Rise in children starting school later

Almost two thirds of children are now starting junior infants at, or almost at, the age of five, as more parents wait longer to send their children to school, official figures reveal.

Analysis of Department of Education statistics show that four year olds made up almost half of the junior infant classes of September 1999, but made up just a third of those grades in the last school year.

In the same period, five year olds have gone from just over half to nearly two thirds of junior infant pupils.