These assessments indicate if a learner is cognitively, emotionally and socially ready to cope with the demands of formal schooling. The Department of Education expects that a learner who turns 7 years old in that year will enter the formal school environment. It is therefore important that these assessments are done in the year they are 6 years old to give enough time to allow for physical and emotional maturation as well as intervention if needed. Learners are deemed to be intellectually school-ready if they score a mental age of 6 years 3 months on standardized school readiness assessments.
