New survey finds many children still not ‘school ready’
The issue of children not being ‘school ready’ when they begin Reception is continuing, according to the third annual School Readiness Survey from the charity Kindred2. The survey also found a significant divergence between teachers and parents in their perception of school readiness and whose responsibility it was.
The findings were based on online surveys of more than 1000 primary practitioners, and over a 1000 parents whose children started Reception is September 2022, carried out by YouGov during October and November 2022. Elements that teachers looked for in considering children (excluding those with SEN or disabilities) to be ‘school ready’ included being able to use the toilet, dress and feed themselves independently, and be comfortable being separated from their parent/s. They also looked for basic written and verbal skills, including being able to hold a pencil, as well as the ability to follow simple instructions and concentrate for short periods of time. Children would also be expected to have some social skills such as playing, taking turns and sharing. On average the teachers surveyed reported that only 54 per cent of children entering Reception in 2022 were school ready. However, 89 per cent of parents said their child was school ready.
One possible reason for this divergence may be that teachers and parents have differing expectations of what constitutes being school ready – for example only 56 per cent of parents thought their child should be able to hold a pencil at the start of Reception, while just under three quarters (74 per cent) felt their child should be able to play or share with others. There was the greatest level of agreement on toileting, with 84 per cent of parents believing their child should be out of nappies, with toileting ‘mishaps’ occurring only occasionally, when starting school. There was also evidence that parents felt some areas were not necessarily their responsibility – only 7 per cent felt they were wholly responsible for their child being able to hold a pencil, rising slightly to 10 per cent for ensuring their child could play/share appropriately.
Just under 60 per cent of teachers reported that the number of pupils who were developmentally behind was either higher or the same as in previous years, according to the poll. They also spoke about the impact children who were not school ready had on both staff time and resources, as well as the impact on pupils’ learning in the long term. Teachers reported that children who were not developmentally ready for school often continued to struggle to meet expected goals throughout their time in education. Both teachers and parents felt that school readiness expectations should be more clearly communicated to parents, and that more support and guidance should be available on the practical ways in which they could help their child to be ready for school.
Speaking about the findings, Felicity Gillespie, Director of Kindred2, said: ‘We need a national conversation about the importance of the early years of development. And as a first step, we need clear, timely and accessible information on the simple, easy steps every parent can be taking from the birth of their babies to support their development.’
James Bowen, director of policy for school leaders’ union the NAHT said ‘Even before the pandemic, there was lack of specialist help for families with issues such as their children’s social development, speech and language. Reductions in early support - including valuable universal services like children’s centres - have taken their toll over the last decade as many local authorities faced cuts to their government funding.’ He suggested the government needed to ‘invest much more in specialist and universal early years services for disadvantaged families and massively expand its new network of family hubs so all families that need them have access.’
A Department for Education spokesperson said: ‘We recognise that the early years of a child’s life are crucial, which is why we’re investing millions in early years recovery over the next three years, including programmes focused on improving children’s speech, language and communication skills.’
The full report is available at https://kindredsquared.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/Kindred-Squared-School-Readiness-Report.pdf