Fewer than half of parents think Reception pupils should know how to use books

Fewer than half of parents think children should know how to use books correctly before starting primary school, a survey has suggested.

Only three in four (76%) parents think children should be toilet trained before joining Reception, according to a poll for early years charity Kindred2.

Children are entering primary school with delays in basic motor skills and a lack of core strength, teachers have suggested.

It comes after the Prime Minister set out his ambition last month for 75% of children to reach a good level of development when they start school.

More than 1,000 staff in primary schools and 1,000 parents of Reception age children in England and Wales were surveyed by Savanta in October and November last year.

Overall, 44% of parents said they think children should know how to use books correctly by Reception.

The report said an example of correctly using books was when there was “no swiping or tapping as if using an electronic device”.

Primary school staff reported that 28% of children who started Reception in 2024 “incorrectly use books” and one in four (25%) are not toilet trained.

The majority of school staff highlighted children spending too much time on electronic devices (54%) and parents not reading enough to their children (52%) as key reasons why children may not be school ready.

Teachers participating in focus groups expressed concerns about children not meeting a range of their developmental milestones.

David Battersby, a primary school teacher in Rochdale, said there has been a rise in children coming to his school in prams and nappies in recent years.

He said staff are not able to properly start the curriculum until after Christmas as they are spending the first term “trying to backfill” motor skills.

Mr Battersby told the PA news agency: “Our early years department now are spending far longer getting children being able to hold pencils with enough strength and stability in order to form writing, and that delay is then having a knock-on effect on our ability to make progress with the curriculum.”

He added: “It’s becoming increasingly clear as the years go on that children are unfamiliar with how to use books. They’re unfamiliar with stories being shared and how to hold and engage with a book.”

When asked why he thinks more children are entering Reception not ready for school, Mr Battersby said: “I would definitely say cuts to Sure Start centres and health visitors has been a real factor in parents’ knowledge of school readiness. Screen time and a lack of interaction and conversation as well.

A primary school deputy headteacher from the North West said: “We’ve had a lot of delayed walkers. Their movements are quite clumsy, dropping things, unable to climb a staircase.”

Meanwhile, a teacher from the North West said there are children in Reception who “physically cannot sit on the carpet” as they lack core strength.

Nearly two in five (39%) staff selected “less time spent in early childhood education due to lockdown restrictions” as a key factor of school readiness.

But a senior leader in the East Midlands said: “There’s only so long you can blame Covid for that. I’m sorry, but a lot of it comes down to parenting as well.”

Felicity Gillespie, director of Kindred2, said: “We welcome the Government’s pledge to get more children ‘school ready’ but our report suggests that too many parents are failing to support the development of their children, in spite of – we know – having their best interests at heart.

“We need to destigmatise how we talk about parenting in these critical years of development and as a nation begin to grasp that we’re all learners from birth, and that these early years have a massive impact on all our futures.

“The role of parents and carers as their child’s first educator really is crucial to their later life chances and the success of our society and economy.

“Our latest annual report highlights that the problems are both significant and stubborn.”

Tiffnie Harris, primary specialist at the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL), said: “This study finds an alarming disconnect between some parents and schools about what school readiness actually means.

“What we suspect lies behind this finding is that many families are themselves struggling with a range of economic and social pressures and there is a dearth of support for them.

“The answer must lie in an intense focus on high-quality early years education – not just in terms of free childcare, but sufficient funding rates to support this essential provision.”

Paul Whiteman, general secretary of school leaders’ union the NAHT, said: “There is perhaps more that could be done to help all parents ensure their children are ready to thrive when starting school and are able to access support if and when they need it.

“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 really important and is vital in helping to narrow the gap between children from disadvantaged backgrounds and their peers.”

Early Education Minister Stephen Morgan says: “We have made no bones about the scale of the challenge to deliver on our Plan for Change so tens of thousands more children, a record proportion, are school-ready at age 5. Our plan is ambitious, and rightly so.

“Children arriving at school not ready for the classroom takes teachers’ focus away from doing what they do best, which is why we have already started work to extend early language support, deliver thousands of school-based nurseries, and strengthen and join up family services through continued investment in the Family Hubs and Start for Life programmes.

“We will continue to work very closely with parents and teachers as we deliver our ambitious reforms to break down barriers to opportunity and give every child, regardless of background, the best start in life.”