Almost half of parents are not concerned if teachers are spending time toilet training children, a new survey that reveals the task of Labour’s ‘school ready’ pledge reveals.
The School Readiness Survey, published by Early Years charity Kindred Squared, assesses the school readiness of children and their access to education in reception, where no SEND conditions have been diagnosed.
Based on focus groups and surveys with over 1,000 teachers and 1,000 parents of reception-aged children in England and Wales, the survey found confusion among what “being ready” for school means.
Fewer than half (44%) of parents think children should know how to use books (not swiping or tapping as if using an electronic device), and only three-quarters selected toilet training as something a child should be able to do before starting reception.
Meanwhile, teachers said one in three children start school unable to listen or respond to simple instructions – with staff losing on average 2.4 hours per day of teaching time as a result.
‘Significant and stubborn’
One in three children are deemed not to be ready for school by teachers, despite 90 per cent of parents saying their child is ready.
Felicity Gillespie, director of early years charity Kindred Squared, said the survey highlights “significant and stubborn” problems the new government must overcome.
“We welcome the government’s pledge to get more children ‘school ready’ but our report suggests that too many parents are failing to support the development of their children, in spite of – we know – having their best interests at heart,” she added.
The government has pledged to boost the proportion of reception pupils achieving a “good” level of development to 75 per cent by 2028 – or an additional 40,000 to 45,000 children a year.
It is one of six “milestones” under its plan for change.
Statistics show that last year, 67.7 per cent of children were judged to have a “good” level of development across areas like language, personal development, maths and literacy.
The highest it has ever been is 71.8 per cent, and that was under an old assessment system.
‘Severe Developmental Delays’
The new report also outlined the increasing severity of developmental delays in children entering reception.
One reception teacher from the North West, described a case where a child lacked core strength due to spending excessive time on an iPad.
“When I went to visit one of the girls in July, she’d never been to a nursery, she’d been sat in a corner sofa on an iPad so she hasn’t developed her core strength and it’s really affecting her whole development,” the teacher said.
Another, also based in the North West, said school readiness has declined in his 15 years of teaching. “The children are just coming in, and it’s like… they’re just standing there waiting for you to do it. I don’t remember it being as bad as this.”
Both parents and teachers link screen time with the cost-of-living crisis. The report notes 83% of teachers believe the cost of living crisis will have a significant impact on school readiness this year, with 80% anticipating a similar impact next year.
One school leader surveyed said screentime was an ‘easy win’ for parents: “Let’s be fair… putting them on an iPad is an easy win. The children like it. It doesn’t cost anything apart from the iPad. The parents can’t afford for them to go out and experience the world as much as possibly [sic] previous years.”
Gillespie added: “We need to destigmatise how we talk about parenting in these critical years of development and as a nation begin to grasp that we’re all learners from birth, and that these early years have a massive impact on all our futures.
“The role of parents and carers as their child’s first educator really is crucial to their later life chances and the success of our society and economy.”
