Redshirting for Remediation or Advantage? Which Australian Families Delay Children's School Entry and Why

Redshirting, in which children are held back from entering school until their second year of eligibility, is increasingly common. Parents’ perceptions of school readiness may explain this trend but have not been investigated in relation to financial and other explanations. The aim of this study was to determine why parents choose to redshirt. Participants included 226 Australian parents whose preschool-age children were eligible to attend school in the year they turned five or six. Parents completed an online survey asking when they intended to send their child to school. They also rated a series of reasons for this decision, their expectations of school, and their perceptions of their child’s development. Principal component analyses were used to identify discrete clusters of responses. Research Findings: Approximately two-thirds of parents (65.9%) intended to redshirt their child, with four discrete predictors identified. These included child gender, child socioemotional and behavioral readiness, practical realities (e.g. children’s physical size, parent work intentions, and childcare costs), and concerns for child and family milestones (e.g. time together and relative age when learning to drive). Practice or Policy: To inform decision-making, parents consulted professionals, their community, and close family. Interestingly, academic skills were not a consideration. This finding can guide policymakers and educators in considering how best to support children’s school transitions.