Starting schoolers less stressed

LONDON, Sept. 1 (UPI) -- A British educational psychologist says nurseries and child care givers have helped reduce the number of children suffering anxiety problems over starting school.

David Webster says schools are also getting better at helping children settle in to their new routine, the BBC reported.

But Webster, who is president of Britain's Association of Educational Psychologists, warns starting school can still be a "scary experience" for some youngsters.

Beginning primary school is one of the traditional rites of passage for children.

But for the current intake of pupils, this is no longer as likely to be such an emotional watershed as might once have been the case, Webster said.