Parents failing to teach children how to talk

CHILDREN being sent to school unable to speak in sentences is a “persistent scandal”, the Education Secretary is to tell parents.

In a speech on social mobility, Damian Hinds will promise to tackle the “last taboo” in education, which he says is the failure of many parents to teach their children properly before they start school.

Speaking at the Resolution Foundation in Westminster today, he will say that he has no desire to “lecture” mothers and fathers about how to raise their children. But he will warn that children who start school behind their peers rarely catch up, and instead “the gap just widens”.

“It is a persistent scandal that we have children starting school not able to communicate in full sentences, not able to read simple words,” Mr Hinds will say. “And the truth is that the vast majority of these children’s time is at home.

“Yes, the home learning environment can be, understandably, the last taboo in education policy – but we can’t afford to ignore it when it comes to social mobility.

“I don’t have any interest in lecturing parents here … I know it’s parents who bring up their children, who love them, who invest in them in so many ways, who want the best for their children. But that doesn’t mean extra support and advice can’t be helpful.”

His comments follow research that shows that more than a quarter of four and five-year-olds lack

the early communication and literacy skills expected by the end of their reception year.

The “expected level” includes a child having the words and understanding to talk about events that have happened or are going to happen in the future.

A separate study shows that children with poor vocabulary at age five are more than twice as likely to be unemployed at age 34 as children with good vocabulary.

Mr Hinds will say that he wants to halve the number of children starting school without the early speaking or reading skills by 2028. He plans to build a coalition of business leaders, charities, tech companies and media groups to encourage parents to read and learn new words with their children. It will find ways to boost parents’ confidence with supporting their child’s language and literacy.

The head of Ofsted has previously warned that more and more children are starting school unable to communicate properly or even use the lavatory. Amanda Spielman described how some “lucky” children are read bedtime stories or taught the alphabet by families, while others are not so fortunate.

She has urged nursery staff to spend time teaching pre-school children new language skills – whether through songs, nursery rhymes or “time-honoured classics” such as Hans Christian Andersen or Dr Seuss. She said that children starting school should also be able to sit still and listen, understand the words “no” and “stop”, and be able to put on their own shoes and coat.