A new report shows that more that one fifth of all Australian children are not ready to commence school.
The report commissioned by the federal government, is part of the triennial snapshot of 300,000 children in their first full-time year of school.
The findings show that more than one in five children in Australia aren’t socially, emotionally or academically ready for school. Although the findings also show that in general, girls are better prepared than boys.
28 per cent of boys are considered ‘developmentally vulnerable’, compared to a drop of this criteria applying to 15 per cent of girls.
The report demonstrated that nearly 85 per cent of all children are achieving language and cognitive skill targets within the system.
Highlighted within the report is the finding that Aboriginal children are almost two-and-a-half times more likely to be socially, emotionally or academically vulnerable than their peers – but this trend is declining steadily.
The Australian Education Union says the report highlights the need for Gonski funding to support the already stretched education system.
Image source: Shutterstock