School readiness survey - surprising?

[GirlfromtheNorthLondonCountry]

https://www.theguardian.com/education/2025/jan/30/some-children-starting-school-unable-to-climb-staircase-finds-england-and-wales-teacher-survey

Is it really the case that 4 year olds (absent disabilities) are unable to climb stairs or sit on the rug because of too much screen time? It just seems so extraordinary to me.

A better early years curriculum for nurseries and more funding could help.

The vast majority of children are in childcare from a young age. I would not be blaming parents here I would be looking at the nursery settings.

This.

Nursery culture is the problem. Sadly there are not many high quality settings with well qualified and motivated staff.

I read up on what was classed as "school ready". I definitely wasn't school ready and this was back in the 80s. Is it that the problem is now worse or are expectations just higher?

instead of funding childcare there should be an option to pay this to a parent to stay at home with the child

Well, I think this is a good idea and although it won't solve all the economic problems, many parents would certainly snatch the govt's hand off with that one.

I do wonder if you're seeing the full picture though. Maybe those parents are trying to get their kid to sleep, so are deliberately not interacting?

I'm not doubting that there are some awful parents, of course. I just think that generally speaking, most parents are really trying to do their best for their kids. That's what I see, mostly, anyway.

Worrying but not surprising. The young children of today were covid toddlers back in 2020. Toddler groups, libraries, swimming pools, parks, everything just snatched away. I really do believe it has had a lasting impact and this is all evidence of that.

I dont think it's actually fair to blame all this on parents? We live in a society where all parents are expected to work. In nurseries they are expected to sit doing phonics and writing and there is little outside space. Its no longer safe or acceptable for children to play outside unsupervised. Nurseries are also reluctant to have children out of nappies if they are having accidents. There are downsides to putting children in group childcare for most of their waking hours

I'm another one who's not remotely surprised by the survey findings. As someone who has spent an awful lots of time in primary schools I am only too aware that there is an awful lot of shit parenting around, and this is not to be excused; parents must take the bulk of the responsibility for their children's early education and development . However, I also agree with @FumingTRex and @takealettermsjones that parenting is only part of the puzzle, and that the overall picture is more nuanced.

Coming to parenthood I was hugely privileged and in the best possible position to raise DD well; she is the child who can identify leaves and wild flowers, was swimming at least weekly from two, had well developed social skills from our regular trips to the market/local cafe/on public transport, knew all her single letter sounds before starting school and so on. This is because I was a SAHM who had worked as a primary teacher and who holds one Master's in an area relating to child psychology and development and another in children's literature. When DD started Reception shortly after the pandemic she was described by staff as 'exceptional'. She isn't (other than to us!) - just of above average ability, and extremely well prepped for school compared to the vast majority of her peers, because I was fortunate enough to have the background and resources that I did.

All around me, though, I see other parents - no matter how hardworking and well- intentioned - struggling. @FumingTRex's point above about nurseries is very valid - I've nothing against the idea of nurseries per se (we used a good local one a couple of days a week to help socialise DD) but the quality of the childcare they offer is highly variable, and very often tiny children are spending the bulk of their waking hours there with their parents having little real idea of what they're doing all day. And every bit of messaging that comes out of government, whether it be Tory or Labour, is based around extended childcare hours and getting parents (mainly women) back into the workplace, with very little consideration of the quality of said childcare.

Ditto schools - I am amazed, even as someone who was teaching myself a decade ago, how sedentary and screen-based DD's education has been so far at our (on paper and by word of mouth) highly rated local school. There is an obsession with core maths and phonics from the outset, little outdoor time, no time for any of the nature appreciation etc that I had as a child, little in the way of Arts or anything hands-on... It's basically Death By PowerPoint all day, every day, with homework also set on apps and gamefied so the children get the dopamine hit of the screen time. I know from speaking with friends, many of whom are also teachers, that this is fairly typical at least where we are (London suburb) and we are finding that we have to do at least one physical activity after school with DD every day to tire her out, as there is so little incidental exercise at school.

None of it feels holistic or wholesome in any way, and I feel like we have as a society veered hugely off-course when it comes to our children and what we regard as beneficial/optimal for them.

I don't know why paying parents to be at home would help if they are the ones looking at their phones not interacting?

Is this another reason to bring back sure start. Have lots of parent and toddler groups and high quality nurseries and health visiting etc all together.

I'm not copping out of anything, I work full time and I have three kids. See my previous post - I spend every spare minute I have doing things with and/or for them. My point was about the list: driven to nursery, at nursery all day, driven home, beige food for tea, in a rush, screen, bed, repeat. Now apart from the beige food and the screen, that's all unavoidable if you work FT, isn't it? That's life these days, and that was my point.

@TempsPerdu a lot of the children I can think of who are behind in this way are in benefits families where neither parent works. I get the point you're trying to make but I don't think the 'stretched for time, working hard' thing is the bigger picture.

This is not a Covid thing, it’s been going on for years. Much of it is very poor parenting - and I’m not really sure how it happened. Since when did parents start to think this stuff wasn’t their responsibility? 😩

The kids are glued to screens because their parents also are.
Go anywhere with young children and you will see parents of all socioeconomic backgrounds in the constant thrall of their mobile.
School run, park soft play, cafe, leisure centre,shopping, kids if talking at all talking to themselves while parents barely look up, so many communication skills lost.
It’s an epidemic and nobody that works in early years education can be surprised by this.

@BananaNirvana it very much is a Covid thing. I get your point, problems have been existing for way longer, but Covid has had a huge lasting impact. The amount of children needing support intervention groups in my child's year 2 class pre-covid was around 4 or 5 kids but post pandemic it's half the class. That's not a coincidence is it.

Totally disagree - and this is one of the problems with parenting nowadays, it’s always someone else’s fault 🙄.

Even if they’re are in childcare they still spend a huge proportion of time with their parents.

So either the child or one or both of the parents are disabled then ? As you can’t just choose not to work.

I think they should be able to do those things by four but not everyone has the same chance to try stairs in particular. Some kids live in buildings with lifts, for instance.

Sitting on a carpet in school involves responding cooperatively to the call to sit, and listening and engaging with storyline or the daily interaction about the weather, etc. without being disruptive. It's different from simply sitting on a carpet.

I think it starts with conception to be honest, not nursery/childcare. There are good solid building blocks that need to be in place before a child is born and able to thrive, but I do wonder just how much planning, reality checking, budgeting, time allocation actually happens before starting a family happens. Even harder if life throws a relationship or health related spanner in the works.

Agreed. I think it'd be worse in that the kids who really need to be in nursery most (where they get a better deal than at home) would be at home and doing even less for their development.

When children are in nursery from an early age, nurseries are actually partners in the training. It's not solely up to the parents to manage it in the evenings or at weekends.

The parents are perhaps stating that if a child is at nursery from 8am to 5pm (or longer) five days a week, the nursery staff will be doing the brunt of establishing the habit.

@bakewellbride No, and I’ve absolutely seen that side of things in my work as a teacher, volunteer and school governor - not denying at all that that kind of poor parenting is all too common.

But I do think there’s something else - or a conflation of things - going on too. DD’s primary now says, for example, that they recognise an emerging category of of vulnerable pupils outside of the ‘traditional’ ones of economic and social deprivation - those whose parents are very time-poor, have been in full-time childcare from an early age, and are now in school-based FT wraparound care. I don’t know, perhaps the issue is essentially that the kids who should be in nursery aren’t in nursery, and those who would be better off at home aren’t able to stay home!

And these changes in society are happening against a backdrop where lots of the ‘extras’ that schools used to provide in order to optimise children’s well-being - music and drama and nature tables and outdoor learning and space to just ‘be’ - are all being stripped back in favour of core skills, screens and utilitarianism.

That's so lovely to read, you must have been exhausted! I hope things are easier now :)

Agreed. I have always worked full time and between work and bedtime with preschoolers there is time for games, reading, the park, etc.

Yes, I agree.

One of my DDs recently did a placement in an early years setting, in a 2yo room. There was a range of socialisation and knowledge of table etiquette among the group. Some had clearly never used a fork. Some were old hands. Some were still in nappies, some were fairly well trained with a few accidents still, some were really nailing it. The kids were there from 8 to 5 daily, with nap time and daily outdoor play and exploration, two snack times, and a big lunch during the day, with lots of organised activities and free play and training in putting stuff away.

There were three little ones per teacher/ assistant a good ratio given that toileting needed to be supervised and assisted and all requests to go potty needed to be responded to, and throughout the day the staff needed to put out several fires that erupted.

Parents see precious little of their young children. DD felt that some played Disney Mum and Dad as a result when the weekend rolled around - all fun and little pressure or expectations. Behaviour was always poor on Mondays.

Yes, you’re quite right and it’s shocking. I understand that my children are incredibly privileged and that having books readily available makes reading, handling books far more normal. I see that having a house with access to outdoor space with play equipment makes it far easier to develop core strength and balance.
I don’t know the answers but I would assume it may be better funded and better quality early years childcare provisions, access to sure start centres (or the equivalent), education opportunities to help single parents dependent on benefits back into work and much more community support.
I feel very sad for the children who start education already at a huge disadvantage.

I agree, and there most definitely is more to vulnerability than the traditional markers.