The welfare of children who attend school are protected by law through acts of parliament and enforced through legislation. Their health is supported through various ideologies implemented throughout their schooling and through the National Curriculum. Health is about being in good physical condition and the knowledge to maintain it. Welfare is concerned with happiness, security and prosperity to give all children the opportunity to enjoy school in a safe and nurturing manner. Law gives children the right to a free education until they are eighteen with laws around truancy, physical punishments and harm from other pupils. Children also have rights to religious freedom. All schools have a disciplinary policy of the standards of behaviour that are expected and the procedures for …show more content…
Piaget believed that children went through four stages of cognitive development at approximately the same ages. This has been the predominant factor in deciding when children were ready to begin school and when ready to move up, or transition, from playschool to primary and primary to secondary. Piaget considered children to be what he termed Pre-operational at ages 2 – 7 years old. This is when children are able to use language and can represent objects by images and words. They can also work with number, mass and weight, making 5 years of age the optimal time to begin their education. .The Open University, (No date). Block 3,Unit 2 Childhood: Understanding how schools support transitions [online] Available at: https://learn2.open.ac.uk/mod/oucontent/view.php?id=904366 [Accessed 21 03