Five-year-olds are going to school unprepared

[mouse]

The pupils who can't talk properly: Five-year-olds are turning up to school unable to use the simple words needed to interact with teachers and classmates, minister warns
Oxford Uni Press found half of five-year-olds didn't know simple words, phrases
Experts say that disadvantaged preschoolers are disproportionately affected
Education Secretary Damian Hinds has vowed to tackle the worrying trend
By Eleanor Harding for the Daily Mail
Published: 00:13, 30 April 2018 | Updated: 08:05, 30 April 2018


Education Secretary Damian Hinds vowed to tackle trend of five-year-olds turning up unable to use the simple words and phrases
A drive to end the tragedy of youngsters arriving at school without the speech skills needed to thrive in the classroom will be launched today.
Education Secretary Damian Hinds vowed to tackle the worrying trend of five-year-olds turning up unable to use the simple words and phrases needed to interact with teachers and classmates


Read more: www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5671927/Half-five-year-olds-turning-school-unable-use-simple-words-phrases.html#ixzz5E9J9OaNB
Follow us: @mailonline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook

[mouse]

A drive to end the tragedy of youngsters arriving at school without the speech skills needed to thrive in the classroom will be launched today.
Education Secretary Damian Hinds vowed to tackle the worrying trend of five-year-olds turning up unable to use the simple words and phrases needed to interact with teachers and classmates.
Research from the Oxford University Press (OUP) this month found that half of five-year-olds in some schools are behind in their language skills – with experts saying disadvantaged children are disproportionately affected.


And a study by the National Literary Trust found that one in eight of the most disadvantaged children do not own a single book.
Mr Hinds said a lack of vocabulary can create a ‘word gap’ which sets children behind their peers from the beginning, and hinders their progress for the rest of their school career.
He is launching two projects worth £13.5 million aimed at giving disadvantaged parents the confidence to help their children learn new words through activities such as reading and singing. Workshops will be run to give parents ‘simple, straightforward strategies’ which they can take home and use with pre-school children.
Mr Hinds said last night: ‘We know there is a gap in child development that can be visible at age five. The easiest way to measure it is the “word gap”.
‘Where you are, in development terms, at age five and at the start of school, obviously makes a significant difference to your ability to get the most out of infant school and then junior school education.’
The OUP report found that when children arrive unable to understand basic phrases, they find it much harder to follow commands, make friends and learn how to read. In the long term, it can lead to low confidence, underachievement and poor behaviour.

[mouse]

given charity shops are filled with book at very modest prices.. it isn't clear why any child should not have access to books
as as for the lack of ease of words and conversational skills.. well that is one hundred percent down to bad parents.... and I do mean bad parenting
but one only has to observe babies in prams.. faces away from the mother who will be endlessly on her phone and the tv and games console will be the inhouse child entertainers... so what need of conversation
and then these same bad parents will be first to complain if their sprog is seen as a trouble maker or behavioural problem disrupting the class etc

to deliberately put your child/children at an educational and social disadvantage to me is just unforgivable.. all parents have a duty of care for the children they produce... we punish those who physically harm their children.. wer punish tose who put their children in dangerous situations or starve them or molest6 them
so why are we so prissy about challenging those who harm their children intellectually and mentally
and most of all why do we continually make excuses for these selfish parents who cannot be bothered to play their part in the childs welfare.. .. theres no less time to interact or talk to ones children now than there was years ago... every car journey or bus/plane/train ride is an opportunity.. bath time... ETC

[fretslider]

Mr Hinds – who became Education Secretary in January, taking over from Justine Greening – said: ‘Schools do a great job on accelerating development.

I disagree. They're far too busy acting as social workers and today's parents have had a poor education making them more dependent rather than independent.

My philosophy is parents have a great deal to teach their children, relying on schools to do the job alone is abdicating responsibility.

[mouse]

Apr 30, 2018 7:00:48 GMT -5 fretslider said:

Mr Hinds – who became Education Secretary in January, taking over from Justine Greening – said: ‘Schools do a great job on accelerating development.

I disagree. They're far too busy acting as social workers and today's parents have had a poor education making them more dependent rather than independent.

My philosophy is parents have a great deal to teach their children, relying on schools to do the job alone is abdicating responsibility.

I absolutrly agree... waste of space parents who shouldn't be in charge of tadpole let alone a child.. and todays parents can be told and told and told and yet many of them do not spear to grasp that sleep ..a good long calm nights sleep is as necessary as a good well balanced diet... that fresh air is as necessary as water

[Jessiealan]

And so it has always been, mouse. As with many other things, not everyone has equal skills, equal priorities or equal interests. It's too bad, of course, but nothing new.

As a retired teacher, I can tell you such things are expected, and schools have ways to work around them. Teachers and school admins would, of course, like to see children well prepared with no need for remedial classes and, sometimes, tutoring, but that is a pipe dream. Raging about the parents gets us nowhere. It is a small thing when you consider there are parents who beat, starve and mistreat their children.

Teachers see it all. A little extra help with reading and English is something we can ,thankfully, take in stride.

[Dex]

Apr 30, 2018 10:08:02 GMT -5 Jessiealan said:

And so it has always been, mouse. As with many other things, not everyone has equal skills, equal priorities or equal interests. It's too bad, of course, but nothing new.

As a retired teacher, I can tell you such things are expected, and schools have ways to work around them. Teachers and school admins would, of course, like to see children well prepared with no need for remedial classes and, sometimes, tutoring, but that is a pipe dream. Raging about the parents gets us nowhere. It is a small thing when you consider there are parents who beat, starve and mistreat their children.

Teachers see it all. A little extra help with reading and English is something we can ,thankfully, take in stride.

If parents don't speak English well, the kids are going to need to mostly learn in schools that understand this. No problem. Same goes if the parents don't give them a good start with reading and spelling. Some teachers would rather get students who are starting from scratch.

I'd say the Daily Mail worries about it more than the schools do.

[mouse]

Apr 30, 2018 10:08:02 GMT -5 Jessiealan said:

And so it has always been, mouse. As with many other things, not everyone has equal skills, equal priorities or equal interests. It's too bad, of course, but nothing new.

As a retired teacher, I can tell you such things are expected, and schools have ways to work around them. Teachers and school admins would, of course, like to see children well prepared with no need for remedial classes and, sometimes, tutoring, but that is a pipe dream. Raging about the parents gets us nowhere. It is a small thing when you consider there are parents who beat, starve and mistreat their children.

Teachers see it all. A little extra help with reading and English is something we can ,thankfully, take in stride.

yes of course its always been so but its now on a far greater scale according to educationalist and behaviourists
and i believe that raging against the parents should get us some where.. they should be made to understand that they have a duty of care..
daughter has one particular little boy of nine[among others].. who is totally out of contr0l disrupts the entire class.. his language and behaviour is grim... then you get to know the background amnd it all comes down to bad parenting... the child is running on nervous exhaustion... he never goes to bed until his mother goes and then he sleeps in her bed with her and what ever fella she has at the time... his breakfast is usually soft cheese triangles and a packet of crisps.. school lunch.. and dinner is what ever his mother can be bothered to buy.. chips.. chips or a pie from the shop.. this little boy doesn't need remedial class be needs a regular good nights sleep.. enough food of a well balance diet
i don't see it as a pipe dream.. i was involved with education in the 1950s in a very rough area...and parents back then knew their responsibilities and did their best in the main via difficult circumstances ... and if they didn't the school or other parents would soon make them well aware... back then education of the parents and poverty and living conditions were the issue and for some it was a never ending battle especially those who were for ever pregnant
there is no excuse what so ever and certainly not at the school daughter is connected with ...where not only are some unable to hold a conversation they also come to school in nappies and still having dummies .. now that has nothing to do with poverty.. that has every thing to do with bad parenting the children where she is ..is on a council estate.. good housing conditions gardens front and rear and plenty of green spaces for play etc ...and whether employed or not the living standard are not grim or particularily deprived

[mouse]

Apr 30, 2018 11:51:28 GMT -5 Dex said:

Apr 30, 2018 10:08:02 GMT -5 Jessiealan said:

And so it has always been, mouse. As with many other things, not everyone has equal skills, equal priorities or equal interests. It's too bad, of course, but nothing new.

As a retired teacher, I can tell you such things are expected, and schools have ways to work around them. Teachers and school admins would, of course, like to see children well prepared with no need for remedial classes and, sometimes, tutoring, but that is a pipe dream. Raging about the parents gets us nowhere. It is a small thing when you consider there are parents who beat, starve and mistreat their children.

Teachers see it all. A little extra help with reading and English is something we can ,thankfully, take in stride.

If parents don't speak English well, the kids are going to need to mostly learn in schools that understand this. No problem. Same goes if the parents don't give them a good start with reading and spelling. Some teachers would rather get students who are starting from scratch.

I'd say the Daily Mail worries about it more than the schools do.

ah yes it must not be believed because its the mail....there have also been related to the problem articles in almost every other papers and is a matter of concern in the educational papers as well.

yes some children will be of immigrant families.. and that is understandable... but we are talking in general cross country .. and it is a problem some many primary schools are facing now.. and its not reserved just for the lower end.. some of the of the other social groups are equally guilty of bad parenting .. and when the department for education at government level are concerned then i think it rather adds gravitas to what the scale of the problem is
and i have to say that back in the 1950s we had children coming in who spoke no English.. no one wailed or nmuttered or provided extra tuition .. because children left alone absorb from other children very quickly .. we had a few Asian families and then after the Hungarian revolution we had a sudden influx of Hungarian children whose families had managed to escape.. two families were Jewish and the Jewish community did a great job in socialising them.. others soon picked up words in the play ground and by the time a year had passed they were all pretty fluent including the Asian children [one little girl eventually went to Oxford.. not bad for a child who came to a different culture and a different country]

one of the Hungarian refugees caught impetigo and i caught it off him..and conseqently spent all six weeks of the summer holidays covered in gentian violet which was the treatment back then

[mouse]

is this more an acceptable paper... read and weep and this article is far more damning that the distained daily mail
www.theguardian.com/teacher-network/2015/apr/18/secret-teacher-parents-toilet-train-children

Secret Teacher: why do some parents expect us to toilet train their children?
We can’t teach children properly unless parents send them to school with the basic life skills. We are teachers, not supernannies

Secret Teacher is having to cope with more and more children who are not ‘school ready’. Photograph: Alamy
Sitting in a family’s living room last September, I watched my school’s reception teacher force a smile. We were on a home visit for a soon-to-be student and the mother asked, “Is there anything I need to do before he starts?” A sensible question with an obvious answer as the child on her lap was wearing a nappy and drinking from a training cup.
This wasn’t the first home visit that had left us mentally replanning our early years curriculum. The day before, we’d helped one desperate mother rescue her child from climbing on top of the kitchen cupboards and conducted another meeting in whispers because the child was still having her afternoon nap. These represent part of a growing issue my primary school is contending with: an increasing number of children are not “school ready”.
Not being school ready doesn’t mean the children are too young – let’s be clear about that. It refers to children being sufficiently trained in basic life skills to survive a day in the classroom and engage in meaningful learning experiences with their peers. Of course, all children develop at different rates and have a variety of individual needs, that’s not the issue. It’s parents who subconsciously – or intentionally – delegate their parenting responsibilities to teachers. We’ve had several children start school in nappies or – even worse – without them for the first time. Some parents assume, in the words of the mother above, that “school will sort that out”. It’s now April and I still have two children who regularly arrive in pushchairs.
It’s not an issue limited to children just starting school either. A colleague once received an evening call asking them to discipline two children over the phone. Last year, I took a child, who had never fallen asleep unless it was in front of the television, on a residential trip. The result? Five nights of uncontrollable sobbing and a ruined experience for his classmates at a cost of £300 per head. I’ve had to ask parents not to send in cold Happy Meals for packed lunches, and known several children who have been put on school dinners so that we can “make them eat properly” (one notoriously having eaten nothing but potato waffles until the age of nine).

Home visits for new starters are a relatively new phenomenon. They were introduced as an opportunity for parents to meet their child’s teacher and discuss any concerns either party may have to make the whole process a more positive experience. In reality, they allow us to suss out the extent of a problem before it arrives at our door.
I feel proud that we are a “good” school, but overwhelmingly concerned by how increasingly difficult it is to maintain those outcomes given what we have to contend with. Each year we take more drastic measures to cope: I employ nursery nurses who support children with the basic skills usually acquired before school; we run interventions for children as young as four who cannot play or who need anger management; teachers take on roles which were traditionally the responsibility of parents, filling gaps in basic skills instead of delivering the national curriculum. It’s a role we are not trained for and did not sign up to. Last week I received a note saying: “Yesterday Jessica came home with nits. Please can someone make sure this is dealt with before she comes home today?”
The vast majority of parents do a wonderful job. But they would be horrified if they could see what impact other children, whose parents leave it to schools to raise them, have on their child’s education. Unfortunately, in a group situation you have to meet the basic demands of a few children who are not coping, rather than the learning needs of the silent majority. This year, four families withdrew their children from our reception class after their first visit, citing the behaviour of other children as the reason. I didn’t blame them.
The same parents who don’t prepare their children for school are often the ones who later don’t read with their children, help with their homework and show an interest in their learning. At our last parents’ evening one such father told me he wouldn’t listen to his son read as “that’s what the teachers get paid for

[mouse]

or how about this from a mix of mumsnet and the Telegraph ....this silliness about the mail is getting ludicrous .. and causing me extra work

5 year olds starting school in nappies. Older children still in nappies at age 15
Five year olds are starting school still wearing nappies in hundreds of schools a new report has found.

Teachers have also reported that children as old as 15 who have no medical conditions or developmental issues are unable to use the toilet on their own.

Nine per cent – almost one in 10 – of heads and senior staff who responded when questioned said that in the past year a child aged between five and seven had worn a nappy to their school.

The figure was five per cent – one in 20 – for classroom teachers.

Four per cent – almost one in 20 - of heads and senior staff said that in the last year a child aged seven to 11 had worn a nappy to school.

One per cent of classroom teachers surveyed had experience of older children in nappies.

Many pupils are embarrassed to admit their wear nappies:

Anne-Marie Middleton, a deputy head teacher from Dover, says many pupils are too embarrassed to admit they still wear nappies.

She said: “We’re seeing more and more children wearing nappies. We find that more and more children have an issue with toilet further up the school. I know of one 11 year old who has to wear pull ups at night. It can really place a strain on teachers. It stops lessons.”

Busy parents have been blamed for not having time to teach children basic skills - such as toilet training - at a young age.

Janet Marsh runs a programme at a Kent school to try to help pupils toilet train. She said she knew of 14 or 15 year olds without medical problems who still had toilet training issues.

“It’s an incredibly serious situation,” she said. “There are children who miss 25 per cent of their education in Reception because they’re being taken out to be changed. How are they going to catch up?”

Read more here: Five-year-olds in hundreds of schools still wearing nappies - survey - Telegraph

[annaj26]

Apr 30, 2018 5:12:18 GMT -5 mouse said:

The pupils who can't talk properly: Five-year-olds are turning up to school unable to use the simple words needed to interact with teachers and classmates, minister warns
Oxford Uni Press found half of five-year-olds didn't know simple words, phrases
Experts say that disadvantaged preschoolers are disproportionately affected
Education Secretary Damian Hinds has vowed to tackle the worrying trend
By Eleanor Harding for the Daily Mail
Published: 00:13, 30 April 2018 | Updated: 08:05, 30 April 2018


Education Secretary Damian Hinds vowed to tackle trend of five-year-olds turning up unable to use the simple words and phrases
A drive to end the tragedy of youngsters arriving at school without the speech skills needed to thrive in the classroom will be launched today.
Education Secretary Damian Hinds vowed to tackle the worrying trend of five-year-olds turning up unable to use the simple words and phrases needed to interact with teachers and classmates


Read more: www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5671927/Half-five-year-olds-turning-school-unable-use-simple-words-phrases.html#ixzz5E9J9OaNB
Follow us: @mailonline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook

mouse, I'm going to ask Beth to get somebody to put titles on your threads if you're having trouble with that. I'd do it myself but I'm only on break for a few.

With this, it makes no sense, well - at least not much. There is a chain of responsibility for these things, especially the related post about older kids wearing diapers. If the parents can't or won't manage, the next to try would be social services which should step in immediately when this is reported by the schools. It sounds like either a health problem or a family problem. The case worker can visit the home and get down to the reality of what's going on. If it can't be corrected within the family, then foster care might have to be considered.

The worst thing is for a gossipy newspaper to get hold of the situation and publish a breathless report to get readers who are drawn to such reporting into being offended and outraged.

Why make children's personal problems entertainment for the public when they need to be identified, reported and corrected by going through proper channels?

[mouse]

sorry.. I am afraid I don't know what you mean... there is a title to the thread.... """Five-year-olds are going to school unable to use the simple"""

and because of hysteria you have about tabloids i deliberately included.. mumsnet.. the Telegraph and the guardian and the teacher. non of which I would declare gossipy news papers .. you cannot get a wider selection of opinion and views than I have provided

how concern about the education welfare and behaviour can be twisted into entertainment for the public is quite beyond me.... what we have is a very serious dereliction and abdication responsibilities by many parents.,.. and not conf9ned to either financial or social groups groups

our social services would not be unduly worried about nappies.. they have far greater problems than parents to are too thick and too lazy to toilet train ... there does not have to be sickness or health problems to make bad parents into bad parents.. they can be bad parents with out thinking .. and that is half the problem bad parents don't think it through

we have a big problem with many many children and many many parents.......what is so wrong about speaking about it ... ignoring it wont make it go away

its like the story Fret put up last week.. where a child had been asked not to return to nursery school because of his behaviour towards other children
and the attitude of the mother and grandmother was.. he is only a baby.. he will grow out of it etc ... well no you stupid women its your job to educate him not to bite others and at three he is not a baby who doesn't know right from wrong ....and those two women by excusing his anti social behaviouir were enabling the child to continue because they accepted no responsibilities for the childs behaviour

[Sysop3]

May 2, 2018 2:43:15 GMT -5 mouse said:

sorry.. I am afraid I don't know what you mean... there is a title to the thread.... """Five-year-olds are going to school unable to use the simple"""

and because of hysteria you have about tabloids i deliberately included.. mumsnet.. the Telegraph and the guardian and the teacher. non of which I would declare gossipy news papers .. you cannot get a wider selection of opinion and views than I have provided

how concern about the education welfare and behaviour can be twisted into entertainment for the public is quite beyond me.... what we have is a very serious dereliction and abdication responsibilities by many parents.,.. and not conf9ned to either financial or social groups groups

our social services would not be unduly worried about nappies.. they have far greater problems than parents to are too thick and too lazy to toilet train ... there does not have to be sickness or health problems to make bad parents into bad parents.. they can be bad parents with out thinking .. and that is half the problem bad parents don't think it through

we have a big problem with many many children and many many parents.......what is so wrong about speaking about it ... ignoring it wont make it go away

its like the story Fret put up last week.. where a child had been asked not to return to nursery school because of his behaviour towards other children
and the attitude of the mother and grandmother was.. he is only a baby.. he will grow out of it etc ... well no you stupid women its your job to educate him not to bite others and at three he is not a baby who doesn't know right from wrong ....and those two women by excusing his anti social behaviouir were enabling the child to continue because they accepted no responsibilities for the childs behaviour

But "speaking about it" does not help the situation. Sounds pretty bad to me - bad for the schools, bad for the kids. Here, a case worker would be sent out to visit the family and see what could be done to help.

Do you think they should take the kids out of school or just keep shaking their heads and saying "tut tut" and gossiping about it?

[mouse]

May 2, 2018 2:59:27 GMT -5 Sysop3 said:

May 2, 2018 2:43:15 GMT -5 mouse said:

sorry.. I am afraid I don't know what you mean... there is a title to the thread.... """Five-year-olds are going to school unable to use the simple"""

and because of hysteria you have about tabloids i deliberately included.. mumsnet.. the Telegraph and the guardian and the teacher. non of which I would declare gossipy news papers .. you cannot get a wider selection of opinion and views than I have provided

how concern about the education welfare and behaviour can be twisted into entertainment for the public is quite beyond me.... what we have is a very serious dereliction and abdication responsibilities by many parents.,.. and not conf9ned to either financial or social groups groups

our social services would not be unduly worried about nappies.. they have far greater problems than parents to are too thick and too lazy to toilet train ... there does not have to be sickness or health problems to make bad parents into bad parents.. they can be bad parents with out thinking .. and that is half the problem bad parents don't think it through

we have a big problem with many many children and many many parents.......what is so wrong about speaking about it ... ignoring it wont make it go away

its like the story Fret put up last week.. where a child had been asked not to return to nursery school because of his behaviour towards other children
and the attitude of the mother and grandmother was.. he is only a baby.. he will grow out of it etc ... well no you stupid women its your job to educate him not to bite others and at three he is not a baby who doesn't know right from wrong ....and those two women by excusing his anti social behaviouir were enabling the child to continue because they accepted no responsibilities for the childs behaviour

But "speaking about it" does not help the situation. Sounds pretty bad to me - bad for the schools, bad for the kids. Here, a case worker would be sent out to visit the family and see what could be done to help.

Do you think they should take the kids out of school or just keep shaking their heads and saying "tut tut" and gossiping about it?

who is shaking heads and saying tut tut and some thing is being done about it ... its a very bad situation and the child loses out every time .. but speaking about it and getting it out in the open actually does help...it establishes norms... norms which for some reason appear to have been lost.. and yes bad parenting
hiding away will nerver help eith child/school /parent l.. and I gather you haven't read any of the items ive posted or you would see that the situation is being taken very seriously and theres is a two pronged assault to try and educate parents going on
one is via a new scheme to help parents teach their children
T""""oday Mr Hinds is launching a £5 million pilot scheme in the North of England to help parents teach their children vocabulary at home through reading and singing nursery rhymes. It will be run by the Education Endowment Foundation (EEF) and will provide workshops in nurseries, community centres and homes. The projects found to be most effective could later be rolled out across the country.
In addition, £8.5 million has been made available to councils across the country for language and literacy development projects for disadvantaged children.
EEF chief executive Sir Kevan Collins said: ‘By testing different ways of tackling issues like the early years “word gap”, this new fund will give us much-needed information about how we can give parents the tools they need to give their child the very best start in life.’"""





and the other is home visits to new school starters... to attempt to make them school ready as explained in this very good article from the Guardian .. it also mentions some of the problems teaching staff face ... and very well worth reading to get an idea of the problems

www.theguardian.com/teacher-network/2015/apr/18/secret-teacher-parents-toilet-train-children

Secret Teacher: why do some parents expect us to toilet train their children?
We can’t teach children properly unless parents send them to school with the basic life skills. We are teachers, not supernannies

Secret Teacher is having to cope with more and more children who are not ‘school ready’.
Sitting in a family’s living room last September, I watched my school’s reception teacher force a smile. We were on a home visit for a soon-to-be student and the mother asked, “Is there anything I need to do before he starts?” A sensible question with an obvious answer as the child on her lap was wearing a nappy and drinking from a training cup.
This wasn’t the first home visit that had left us mentally replanning our early years curriculum. The day before, we’d helped one desperate mother rescue her child from climbing on top of the kitchen cupboards and conducted another meeting in whispers because the child was still having her afternoon nap. These represent part of a growing issue my primary school is contending with: an increasing number of children are not “school ready”.
Not being school ready doesn’t mean the children are too young – let’s be clear about that. It refers to children being sufficiently trained in basic life skills to survive a day in the classroom and engage in meaningful learning experiences with their peers. Of course, all children develop at different rates and have a variety of individual needs, that’s not the issue. It’s parents who subconsciously – or intentionally – delegate their parenting responsibilities to teachers. We’ve had several children start school in nappies or – even worse – without them for the first time. Some parents assume, in the words of the mother above, that “school will sort that out”. It’s now April and I still have two children who regularly arrive in pushchairs.
It’s not an issue limited to children just starting school either. A colleague once received an evening call asking them to discipline two children over the phone. Last year, I took a child, who had never fallen asleep unless it was in front of the television, on a residential trip. The result? Five nights of uncontrollable sobbing and a ruined experience for his classmates at a cost of £300 per head. I’ve had to ask parents not to send in cold Happy Meals for packed lunches, and known several children who have been put on school dinners so that we can “make them eat properly” (one notoriously having eaten nothing but potato waffles until the age of nine).

Home visits for new starters are a relatively new phenomenon. They were introduced as an opportunity for parents to meet their child’s teacher and discuss any concerns either party may have to make the whole process a more positive experience. In reality, they allow us to suss out the extent of a problem before it arrives at our door.
I feel proud that we are a “good” school, but overwhelmingly concerned by how increasingly difficult it is to maintain those outcomes given what we have to contend with. Each year we take more drastic measures to cope: I employ nursery nurses who support children with the basic skills usually acquired before school; we run interventions for children as young as four who cannot play or who need anger management; teachers take on roles which were traditionally the responsibility of parents, filling gaps in basic skills instead of delivering the national curriculum. It’s a role we are not trained for and did not sign up to. Last week I received a note saying: “Yesterday Jessica came home with nits. Please can someone make sure this is dealt with before she comes home today?”
The vast majority of parents do a wonderful job. But they would be horrified if they could see what impact other children, whose parents leave it to schools to raise them, have on their child’s education. Unfortunately, in a group situation you have to meet the basic demands of a few children who are not coping, rather than the learning needs of the silent majority. This year, four families withdrew their children from our reception class after their first visit, citing the behaviour of other children as the reason. I didn’t blame them.
The same parents who don’t prepare their children for school are often the ones who later don’t read with their children, help with their homework and show an interest in their learning. At our last parents’ evening one such father told me he wouldn’t listen to his son read as “that’s what the teachers get paid for