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by Jess Gibson

Children are starting school behind developmental expectations, according to a report published by early education and childhood development charity Kindred².

The report investigates school readiness from both parent and teacher perspectives, with the charity – in conjunction with Savanta – conducting focus groups and surveying over a thousand teachers and a thousand parents across England and Wales in 2024.  

Being ‘school ready’ refers to the full range of developmental measures and milestones outlined for pre-school children, as opposed to academic attainment.

The report shows that reception teachers found 33% of children were not school ready in September 2024, with 49% of teachers believing the school-readiness problem is worse than in September 2023. In comparison, 90% of parents say their child was ready for school in September 2024.

In the 2024 reception cohort, teachers report that 36% of children struggled to play and share with other children, 34% struggled to listen or respond to simple instruction, and 25% were not toilet trained when they started school.

Other findings in the report include:

• 54% of teachers say boys are less school-ready than girls, compared to just 3% who say girls are less school ready.
• 49% of parents and 45% of teachers say parents do not feel it is their role to ready children for reception.
• 43% of parents and 54% of teachers state that children’s screen time is a major factor in children not being school ready.

Commenting Neil Leitch, CEO of the Early Years Alliance, said: "The findings from this survey are, while deeply concerning, sadly not at all surprising. All children deserve the best possible start in life, and ensuring children are supported to make that all-important transition to school – while also recognising that it is the responsibility of schools to be 'ready' for children, rather than the other way around – is a vital part of this. 

"But, if we’re going to have any hope of reversing the trends highlighted in this report, we need a cohesive system of early years support in this country: one that ensures nurseries, pre-schools and childminders have the resources and funding they need to deliver quality care and education, and invests in comprehensive, joined-up systems of family services to ensure the parents are adequately supported during their child's earliest years. 

“As such, while we welcome the government's commitment to putting the early years at their heart of policy, as is so clearly demonstrated by this report, this positive rhetoric simply must be followed by tangible action to make sure that all children get the early support they need and deserve."