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.

I also don't buy the parents working/ nursery is to blame. Dh and were full time. Both dc were potty trained around 2 and it really wasn't an issue. In fact, it's was very much like being peri menopausalin terms of scoping out all the toilets in the vicinity. Dd took longer at night.

The dc had books from birth- those cloth ones with the stripes. Both were taught table manners early on, unlike some of their primary school friends who came to play.

We both worked long hours, but if something's important to you, you get it done.

I think lots of parents want an easy life, not realising that having a few years of hard life early on makes the rest of it much easier. See also: making them clean their teeth; lights out; chores; bring consistent; saying no.

Well, I have time to start "lively debates" on Mumsnet now that she's older (nearly 8). I still work full-time, I still work long hours and we still spend our weekends being active, going swimming and climbing, playing board games and going to the library. I do let her do some coding, and I am by no means a perfect parent, but I find it sad that younger kids spend so much time using devices when they are actually quite easily entertained by simple things if you're prepared to be bored yourself!

Quite, and there is evidence that covid when women are pregnant is linked to developmental delay. And we do know that covid causes cognitive dysfunction in all age groups.

It isn’t solely a covid issue though. It’s one that has been getting worse for years. Closure of sure start centres and early intervention schemes hasn’t helped but lifestyle factors are an issue too.

Under the same roof doesn't mean "with the parents". A lot of children don't even eat an evening meal with their parents.

I find this appalling. When my son was small( now in 30s), he loved wearing a nappy and refused to potty train at 2( daughter was trained day and night by 2.5), because of this he couldn't attend the local playgroup. He was due to start school nursery in the September and is summer born so would be just 3, we went to an open morning at the end of the previous term and he loved it, but they wouldn't take him unless he was completely toilet trained so i told him he couldn't go if he couldn't use the loo completely by himself, he was dry in a week. I've never heard or known of a 4 year old who isn't toilet trained, it's shocking.

Name changed for this because it's a little embarrassing and I'll probably catch some heat for admitting it but I agree working too much is probably the issue for some toddlers imagine the kids are driven to day care spend all day there and are then driven home many of these day cares don't even have gardens.
I had my child at 15 and was on benefits until they started school we walked everywhere because no car read loads of charity shop books because too poor to buy an iPad and spent hours every day at the park. Could do everything from a very young age and was very athletic, wins the running race at sports day every year.

I think a lot of these kids are just in day care way too long although I'm not sure what the solution is I acknowledge if everyone did what I did the economy would be screwed.

But there have always been shit parents and overstretched parents- if anything I think parenting expectations have increased with this generation. I was a child in the 80s and my parents were so much more laid back than the parents I see today. I was read to occasionally, but it stopped much earlier - basically as soon as I could read a bit on my own. From 8yo I had a key to the house and was expected to look after myself for several hours until parents were home from work - no after school clubs - and was actively encouraged to watch tv in that time, so had way more screen time than my kids have today. Both parents working then single parent household meant time with parents limited - we ate a lot of beige food then as well. We all did reasonably well despite the lack of active parental engagement

i accept that kids are struggling more with school readiness today than in the past, but don’t think it is fair to put the blame on parents.

In 2023, 8.6% of children and young people in the UK aged 5 to 18 did not have a book of their own at home. This is equivalent to around 1 in 12 children

national literacy trust.

I find this so tough to read.

I take my 3 year old to the park most days for a couple of hours even in winter and we are often the only ones there.

Children are sat inside and often on screens for large portions of the day. Parents are sold on the idea that Miss Rachel is teaching their toddler to talk. Parents need or want to work full time so their very young children are sat in nurseries with a rotating door of minimally qualified staff. Schools are drilling phonics and maths via screen time from KS1 instead of letting children play outside. The impact on physical, social, and communication development shouldn’t be surprising but because these things are “normal” no one questions it.

Even more privileged families are not moved to try to change anything because all of this is just standard.

@TempsPerdu
sadly I think you are absolutely right. My DGC are too young for nursery or school but I see my friends’ DGC doing homework on a tablet, playing ‘educational’ games etc. No pencils or paper in sight. I’m a retired secondary teacher and I do tutoring, and the standard of handwriting I see is very poor. Maths homework done online leaves me cold; a mathematical argument/calculation should be set out line by line, not scribbled down and the answer only input.

You didn’t have a tablet or a mobile phone though, did you?

This is so utterly depressing.

Unrealistic expectation of immaculate Mrs Hinch homes is definitely a factor. I know loads of people who have got rid of all the "clutter" like books, toys, art supplies, playdough. Who worry about kids getting muddy or wet or cold. Everything is done to a routine and a timetable and in a rush to fit modern life and to minimise any risk or disruption or uncertainty. Screens are clean, easy to tidy away, don't need prep, very little parental involvement, you know it's going to keep kids docile and quiet.

Wow, this is absolutely gobsmacking.

I often think this. It’s a very tricky thing to talk about though. And I’m sure the issues in the report also affect families whose mothers don’t necessarily work so it’s complicated.

No, but we watched tv obsessively for hours at a time, including loads of commercials that my kids largely miss. There was the same anxiety over being raised by tv / game consoles as there is over iPads today. I think the parenting hasn’t really changed all that much , but if anything expectations have increased in terms of parental engagement.

@PretendToBeToastWithMe I completely agree with everything you've written, and I find the normalisation of it all incredibly depressing. DD and I have been the only ones in the park on many occasions!

Nursery-wise our experience was as good as it gets really - DD only did two days a week, about 10-5, at the most sought after nursery in our area (waiting lists from conception, and we'd never have been offered the place had DP's sister not been friendly with the owner's daughter). Ofsted Outstanding, lovely key workers etc. Even in that scenario though we were very aware of the high staff turnover and inexperience of most of the very young staff, and had to spend time unravelling all the lazy gender stereotypes that DD started coming home with (nursery used to do pretend 'spa days' for the girls, with nail painting etc, while the boys had a football tournament).

I'm not sure how to navigate it all for DD. She's one of the 'lucky' ones in that she's very able and on-track developmentally, but even she is impacted by the environment she's growing up in - already less enthused by school in Year 2 because the learning is so static and everything's done via PowerPoint, clearly not getting enough exercise in school so we have to compensate afterwards, and frustrated because so many of her peers are way behind developmentally and cognitively and are disrupting lessons.

Our plan for this year is to move slightly further out of London, partly thinking ahead to secondary school options, but partly with a view to getting DD into a primary that's slightly more 'old school' and holistic, and slightly less screen-obsessed and bound by league tables. The area we're looking at has lots of village schools that offer outdoor learning and forest school lessons, even for the older children, which we find very appealing.

A radical change in how we live and work, so that there is no longer a need for both parents to work 85% of their waking hours just to make ends meet - there is really no need for this in this technologically advanced age ....

It seems that TV does not have the same effect in the brain, though. I can’t quote research yet but it’s something I intend to educate myself on as I have two very young grandchildren.

Totally with you. Who do I vote for?? 😂

Added to which comes the fact that a lot of the information that is crammed down their 'necks' over their time at school is largely obsolete and outside the realm of fitness-for-purpose considering the modern and future day challenges and demands they are and will be facing

"That's life these days, and that was my point."

Exactly - and it's not wholesome and there's no need for any of that considering our technological and scientific advances - and that's for anyone concerned - but nobody questions THAT....

.... go figure?

Lots of four year olds won't have a diagnosis yet. Things like autism, dyslexia, dyspraxia, hypermobility, ADHD, won't have been diagnosed if not severe.

Cost of living crisis can account for other things. Going back years to 2000s

Living in the innerciity/poor estate ...one of our local parks is known locally as dog poo park. Another was broken equipment and glass scattered across the playground. Another local city park known for grooming, a murder, a serious assault, in the red light district...cash strapped councils aren't maintaining parks. A shit environment getting kids down 16 flights of piss soaked stairs as the lift is broken.. Getting two kids and a buggy down stairs is a lot more difficult than loading up your kids into a car parked on the drive. Environment has a major effect. As does housing.

Parents working all hours and not being home much in the evening to do more than the basics. (Rents, house prices requiring two parents to work now)

COVID accounting for other stuff.

Being poor/hungry is fucking miserable. If you are using up all your energy on just getting by there is not a lot left for other stuff.

Parents poor health..(maybe going back to the previous generations parenting /economic circumstances)

People moving around a lot as rented housing is insecure.

Access to food. Ex used to live a long walk away from a supermarket. There are loads of places that don't have good cheap food provision.

Libraries are closing.
Bus fares are rising.You can't get out of area to places.

Look at why parents aren't preparing kids for school rather than calling them lazy.

People raising kids in HMO where the only outdoor space is the front parking space or road.

If you live somewhere where people light fireworks in the street...or there are boy racers, or there are gangs and knife crime..

@TempsPerdu I’ve re-read your previous post as well and I think we are very similar — I also have a background in child development and have spent a lot of time in schools. What your daughter is experiencing is exactly what I’m terrified for when she gets to KS1. She’s currently part time at a fantastic nursery which I’m generally really happy with but viewing the local primaries has me so sad for what’s to come for her.

If you feel comfortable, would you mind DMing me any schools or even any vague areas you’ve found that might be more holistic/“old school”? We are considering moving out of London for this also, but I feel totally lost in where to start. Literally no one that I know in real life is even remotely on the same page as I am in terms of their opinions on these things. It’s actually quite isolating as sometimes feel like I am living some weird WALL-e world!

I am questioning it - I'd rather it wasn't the case. But I don't see how I can personally change it.