# Toilet training and cutlery use key part of England’s ‘school-readiness skills list’

Checkpoints backed by education secretary, Bridget Phillipson, follow complaints from teachers of children arriving in nappies

Toilet training and the ability to use cutlery are two key checkpoints in a new list of “school-readiness” skills developed by a coalition of early-years educators and endorsed by Bridget Phillipson, the education secretary.

The group said the guidance was the first of its type, intended to help parents to prepare children starting in reception classes in England from the age of four and came after complaints from teachers of children arriving at school in nappies, lacking basic skills and unable to play with others.

According to the skills checklist, children arriving in reception should be able to use cutlery; be able to take turns and share toys; recognise their own names; hang coats on pegs; put their own coats on; pay attention for short periods of time; draw, paint or colour in; be able to talk about their feelings; be active for at least three hours a day and brush their teeth twice a day.

Parents should also limit their children’s screen-time, according to the guidance on the website, Starting Reception, launched alongside the checklist.

A survey by the charity Kindred Squared published last year found that teachers and parents had different views on “school-readiness”. While nine out of 10 parents thought their child was ready for school, primary school teachers said that only one in three children had the necessary skills.

Felicity Gillespie, director of Kindred Squared, said: “Too many parents say they don’t know what sorts of skills their children should be developing prior to starting school or where to go for help.

“I’m delighted this partnership of leading education groups and charities is trying to close that information gap to ensure all children get an equal start from their very first day at school.

“We want to see official backing for this new definition and for it to become the definition adopted by every local authority, primary school and early education and childcare setting in the UK as well as parents and carers.”

Phillipson, in her endorsement, said the problem could not be tackled by the government alone.

> “Children arriving at school without the skills they need not only limits their opportunities but the opportunities of every child in that classroom,” Phillipson said.
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> “This new resource will be a vital tool for parents as they navigate the myriad information out there to support their child’s early development and it’s brilliant to see Kindred Squared and the wider sector coming together on something so central to children’s life chances.”
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> “We want to see official backing for this new definition and for it to become the definition adopted by every local authority, primary school and early education and childcare setting in the UK as well as parents and carers.”

The new guidance came as there were further concerns that children born during the Covid pandemic – “lockdown babies” – have widespread speech and language difficulties, with teachers concerned that parents are “in denial” about the problem.

A YouGov survey commissioned by GL Assessment found that teachers were seeing increasing numbers of children starting school with poor speaking skills. The survey found that 44% of primary school teachers said that up to one in five children struggled to communicate at the expected level for their age, while 37% said up to two in five did so.

Teachers largely blamed the deterioration on a decline in conversations at home and increased time watching screens. Three quarters of the 1,000 teachers surveyed said that parents “are often in denial” about speech and language issues their children may have.
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