Teach Early Years - Issue 14.2

FELICITY GILLESPIE IS THE DIRECTOR OF KINDRED 2 , A LEADING EARLY YEARS CHARITY “Education must begin at home” Yet for every £1 invested in the early years, the Exchequer saves £13 in later-life state interventions. Conversely, our collective failure to intervene early costs us dearly – over £16 billion every year. ESTABLISHING EXPECTATIONS There is apparent confusion and ignorance about what a child starting Reception should be able to handle, and what parents should be doing to support their child’s early development. E very parent wants the best for their children and to see them thrive. Which begs the question: why are a shockingly high number of pupils entering primary school ill-equipped for the learning journey ahead? Teachers report that a third of children are starting Reception class unable to dress or feed themselves independently (tinyurl.com/ TEYkSQ2sr). This lack of basic self- care skills means that every child in the classroom is losing out on an average of 2.4 hours a day of teaching time while schools struggle to play catch-up. One in four children is not yet toilet- trained at age four, a stark contrast to the 1970s and 80s, when 83% of 18-month-olds were out of nappies. The school-readiness crisis is arguably the most important equality issue in society. The science is unequivocal: the earliest months and years of life are immensely consequential to our later life chances. The fastest rate of brain growth and the greatest impact on life chances happen before children turn two. Our brains double in size in the first year alone. Research has even shown that a child’s development score at 22 months can accurately predict educational outcomes at 26 years. Much of the attainment gap we see at age 16 can be traced to the time children start school. Poor vocabulary skills at age five, for instance, make adults four times more likely to have reading difficulties, three times more likely to have mental health problems, and twice as likely to be unemployed. With increasing numbers of children starting school lacking basic skills, it’s vital parents understand the importance of the early years, says Felicity Gillespie … 32 Teachearlyyears.com