Ofsted chief: children can’t do simple tasks

PARENTS are failing to teach their children how to use the lavatory before they start school, Ofsted’s chief inspector warns today, as she says youngsters are not well-equipped enough to complete simple tasks.

Amanda Spielman, who is speaking to members of the Pre-school Learning Alliance, will say she wants all children to be able to dress themselves, know how to use a pencil and be taught how to kick a ball.

Referring to recent surveys of teachers revealing how they have to help young children use the lavatory, she will say: “It is alarming that more and more schools report children turning up on their first day of Reception unable to do this.”

Cambridge graduate Mrs Spielman, a mother of two, is also alarmed at the number of children not getting help outside of school with learning to read, the Daily Mail reported.

She will say: “We now have a situation where, aged four, some children have less than a third of the English vocabulary of their peers. These children arrive at school without the words they need to communicate properly. Just imagine the disadvantage they face, right from the start.”

She is expected to highlight the importance of reading classic children’s tales by Hans Christian Andersen, Dr Seuss and Judith Kerr.

While Mrs Spielman’s words may appear strong, she will not accuse families of feckless parenting. Instead, she will tell the nursery leaders during her speech in London that mothers and fathers play the most significant role in helping solve the problems she raises.