Half of children not ‘school ready’, say teachers
Nina Jacobs
Monday, March 14, 2022
Half of all children are not ready to start school and need extra support from classroom staff that results in less time for other pupils, a survey has found.
The research, carried out by YouGov on behalf of education organisation KindredSquared, shows on average 50 per cent of primary school pupils were not ‘school ready’ and 88 per cent of teachers and teaching assistants had to spend additional time with those children not achieving their developmental milestones.
The study, which attracted nearly a thousand responses from primary school teachers and staff, also revealed that 90 per cent of teachers had at least one child in their class that was not toilet trained.
Nine out of 10 teachers surveyed also reported at least one pupil that did not have basic language skills and almost all teachers said they had at least one child that could not listen or respond to simple instructions.
The findings have prompted urgent calls from MPs and the early years sector for the government to prioritise funding for early years support including a recovery programme to offset the impact of the pandemic.
Responding to the survey, Robert Halfon, chair of the education select committee, said there should be a catch-up programme specifically designed to support families and nurseries to teach children practical and social learning, as well as better support their educational development.
The National Day Nurseries Association (NDNA) said the report’s findings highlighted a lack of government investment in early years that was showing in those children starting school without “basic” communication and social skills.
“Sadly, we have read reports with similar conclusions to [this] one over the last few years," said Purnima Tanuku, NDNA chief executive.
“We keep emphasising that educational recovery starts with early years education. Money invested in a child’s foundation years has the biggest impact in their lifelong educational journey.”
Tanuku urged the government to deliver a “meaningful” increase to the early years pupil premium that would align it to the pupil premium for older children.
“This would help those from the most deprived backgrounds have access to high quality early education and support with their developmental needs,” she said.
The findings chime with those from a study by Nesta last September which warned that children starting school in autumn 2021 were the "least school ready for generations".