Parents in Yorkshire fear that their children will need to ‘catch up’ due to a lack of school readiness.
The results of a recent poll by the charity, Action for Children, shows almost half of parents in Yorkshire fear that their children will not be ready to start school by the age of five. A surprising 49% of parents felt that their children were not ready for the transition into school, and of those numbers 52% were concerned that once behind, their child would struggle to catch up to their peers.
This evidence calls for the government to provide better support for parents of children in the early years, due to the impact had on their education and ability to gain a good job later on in life. The charity has called for the introduction of a measure, that all children should need to reach by the age of five, to ensure they are ready for school. It has been suggested that children need to acquire the skills to cope emotionally, communicate with teachers and be confident interacting with other children.
70% of Yorkshire parents asked, agreed that the government should ensure that children are reaching a good level of development before starting school.
Paula Brookes is a mother from Wakefield, whose three-year-old son Logan is due to start school in September when he will be four years old, is worried that there has not been enough to be ‘bridge the gap’ between his current nursery and school.
“He will go from a play environment to a teaching environment, which does concern me. While nursery has been great as they have started to prepare the children by teaching them phonics, I do think there is a lack of support in the system.”
Miss Brookes also added that she had ‘no idea’ what standard her son should be at to start school in September.
Action for Children’s director of children’s services north, John Egan, has stated that “starting school is a huge milestone in a child’s life. It is not surprising that 70 percent of parents told us that the Government should make sure all children reach a good level of development by age five.”
Mr. Egan added “We are calling on the Government to measure this as part of their Life Chances Strategy, as we know that once a child starts school behind their peers, they will face an uphill challenge to catch up. Parents play the most important role in helping their child develop during their earliest years, but they shouldn’t need to do this alone or feel that asking for help is a reflection on their parents.”