A child born in January 1999 will become eligible for pre-school funding in the summer term of 2002, in April. Where entry to primary school is deferred, the provision of additional pre-school education in the school year when the child could be at school is made at the discretion of the local authority. This represents between 2600 and 2700 children, depending on the cohort's exact size. The substantial majority of local authorities provide pre-school funding for 'deferred' children, although the level of such provision varies considerably. Some local authorities automatically provide pre-school to any child deferring entry to primary school, whereas other authorities ask education professionals to assess the child's readiness for primary before offering a place in the deferred year.
Some local authorities fund very low levels of deferred entry pre-school places.
The Standards in Scotland's Schools etc. Eligible children are to be specified through secondary legislation. Ministers have not, as yet, taken any decision as to which groups of children are to be included within the scope of the duty. During the parliamentary scrutiny of the 2000 Act, a number of MSPs made comments on the operation of the pre-school grant system. The child who is four and a half will be entering primary school less mature and with less support than the older children.