A worrying number of British children are turning up for their first day at school unable to read their own name, wash their own hands or use the toilet on their own.
An international study has revealed that more than a third of UK primary school teachers think that many youngsters are starting school before they are mature enough.
Teachers said a significant proportion of four and five-year-olds are incapable of basic hygiene care, like washing hands, or reading simple words including even their own name and blamed poor attendance at preschool as one of the reasons.
According to the survey by global children’s charity Theirworld, British teachers say the problem is getting worse each year, with a significant proportion of children aged four and five unable to go to the toilet independently, identify numbers and letters, or do very basic reading.
The survey comes as tens of thousands of children across England, Wales and Northern Ireland start primary school for the first time this week.
Just over 40% of the UK teachers surveyed believe pupils with slow development are not being identified early enough.
Theirworld polled almost 2,600 teachers and school professionals across the UK, the US, Brazil, the Netherlands, South Africa and India.
Some 60% of the UK teachers told the charity that children had become less ready for school over recent years.
In sharp contrast, teachers quizzed in India said the opposite – 70% believe their pupils are more prepared for school than they used to be. Only teachers in the US (78%) and Brazil (64%) share UK teachers’ concerns.
Most of the UK primary professionals said only a small minority of pupils can go to the toilet independently or wash their hands when they start school.
Sarah Brown, Chair of Theirworld, said that unless world leaders prioritised investment in the early years there would be “repercussions for the most vulnerable children for generations to come”.
The wife of former PM Gordon Brown – said there was “currently no funded plan in place to achieve the target world leaders set in 2030 for every child to have access to high quality early childhood development, care and education so that they are ready for primary education”.
She added: “Ninety per cent of a child’s brain develops by the age of five, making the period between birth to school the most important time of their lives.
“Failing to support children during these crucial years means setting them up for lifelong challenges.
“The evidence is clear – when we support children’s early years, we build stronger, healthier and more prosperous societies.”
