Poor children ‘set up to fail’ by poor language and communication skills before the age of five
Boys hardest hit by language skills gap which leaves poorest five year olds 15 months behind classmates
England’s poorest boys are hardest hit by a ‘language skills gap’ which sees up to a third of poor children arriving at school without the language skills they need to learn and read, new research has shown. Published the 28th of June, the evidence shows that disadvantaged children lag 15 months behind their peers by the age of five, struggling to learn to read and stunting their progress at school and life chances.
Ready to Read suggests that while poor children as a whole are falling behind on language, poor boys fare the worst. Over 40 per cent (42 per cent) of boys on free school meals were left without the language skills expected by age five. By contrast, less than a third (27 per cent) of poor girls were behind on language skills at the same age. Even better off boys are struggling, with a quarter falling behind, compared to just 15% of better off girls. The findings challenge the conventional wisdom that boys fall behind in the classroom by suggesting that the gender gap opens up before children even arrive at school.
The report - published by the Read On. Get On, coalition – a coalition of leading charities, teachers, parents and businesses - shows that one in four children, and one in three of the poorest, fall behind in crucial early language skills by the age of five. The coalition has warned that, without investment in nursery quality to boost early language skills, the government will be unable to tackle the attainment gap for the poorest children or deliver on the Conservatives’ election pledge to get all children reading well by the end of primary school.
Toddlers’ early language skills are a vital stepping stone to learning to read, and those falling as much as 15 months behind before they reach school are unlikely to ever catch up. Read On. Get On. is calling for urgent government investment to boost skills of nursery staff to improve language development. Currently, 2 in 5 of England’s independent nurseries don’t employ an early years teacher – despite evidence showing that their presence can have a decisive impact on closing the language gap for the poorest children, particularly boys.
Dame Julia Cleverdon, Chair of Read On. Get On. said:
‘Poor children, and poor boys in particular, are being set up to fail because too many haven’t developed the building blocks of learning before they arrive at the school gate for the first time. The government has made a strong commitment on literacy by setting clear goals to get all children reading well by the age of 11. What this research tells us is that this target is at risk unless we close the language gap.’
Gareth Jenkins, Director of UK Poverty at Save the Children said:
‘These findings set out a clear challenge to the government – as well as increasing the quantity of childcare families can access via free hours, we need a focus on quality. To change the story for the poorest children, we need urgent investment to boost the skills of early years staff and ensure every nursery is led by an early years teacher. Only then can we give every child the foundation they need to read and succeed at school and in life.’
The data released in Ready to Read also reveals massive geographical inequalities with the gap for the poorest children in the worst performing areas 14 times higher than in the best. Major cities like Manchester and London do well, with even Newham, the capital’s poorest borough, seeing less than a 2 per cent gap. However, in rural areas like Somerset, Herefordshire and Gloucestershire, the poorest children are over 20% behind. Outside of the biggest cities, the North fares the worst, particularly former industrial areas like Wigan (24%), Darlington (23%) and Stockport (22%).
The evidence shows that early language skills and children’s literacy are critical social mobility challenges for the country. Previous research for Read On. Get On. indicated that reading is inextricably linked to future earnings. – low income children who read well by the end of primary school on average earn 20 per cent more per hour by age 40
