Parents are increasingly holding their children back from starting school as figures show efforts to improve early childhood education over the past 15 years have not resulted in an increase in school readiness.

A national survey of about 300,000 children, which tracks them in their first year of primary school, found fewer children were hitting developmental marks in key areas of physical health and wellbeing, social competence, emotional maturity, language competence and communication skills.

This is despite huge investment in early education since 2009 to improve outcomes for children via various programs including free kindergarten for all four-year-olds.

Box Hill North mother of three Lauren Marshall said son Jock had been enrolled to do a second year of four-year-old kindergarten

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