Education: Early Years

Lord Northbourne Excerpts

Thursday 8th November 2012 Lords Chamber

[Lord Northbourne]

My Lords, the noble Baronesses, Lady Benjamin and Lady Walmsley, have already referred to the recent neurological research, which has taught us that the later months of pregnancy and the first two to two and a half years of a child’s life are crucial to that child’s future. During this period, up to 80% of a child’s brain development may take place.

Both this Government and their predecessor have realised the importance of this finding. Both have supported a spate of early years projects, which are designed to help parents when things begin to go wrong. I strongly support this emphasis on early intervention and I especially support it where the projects have been well evaluated and have been shown to be effective.

I put my name down to speak today because I want to ask one important question. Is this intervention early enough? Should we not be starting proactively to prepare children for the challenges of adult life while they are still in secondary school?

In 2010, in his report on child poverty to the Government, Frank Field drew attention to the case for children in secondary schools to be prepared for the responsibilities of parenthood. I believe that he was right to suggest that we should build on the natural interest which young adolescents have as they seek to understand more about the adult world into which they inexorably are moving.

One possible reason why the Government apparently have not responded to Frank Field’s proposal—I apologise if I am wrong and they have—is that if young people in secondary schools were taught how to be better parents, it is extremely probable that some of them would tell their own parents about the rotten job that they have done.

My proposal is for a much more broadly based educational exploration of the challenges, opportunities and responsibilities of adult life, led by the interests of the pupils but guided and moderated by teachers who are specially trained and qualified for the job. Such a programme would include not only the existing citizenship, PSHE, SRE and SEAL programmes but much more. It would concentrate on developing the soft skills, such as building self-confidence, relationship skills, emotional and social skills, ability to work as a team or to lead a team, commitment and character capabilities and care and consideration for other people. I believe there should be a special qualification and special training for teachers involved in such a programme if it is to be a success.

Will the Government consider funding one of the existing universities which already offers teacher training to introduce a trial training programme which could form the basis of a qualification for teachers to lead young people in secondary schools as they explore the challenges, opportunities and responsibilities of adult life? I apologise to the Minister for not having given him notice of that question and I realise that he may want to write to me about it.

It is true, of course, that many—perhaps even a majority of—children in this country will learn about the importance of stable and supportive family life and the needs of young children through their own experiences as they grow up in their own families. Alas, however, in this country today, too many children between the ages of 13 and 17 grow up in families where their parents are not able to give them the parenting they need. The causes, which we all know, include alcohol and drug addiction, domestic violence, mental health problems, poverty, family breakdown or instability and the lack of parenting skills. These families cannot avoid denying their children the opportunity to experience and learn about family life and to learn the skills that one day they will need to bring up their own children. Save the Children has estimated that 85% of a child’s success at school depends on the type of support their parents provide at home.

Today in this country, most 13 to 17 year-old children attend secondary school. A wider distribution of the soft skills could be a powerful agent for increasing social mobility and equality in our society today. Why are we not taking the opportunity in school to prepare these adolescent children, who are tomorrow’s parents, for the day when most of them will find themselves looking after their own very young and vulnerable children?

The Government might say that these matters are adequately covered by the PSHE, the SRE and the SEAL programmes in secondary schools. Alas, this is not the case. Recent Ofsted reports speak favourably of PSHE teaching in primary schools; most of them rate at least as satisfactory. However, the same is by no means true for secondary schools. Ofsted says that in too many of these schools today, PSHE is a Cinderella subject, taught—if it is taught at all—by teachers with no training and little interest in the subject. Will the Government take action to ensure that all children in secondary schools are helped to explore, under professional guidance from specialist teachers, the challenges, opportunities and responsibilities which they will face as they become adults, not least the responsibility to provide for their children a loving and caring family environment?