According to analysis by Teach First, nearly one in three children who start primary school in England at the age of five are not "school ready."
According to experts in the field, many children in schools are lacking the necessary physical skills to enable them to get the most out of their education. In primary schools across the country, children have been observed lacking the core strength needed to sit still, concentrate and support themselves in a seated position. They also show an inability to dress themselves and some are still wearing nappies.
I asked early years practitioners "what do you mean when you say a child is ready for school?" Nearly all linked it to emotional and social development. To some it meant they are ready to leave their mother. Some linked it to self care.
I also asked "what do you think parents mean when they say it?" They said that they think parents mean something different - usually they are ready for formal learning - to sit at a table with a pencil. None of them considered physical development as being relevant to school readiness.
Following consultation with Loughborough Campus Nursery, the core skills we have decided to focus on will help to develop the senses, spatial awareness, gross and fine motor skills, visual development and the coordination of the limbs. All things necessary for tasks of daily living AND formal learning at school.
