A MOTHER has refused to send her four-year-old son to school - because she says he's too young for full-time education.

Instead, Stanley Hutchinson stays at home with pregnant mum Emma and his younger brother, where he spends his days "playing, exploring and growing".

As Stanley is a June baby, he's one of the youngest in the school year.

For this reason, his parents believe it's in his best interests to start school once he's five and at compulsory school age (CSA).

On her blog Dirt, Diggers and Dinosaurs, Emma writes: "We've done something that many of our friends and family will view as controversial.

"We have decided not to send Stanley to school this year. Instead, he will be starting next September when he is five.

"For the extra year he will be attending pre-school part time, playing, bonding with his brothers, playing, exploring, enjoying days out, playing, growing and developing at his own pace.

"The plain fact is, he’s four.

"We’ve simply chosen not to send him to school early, we are sending him at school age which if you go back a generation was the absolute norm.

"I personally believe that in the UK all children start school too early and that we’d be better off following our European neighbours whose children start school at aged seven when they are emotionally and physically ready."

She continues: "We were recently informed at a pre-school parents' evening that Stanley (despite being one of the youngest in his class) would soon cope with starting school, as he's really bright.

"This really hit home for me, a four-year-old shouldn’t have to 'cope' with anything."

Explaining what will happen when Stanley does start school, Emma - who lives in the Peak District - says: "Thanks to a change in DfE legislation, we not only have the choice whether to start his school journey prior to CSA or at CSA.

"[We] also have the right to request admission into Reception class at CSA rather than Year One, ensuring that he will not lose a vital whole year of early education."

But while she has no doubt that her decision is "100% the best thing" for Stanley, Emma admits that she could be taking a gamble.

She writes: "The BIG gamble in all of this and the only thing that regularly niggles at me is whether we will get offered our first choice school again in the next round of admissions.

"If we don’t, then will our offered school be happy to support a CSA Reception start, or will they be championing Year One?

"I guess we’ll just have to face any obstacles, and fight the battles as we get to them."

Emma says she wrote her blog post to inform other parents that their children don't necessarily have to start school at the age of four.

Would you consider following suit?