4/5 year olds in a reception class can be introduced to the basic idea of being in an environment with other children away from their parents, they can still play and do all the things that small children want to do while learning basic tasks that are useful for them. This is surely better than keeping them completely away from any kind of school-like environment for a few more years then throwing them in at the deep end.

although I don't believe in school for any child at all. This comment is ridiculous. in Spain and Switzerland, for example, the children donot go to school until they are 7 and they are academically way ahead of the UK and USA. They obviously benefit from the security of an extended time within the family or at a small day nursery where no formal academic principles are allowed to be taught.

A child who is at home and constantly supervised by their mother might not have any opportunity to play with other children their age if they don't have any siblings and the mother doesn't have access to or can't afford to go to a decent play scheme. This will delay the age at which they learn important social skills.

Going to school at an early age is not inherently a bad thing just because you're unable to perform simple tasks.

We shouldn't think of school for young children in the same way we think of school for teenagers - e.g. a full timetable with regular homework. It must be rmembered that for very young children of four of five, the focus of school is often on learning basic tasks in looking afetr themselves as well as forming a foundation for academic learning.

In reception some children are still unable to dress themselves or even tie their own shoelaces, arguably they are still toddlers. This means that they are completely defenceless and therefore too young to go to school as they can't look after themselves properly.

Most children will have already left their parents for nursery. This is because most parents are unable to stay off work to be with their children for years at a time so most maternity or paternity leave is relatively short and certainly does not extend to five years! Leaving for school or some equivalent place where children will be looked after is therefore necessary.

At such a young age children who were not sent to a nursery school or a playgroup are still extremely emotionally attatched to their parents which could make suddenly having to go to school a traumatic experience for them.