Action needed to tackle high numbers of children not 'school ready'

A new report makes a series of proposals to tackle the high number of children starting school not ‘school ready’, and the crisis in early years and childcare provision - particularly in disadvantaged areas.

The report by Child of the North and Anne Longfield’s Centre for Young Lives think tank, sets out how high quality early years settings play a crucial role in supporting successful development in young children, including their language, social, emotional, and physical skills, and behaviour.

However, the current crisis in preschool early years and childcare provision - with many nurseries closing over recent years and unprecedented recruitment and retention challenges - has jeopardised the quality of provision and opportunities for children.

The report highlights the alarming rise in early years developmental delays since Covid-19 resulting in huge numbers of children who are not ready for school. Schools report children arriving at Reception in nappies, and recent surveys of schools and nurseries have shown high levels of concern around speech and language.

The report warns that unless the Government acts quickly, there will be a downward spiral from poor spoken language through poor literacy and numeracy to longer-term effects on adult employability and the costs to society of intergenerational disadvantage.

The report highlights how children from less affluent homes are more likely to enter education with poorly developed language abilities and children who enter school with poor oral language are at high risk of low educational attainment which, in turn, limits their later career opportunities. 

The report calls for investment in Early Childhood Education Programmes that support the holistic needs of families in educational settings within the most disadvantaged areas.

It also calls for improvements and extended training opportunities for professionals and families, and connecting systems more effectively through shared information to provide more integrated support throughout a child’s educational journey.

The report spotlights innovative programmes which are already boosting school readiness, particularly for children living in disadvantaged communities, including the Nuffield Early Language Intervention Preschool which has been developed to boost the language skills of children and better prepare them for school entry.