Childhood education and first impressions: IELTS Speaking Part 3 questions and answers

Personally, I think around five or six is about right, because most children are emotionally ready to spend a full day away from home by then. Starting much earlier can be stressful, since very young children mainly need play and close contact with their parents. For instance, my nephew started formal classes at three and found it exhausting. That said, good-quality nursery groups can be valuable earlier on, as long as they focus on social skills rather than academic work.

I'd say the main reason is that school is often the first place where children have to follow rules set by strangers. At home they can usually eat, rest and play when they like, whereas at school everything runs to a timetable. Shy children may also struggle to make friends in a large group. A classmate of mine barely spoke for the first term, but once the teacher paired him with a friendly partner, he settled in remarkably quickly.

I think the most useful thing parents can do is make school feel familiar before the first day. They can visit the building together, read picture books about school or practise simple routines like packing a bag and eating lunch at a set time. My aunt, for example, walked my cousin past the school gate every evening for a month, so the place no longer felt strange. Staying calm themselves also matters, because children pick up on their parents' anxiety very easily.

In my view, play is far more effective for young children, because it keeps them curious and lets them learn at their own pace. Building with blocks, for example, quietly teaches counting, balance and teamwork without any pressure. Formal lessons, on the other hand, can make some children anxious about getting answers wrong. Having said that, a little structure is helpful as they get older, so the ideal is probably a gradual shift from play towards more organised learning.

To some extent, yes, because people tend to look for evidence that confirms what they already think. If a child's first day at school is unpleasant, they may associate the place with fear for months. However, I don't think first impressions are permanent. I disliked my secondary school at first because it felt huge and impersonal, but within a year it was one of my favourite places. Experience usually corrects a poor first impression, given enough time.