Many pupils ill-prepared for the classroom

New research, revealed by school leadership organisation The Key, has shown that at least 194,000 pupils starting school in September are not ready for the classroom.

The survey, which asked over 1,100 head teachers, insinuated that 31 per cent of school leaders believe that more than half of their new starters in Reception had arrived under-prepared in some way, with 78 per cent claiming that they pupils behind expected levels in speaking and without the social skills expected at the age of four.

The ‘State of Education’ report also revealed that 99.5 per cent of primary school leaders believe that a proportion of their pupils were joining school below the required level of school-readiness.

Fergal Roche, chief exectuive of The Key, said: “It’s predicted that 336,000 more children will enter primary school by 2024 – almost half of whom will be entering in the next couple of years. School leaders are already struggling to retain staff and manage their teachers’ workload, so add thousands more pupils arriving ill-prepared for the classroom to the equation, and the burden placed on our schools will be huge.

“To lessen this load more should to be done to ensure children are arriving at school with the skills they need to learn. An agreed definition of what 'school-readiness' means could be the first step to helping schools, parents and early years practitioners identify what national or localised support is required to meet this growing issue.”

Clare McGread, head of communities and early years at the National Literacy Trust, said: “It’s concerning to see school leaders report that so many children are starting primary school without the skills they need. Parents play a crucial role in supporting their child’s early language and communication development, but many lack confidence in how to support their child’s early learning.

“Early years practitioners can provide valuable guidance to parents, and help families to build rich home-learning environments. Programmes that bring together practitioners and volunteers to engage and empower parents with ideas, tools and confidence to support their children’s development will have a positive impact on their school readiness.”

However, the research did show that pupils starting secondary school in September are more likely to be prepared for the required classroom level, with only one in ten school leaders believing that a majority of their pupils were behind.