Lack of qualified nursery teachers could cause pupils to fall behind, survey shows

Children are more likely to fall behind before they reach primary school if they do not have qualified early years teachers.

According to a survey by YouGov, which was commissioned by Save the Children, 800,000 children are at greater risk of starting reception behind their classmates if they do not have access to qualified early years teachers.

The poll shows that children are more likely to fall behind in areas like numeracy and literacy by the year 2020.

Findings also say that out of the children who start behind, a quarter are more likely to remain behind in English when they reach secondary school and a fifth of pupils will stay behind in maths.

The poll highlighted that more than a third of parents in England with children under five do not know if their nursery employs staff specifically trained to support children’s early learning and development and help those falling behind.

In addition to this, government stats show that boys and poor children are the worst affected and boys are almost twice as likely than girls to fall behind in a language. Poor children are more than twice as likely to be behind pupils from wealthier backgrounds.

According to the poll, 28 per cent of parent who were quizzed worry that their child will start primary school behind in literacy and numeracy and 51 per cent are worried about sending their child to a nursery without a qualified teacher.

Kevin Watkins, chief executive of Save the Children, said: “It’s just not acceptable that in this day and age, so many children in England are falling behind before they even set foot in primary school – leaving them at risk of staying behind throughout their school years and into the world of work.

“Nurseries do an incredible job nurturing our children, but financial constraints are leaving many of them struggling to hire the qualified early years teachers who help give children the skills and confidence they need to learn and grow.

“The evidence clearly shows the huge and transformational difference early years teachers can make for children. That’s why we’re calling on government to ensure every nursery has a qualified teacher. It’s an investment we must make to help every child reach their full potential.”