More children are starting reception missing key skills including toilet training and speaking in full sentences, teaching unions have told the BBC, adding that schools are left “picking up the pieces.”
As many as a third of teachers have at least five children in their reception classes in need of help using the toilet, a survey of over 1,000 primary school teachers in England has found. Nine in ten who took part in the Teacher Tapp survey said that they had seen a decrease in speech and language abilities over the past two years.
The government has recently announced a target for three-quarters of children to be at a good level of development by the time they leave reception by 2028.
Teacher Tapp asked primary school teachers in England about school readiness, a week into the new term. It found that 85% of the 1,132 respondents reported at least one pupil in reception needing help using the toilet, 33% having at least five who needed help, and 8% who had at least ten.
A spokesperson for the Department for Education said that the government would be working to ensure that a large number of children are “school-ready” by the time they are five-years-old, saying that they will be “turning the tide on inherited challenges of lack of access to high-quality early education, and helping teachers focus on teaching so every child in the class can achieve and thrive.”
Stay tuned to EyeOnLondon for the latest news and expert opinions.
Follow us on:
Subscribe to our YouTube channel for the latest videos and updates!
We value your thoughts! Share your feedback and help us make EyeOnLondon even better!
