To be shocked at ‘school readiness’

That doesn’t sound very professional? Teacher here too. The situation is endemic now and bleeds into all year groups (some
year 2 still can’t use scissors properly, struggle with holding a pencil, sitting quietly etc). But they are small children, whatever is happening is not their fault and it’s our job to gently guide and nurture them in class and then sound off when we get out.

I’m early years and I can well believe it. It’s HARD WORK. Any changes you manage in the week, they seem to forget after a weekend at home.

Re not knowing their own name, I think this is more that they don’t give a crap that you are calling them, they are doing their own thing and they don’t have consequences for ignoring adults so will carry on until they are ready.

I was brought up two generations ago with working parents - not having a sahm is not some new thing that only today’s reception dc are experiencing. Undiagnosed and unrecognised Sen was far more prevalent in the past as well.

I have been on mn for a long time and I notice that when posters talk about being a sahm now they talk about themselves not coping with working and bringing up dc rather than what they used to which is that being a sahm is ‘better’ and more moral than being a working parent. There is only one poster who has expressed this view on this thread for example. Adults aren’t perhaps coping with their lives so it stands to reason I suppose that they cannot manage to do the hard bits of parenting and instead take the easiest option in the moment - finger food, nappies, tv or device for entertainment etc.

@frozendaisyyou think a lazy parent will read MNs & a lightbulb will ping?!

I think reducing the cuts to education we have seen over the last two decades will have a bigger impact

How is it bad parenting that children don't know school rules in advance?

They are a week into their first term! They will still only being going part days. It takes time.

I started school in 1980 and I wouldn't have remembered pleases and thank yous or to hang my coat up just because I was anxious and nervous, and I was the oldest in the class, five when I started and an advanced reader, found lessons easy and had been to pre-school. School is totally different!

I was toilet trained at two but wet myself at school several times and wet the bed.

What seems to have changed since then even since DD1 started school in 2009 is a lack of patience, compassion, and no ability to treat children as individuals. At the same time as having far too high expectations of them. Apparently they are expected to have all school rules and routine off pat perfectly in week 2. They will have a national phonics test when many of them are still five. I really hope the OP isn't a reception teacher or TA and is just your typical MN drive by moaner.

@Copyandpastryi believe you and am with you!

I think some people are finding the 90% part unbelievable (even some who work in education).

Presumably a lot of these kids have been to nursery or child minders, so why haven’t they been doing these basic things there? Between family and care providers, how are these kids not learning basic skills?

A lot of children get called something else at home so they do respond to thier name, but its not the one of file and this info doesn't get passed on.

Clearly not 90% of children but we often get a lot of children in a cohort used to being called a nickname like jo-jo all thier life and thier actual name is Joseph. Its not only autism.

But i suspect this is rage bait

You will have to train the parents. They go with child to hang up their coat and put their water bottles away.

Have you looked at the national stats?
I am a HV and this is very much true, nationally!

school readiness is a key priority area to try to help address it, it’s very hard when parents don’t want to engage though!

Things have changed dramatically in recent years. My DC are 26 and 29 and when they started school, children who were still in nappies were not accepted in Reception. I have no idea how that worked for children with developmental delays or disability but it was definitely the case, as one of DDs play school friends was denied a reception place for that reason. School said they couldn’t facilitate it. She joined in year 1 when no longer in nappies. In her case there were no SEN.

It would be interesting to hear from pre school workers about what they are seeing. What battles they have with getting children to say please and thank you, to put their coats on the (right) peg etc

Seems very strange that 90% of a reception class didn’t attend nursery where they would have learned these skills or are you saying 90% were kept at home with no outside interaction and didn’t learn these skills?

SEND rates are definitely increasing IME and many later dx SEND dc are not identified by Reception entry. Eg ADHD is usually only dx over age 6 and many Autistic dc are dx later as well.

and children are never missed?

dear lord indeed.

Apart from the please and thank yous my daughter could do all that when she started nursery and was toilet trained. She has severe autism but has always been an independent madam. My son also severe autism was the complete opposite.

I find it interesting that a lot of people think 5 is too young for school, yet many parents seem to provide an iPad or phone for regular use well before that age.

Presumably this is the uk ? Aren’t children 4 or something when they start, I think I even heard 3? That is ridiculously young to start in a formal education setting . They are basically just out of todddlers . Are you a teacher and a parent ? Some of those things of most children should be able to do but many would still be difficult to a 3/4 year old . Also another big issue now in society is how much pressure parents are under, huge pressure to work constantly and time is so limited , rushing dcs out the door , children in school far too youn. In my country dcs don’t start school until 5/6 but many still need help with costs , shoes etc … not ideal but they are young children.
You speak as someone who lacks empathy for the kids and parents. I’m a parent of 3 and a teacher ( I worked in primary for a while) and if your post if referring to very young kids of 3/4 it isn’t remotely surprising. Trying to blame parents for something else and of course not all parents are perfect but many are doing their absolute best in a challenging time to raise kids.

Presumably this is the uk ? Aren’t children 4 or something when they start, I think I even heard 3? That is ridiculously young to start in a formal education setting . They are basically just out of todddlers . Are you a teacher and a parent ? Some of those things of most children should be able to do but many would still be difficult to a 3/4 year old . Also another big issue now in society is how much pressure parents are under, huge pressure to work constantly and time is so limited , rushing dcs out the door , children in school far too youn. In my country dcs don’t start school until 5/6 but many still need help with costs , shoes etc … not ideal but they are young children.
You speak as someone who lacks empathy for the kids and parents. I’m a parent of 3 and a teacher ( I worked in primary for a while) and if your post if referring to very young kids of 3/4 it isn’t remotely surprising. Trying to blame parents for something else and of course not all parents are perfect but many are doing their absolute best in a challenging time to raise kids.

I find it odd that so many posters are saying the OP is lying when quite a few teachers, TAs and other early childhood workers have posted on the thread collaborating the OPs concerns. It may not be 90% of all classes but in many it's definitely more than 50% and each year it's climbing.

My daughter has just finished her primary school teaching degree. She's had placements at various schools around Birmingham. Her favourite was a school in a very deprived area in the inner city .Nine of the children in her class had English as a second language, many of the families had tough lives but the children were an absolute delight. Well behaved and eager to learn and most of them were very independent. The parents were eager for their children to do well and hugely supportive.The problems she encountered were in the wealthier areas of the city - children who had never heard the word no, unable to sit even for a story and parents constantly complaining to the school.
I doubt that the issues are purely down to deprivation and more to do with parents actually being parents and not their child's best friend.

The solution is bringing back sure start centers, increasing midwife / school nurse interaction and education during pregnancy. But no government will do that until thing gets beyond crisis point and things can't be changed.

But they won’t all have SEN

They look cute in photographs