A DEADLINE to introduce laws that will allow parents to delay sending their children to school is in danger of being missed - for a second time.
Education Minister Peter Weir wants to permit those who feel their children are not ready to defer entry.
Northern Ireland has a school starting age of four, the youngest in Europe.
The education committee yesterday received an update from the assembly research team and Department of Education.
Research has found the younger a child starts school, the greater the risk of them developing behavioural problems and speech and language difficulties.
Young-for-year children who begin P1 just weeks after their fourth birthday are being diagnosed with sensory and physical issues at a higher rate than their older classmates.
Experts point out that the current inflexible system means that, every year, some are starting inappropriately early.
It is suggested that children born in May, June, or on July 1, prematurely or as part of a multiple birth stand to benefit most from a year-long delay.
In 2014, the department revealed plans to introduce flexibility around the compulsory starting age. This was later halted by then education minister John O'Dowd who said there was not enough time to pass the legislation before assembly elections.
It has now emerged that there again might not be enough time to bring forward the legislation before the current assembly mandate ends in 2022.
Department official Karen McCullough told the committee yesterday that the minister was keen to progress work on his key legislative priority "at pace".
The timeframe for moving through the legislative stages was not wholly within the control of the department, she warned.
It may be impacted by other executive bills and private members bills all vying for assembly time. The committee was told there are more than 40 bills due to be heard from September.
Options on school starting age, Ms McCullough said, would be presented to the minister within the next three weeks before a public consultation period.
Committee chairman Chris Lyttle questioned the delay.
"Department officials and the minister are saying this is a priority. This work was initiated in March 2021. The education minister was appointed in January 2020. Notwithstanding the pandemic, how is calling this a priority consistent with that length of time to initiate work?" he asked officials.
"I think you have been given an extremely difficult task to meet the type of time scales that families across Northern Ireland are desperately seeking you to meet.
"I am aware that there are families across Northern Ireland who desperately want to see that flexible school starting age introduced in time for that 2022/23 academic year."
Mr Lyttle questioned why another public consultation was necessary when one in 2014 found 94 per cent of parents supported flexibility.
Officials said the previous consultation concerned deferrals only in exceptional circumstances. The new consultation would be wider and consider newcomers, looked after children, adopted pupils and those with special educational needs - all groups that might benefit.
A department spokesman last night said: "The minister and the department will do all it can to ensure this process proceeds as quickly as possible for the many children and parents for whom this is a very genuine and pressing issue."
