Boys more likely than girls to repeat four-year-old kindergarten

THOUSANDS of children are being held back for a second shot at four-year-old kindergarten every year, with boys more likely to have to repeat.

THOUSANDS of children are being held back for a second shot at four-year-old kindergarten every year, with boys more likely to have to repeat.

Kids are being held back from school because of language, social, emotional, physical or developmental delays or disability, experts have revealed.

Some parents are sending their children a year too early because the kindergarten applications need to be done so far in advance.

About one in 25 preschoolers repeat four-year-old kindergarten.

In 2012, 2853 children did a government-funded repeat year.

The Education Department said the number of children repeating four-year-old kindergarten had been steady at roughly 4 per cent of enrolments.

Petra Betschart, who is doing her masters degree on the subject, said boys were twice as likely as girls to do a second year of four-year-old kindergarten and children born between January and April were more likely to repeat because the school age cut-off date was April 30.

Ms Betschart said her research on 35 kindergarten teachers revealed about three in a class of 25 children were recommended to repeat. But, she said, 45 per cent of parents still sent their child to school.

The State Government funds a second year of kindergarten if the child meets set criteria.

Early Learning Association Australia chief executive Emma King said a need had to be demonstrated in order to secure funding for a second year of four-year-old preschool.

"It's not a middle-class option about putting your child through another year of kindergarten. It's because the child actually needs it," Ms King said.

Early childhood expert associate professor Kay Margetts said kindergarten applications had to be put in so far ahead of time that it was often difficult for parents to predict what their child's development might be by the time they started kinder.

Department of Education spokeswoman Jane Metlikovec said that during the preschool year, the teacher and the child's parents worked together to plan for the child's transition to school.

"Where a child appears to be experiencing delays in key areas of learning and development, the child's teacher undertakes an assessment in consultation with parents to determine if the child is eligible for, and will benefit from, a second year of kindergarten," she said.