Children starting school 'still in nappies and using buggies'

Young children are starting school in nappies, being pushed in buggies, and struggling to communicate with their peers, according to Anne Longfield, the former children's commissioner for England.

Ms Longfield warned that many young children are being "held back" due to a lack of support, which is affecting their "school readiness".

A report by the Centre for Young Lives think tank and the Child of the North found that the Covid-19 pandemic worsened early years developmental issues, particularly for vulnerable children. The report revealed that around a third of children were not deemed "school ready" in 2022/23.

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The report urges the government to introduce positive parenting programmes and home visits by trained professionals to increase support for families.

Ms Longfield, executive chair of the Centre for Young Lives, said: "I have heard many concerning experiences from school staff about children arriving at Reception wearing nappies, still using buggies, and unable to communicate at the expected level or to socialise with other children.

"Some of these children have developmental problems, struggle with speech and behaviour, and can require significant extra attention and support from already overstretched schools."

The report cautions that the widened language gap between children from more and less advantaged communities since the pandemic could hinder an entire generation of young people.

Schools and nurseries are facing "high levels of concern" regarding speech and language, noticing many children below the expected developmental milestones for their age by the end of Reception, according to a recent report.

The study, which looked into Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) outcomes for five year olds in England, found that in the academic year 2022/23, 72 per cent of pupils not eligible for free school meals (FSM) were considered "school ready", in stark contrast to only 52 per cent of those eligible for FSM.

A postcode lottery in school readiness was underscored by the data, showcasing a significant gap just 59 per cent of children in Manchester were deemed "school ready", while an impressive 84 per cent reached that level in London.

Subsequent findings have linked lack of school readiness to higher rates of persistent class absence among these children and increased likelihood of being NEET (Not in Education, Employment or Training) by age 16 and 17, as revealed by a recent analysis.

The report has called on the government to act to “prevent a downward spiral from poor spoken language through poor literacy and numeracy to longer-term effects” on their lives as adults.

Last week, Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson said the early years was her “first priority” as she announced that extra childcare places in school-based nurseries will be available from next year to help deliver the expansion of government-funded childcare. Parents working in England with children over nine months can now claim 15 hours of funded childcare, with a complete roll-out of 30 hours per week to all eligible families due by September 2025.

Ms Longfield said: "The Government's commitment to 300 new state nurseries is an opportunity for schools and communities in disadvantaged areas to tackle these problems head on by establishing new early years support to boost children's development and tackle poverty by providing childcare support to help parents work."

"None of these problems will fix themselves. Our preschool system is disjointed, is struggling with a recruitment and retention crisis, and has been historically underfunded."

Judy Clegg, professor of speech and language therapy at the University of Sheffield, said: "Many children are starting school without the speech, language, and communication skills they need to begin learning."

"Urgent action is required to provide support, so every child can listen, talk, and engage with others-skills essential for thriving in the classroom, learning to read, making friends, and succeeding in school."

"Increased funding for health and early years education to collaborate effectively is crucial and expanding speech and language therapy services is vital to ensuring no child is left behind."

Paul Whiteman, general secretary at school leaders' union NAHT, said: "The disruption caused by the pandemic undoubtedly had an impact on the development of some young children, and many school leaders have reported concerns around speech and language development in particular."

"High-quality early years education is one of the nearest things we have to a silver bullet in education, and is vital in helping to narrow the gap between children from disadvantaged backgrounds and their peers."

"It is therefore positive that the new Government has made clear that early years is among its top priorities, and it will be important that policies like expanding nursery provision and improved access to childcare are supported by the necessary funding and investment in the workforce."

"We would also like to see crucial support services rebuilt so that young children receive the support they need as early as possible."

A Government source said: "This is yet another example of the trail of devastation the Conservatives left across education."

"This report will make tough reading for the Tories, who should be doing some soul searching. Instead, they spent their conference bashing maternity pay and defending Liz Truss' disastrous mini-budget."

"This Labour government is focused on fixing the foundations and rebuilding Britain, beginning the work of rolling out school-based nurseries, implementing early speech and language interventions, and driving forward the child poverty taskforce."