, even if everything went to plan, some parents might look at their youngsters and might not see them as school children just yet.

Britain has one of the lowest school starting ages around the world and many of our neighbours look on bewildered as we send our four-year-olds forth to school while their peers in other countries still have a number of care-free years ahead of them before they have to start school.

Parents of summer-born children have long been campaigning for the chance to defer school-entry by a year without losing reception, and this is now possible for some.

There are also a number of other ways of easing young children into school life more gently - and not every primary school may be forthcoming in letting you know.

Children don’t have to be in full-time education until the term after they turn five. So children can start a term, two or even a whole school year later, they can also start half days only and any primary school should make these options available.

But there is also a more thorough alternative available. In line with many successful countries around the world, Steiner education (also known as Waldorf education) doesn’t start academic instruction until the year a child turns seven.

When they do start school in class one, children are ready and eager for more formal instruction and will learn literacy and numeracy much more quickly and without the constant testing that the state curriculum now imposes.

Ulrike Bulle, Dringhouses, York