logo
Four in five teachers say Government will miss its ‘school ready' target

Four in five teachers say Government will miss its ‘school ready' target

A poll of more than 2,500 primary school teachers in England found 80% do not think the Government is likely to meet its goal of 75% of children being 'school ready' by 2028.
The survey, carried out by Teacher Tapp in May, suggests 60% of primary teachers in state schools think the Government should increase access to childcare for low-income families to help meet its target.
In December, Prime Minister Keir Starmer set a target for 75% of five-year-olds in England to be ready to learn when they start school by 2028.
The Government will measure the progress by the percentage of five-year-olds reaching a good level of development in the early years foundation stage assessment – which looks at language, personal, social and emotional development, as well as maths and literacy.
The survey for Save the Children, shared with the PA news agency, suggests 81% of primary school teachers believe a lack of affordable childcare has negatively impacted children being ready for school.
The expansion of funded childcare – which was introduced by the Conservative government – began being rolled out in England in April last year for working parents of two-year-olds.
Working parents of children older than nine months are now able to access 15 hours of funded childcare a week, before the full rollout of 30 hours a week to all eligible families in September.
But charities have called on the Government to do more to ensure children from disadvantaged backgrounds can access high-quality childcare.
When asked what the Government should prioritise to help meet its school readiness target, 85% said access to family support services should be increased and 29% said child-related benefit payments should rise.
Ruth Talbot, policy and advocacy adviser for UK child poverty at Save the Children, said: 'When 80% of teachers are worried that the UK Government won't meet their target on school readiness, we know more needs to be done by ministers to fix this problem.
'Quality childcare that helps children prepare for Reception has been unaffordable and poverty has been allowed to fester for too long.
'Schools are witnessing the dual impact of these issues and it's time for the UK Government to act.
'The upcoming child poverty strategy due in June must address the causes of poverty and its impact, starting by ending the two-child benefit limit and providing good quality childcare for all.
'Without meaningful action, this Government will continue to preside over a rise in poverty while children's outcomes decline.'
A Government spokesperson said: 'We have made no bones about the scale of the challenge to deliver on our Plan for Change so tens of thousands more children, a record proportion, are school-ready at age five. Our plan is ambitious, and rightly so.
'Already, we have started urgent work to extend early language support, deliver thousands of new places in school-based nurseries, and provide parenting support through the Family Hubs and Start for Life programmes.
'In addition, tens of thousands more working parents across England will soon be able to apply for 30 hours of funded childcare to start from September, boosting access to more affordable and high-quality early years education and childcare.
'This goes hand in hand with the work of our cross-government Child Poverty Taskforce, with its wide-ranging strategy to tackle child poverty across the country to be set out in the summer.'

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Nursing home documentary should be investigated by gardai
Nursing home documentary should be investigated by gardai

Belfast Telegraph

time14 minutes ago

  • Belfast Telegraph

Nursing home documentary should be investigated by gardai

He also said the state is too reliant on private nursing home care and 'far too many' people in Ireland go into nursing homes 'far too early'. Labour TD Marie Sherlock said during Leaders' Questions that there are 'huge questions for Government' over how to care for older people in Ireland. She said there are no minimum staffing levels for nursing homes, despite there being such standards in Northern Ireland and elsewhere. 'Are you comfortable that the nursing home sector is becoming dominated by big business in Ireland?' she asked. Responding, Mr Harris said: 'The short answer is I believe the state is too reliant on the private market when it comes to nursing home provision. 'That's why we established a commission of care because I do think we need to look at the entire model of how we care for older people in this country.' He also told the Dail: 'I've been reflecting on this, and I fully accept that people work in very demanding environments, I fully accept that as well. 'But I do also believe what stems from what we've seen on our television screens in recent days are real questions of personal accountability. 'There are laws in our land today. There are laws in relation to assault, there are laws in relation to how we conduct ourselves, and I would urge that a referral is made to An Garda Siochana in relation to the footage that we saw. 'Because what I saw with my own two eyes, the haunting scenes of people being, in my view, physically assaulted in their home, is something that – the Government has responsibilities here to do things, absolutely, but so too do people who carry out those actions. 'I do think there's a need for a Garda investigation into what we saw in relation to the individual actions of people in relation to that.' He also said Hiqa has questions to answer as there were 'serious shortcomings'. He added: 'There are many good private nursing homes, big and small, right across the country and I don't have an ideological view in relation that. 'I just want older people to have choice in relation to their care. I want their families to be supported in making those decisions. 'I want to know, whether it's a public nursing home or a private nursing home, that everyone is safe, that everyone is being treated with dignity. 'I do think we should also be more ambitious about care in the community. I do believe that. I believe far too many people in Ireland go into a nursing home far too early. I can think of good examples of where we have housing alternatives in place and home care opportunities, but they're far too rare. 'But I also think there are genuine, serious issues of personal accountability. 'There is no law, there is no ideology, or there is no model of care that can excuse away – either in its existence or its absence – the conduct of people who decided to physically manhandle elderly people with dementia, and I want them held accountable and I want the gardai to look at the matter.'

John Swinney pledges to do 'everything we can' to save jobs at Alexander Dennis
John Swinney pledges to do 'everything we can' to save jobs at Alexander Dennis

Daily Record

time23 minutes ago

  • Daily Record

John Swinney pledges to do 'everything we can' to save jobs at Alexander Dennis

More than a century of bus manufacture in Falkirk could soon come to an end with cheap imports from China blamed. John Swinney has pledged his Government will do "everything we can" to save jobs at an historic Scots bus manufacturers. Alexander Dennis announced yesterday it planned to centralise its operations in England by closing its two factories in Falkirk, with 400 staff at risk of redundancy. ‌ Such a move would bring to an end more than a century of bus building in the area after the firm's owners blamed competition from China for making it uncompetitive. ‌ The announcement is a fresh blow for the Falkirk district after the recent closure of the refinery in nearby Grangemouth last month. The First Minister told MSPs today: "This issue has been occupying a great deal of the focus and the attention of the Deputy First Minister and I, and the UK Government, since we became aware of the situation over the last few weeks. But Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar accused the SNP Government of overlooking Scottish industry in favour of ordering buses from China. He pointed to the success of the local bus network in Greater Manchester, which runs a fleet of 160 new vehicles all built in Falkirk. Andy Burnham, the English city's mayor, said the buses were "a bit of Scotland right here in Greater Manchester". Almost all bus services in Scotland are run by private operators who are free to order buses from any manufacturer they choose. ‌ Swinney insisted state aid regulations – in the form of the UK-wide Subsidy Control Act – prevented the UK Government from directly procuring from a single supplier like Alexander Dennis. He quoted a joint letter from the UK and Scottish governments, which pledged to 'work closely with Alexander Dennis at this challenging time'. He added: 'That's us indicating that we're keen to do everything we can to find a way through the Subsidy Control Act provisions, so the Government can continue to operate within the law, which we must do, but also, we can support manufacturing in Scotland, which is my priority.' ‌ Sarwar hit back: "If John Swinney can't figure out a way to order buses in Scotland, I suggest he picks up the phone to (Greater Manchester Mayor) Andy Burnham and see how he managed to do it. 'Almost five times as many bus orders from Manchester.' Sarwar's claim stems from the second phase of the Scottish Government's green bus initiative ScotZEB, which ordered 44 buses from Alexander Dennis. ‌ However, according to a press release from the time, 137 buses were ordered from the firm in the first phase, amounting to a total of 181. Burnham – who has previously visited the Falkirk site – said: "Our iconic Bee Network buses are a bit of Scotland right here in Greater Manchester. "We have over 160 Alexander Dennis buses criss-crossing our city-region every day – connecting our communities to opportunity. "If Greater Manchester can invest in world-class Scottish bus manufacturing, then why can't the SNP Scottish Government?"

King Charles: 'Desperately shocked' by Air India crash
King Charles: 'Desperately shocked' by Air India crash

South Wales Guardian

time26 minutes ago

  • South Wales Guardian

King Charles: 'Desperately shocked' by Air India crash

Air India has confirmed that 169 passengers are Indian nationals, 53 are British, one is Canadian, and seven are Portuguese. The flight was departing from Ahmedabad airport, and the plane was a Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft. Gatwick Airport confirmed the plane travelling from Ahmedabad Airport was due to land at 6.25pm UK time. A message from His Majesty The King following this morning's tragic incident in Ahmedabad. In a post on X, the Royal Family said: "My wife and I have been desperately shocked by the terrible events in Ahmedabad this morning. "Our special prayers and deepest possible sympathy are with the families and friends of all those affected by this appallingly tragic incident across so many nations, as they wait for news of their loved ones. "I would like to pay a particular tribute to the heroic efforts of the emergency service and all those providing help and support at this most heartbreaking and traumatic time." Prime Minister Keir Starmer previously shared a statement: "The scenes emerging of a London-bound plane carrying many British nationals crashing in the Indian city of Ahmedabad are devastating. 'I am being kept updated as the situation develops, and my thoughts are with the passengers and their families at this deeply distressing time.' Recommended Reading Prime Minister's 'thoughts' are with the passengers on crashed Air India flight Flight to London Gatwick from India crashes with 244 people on board 53 British nationals were on board crashed Air India flight bound for Gatwick The Government previously said it would provide 'all the support that it can' to those on the Air India flight bound for Gatwick Airport, which crashed shortly after take off, Commons Leader Lucy Powell said. In a statement on X, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said: 'The tragedy in Ahmedabad has stunned and saddened us. It is heartbreaking beyond words. 'In this sad hour, my thoughts are with everyone affected by it. Have been in touch with Ministers and authorities who are working to assist those affected.'

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store