A report from the Centre for Social Justice has highlighted the fact that many children are starting school severely lacking in social and communication skills.
The report, Requires Improvement, found that by the end of the reception year, 6% of boys do not know that print is read from left to right and from top to bottom. 12% are unable to write their own name and 10% are described as ‘so unsocial that they hurt others’.
Furthermore, the report cites anecdotal evidence of children who are already many years behind their peers at the age of four, for example some children don’t know their own names and struggle to speak. The report highlights the importance of family involvement in preparing children for school, stating that if parents engage with their child’s education, their attainment increases by 15%, regardless of the family’s social background.
The report also states that:
Two out of every five pupils (more than 231,000) do not achieve five A* to C grades, including English and mathematics
In 2011, 156,000 pupils who did not have statements of special educational need did not get an A* to C grade in GCSE English
Over 1,650 pupils finish Key Stage 4 with no A* to G grades, including equivalent qualifications
It is estimated that 8.1 million adults lack basic numeracy skills.
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