Children: Communication Skills

(asked on 2nd September 2016) - View Source

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps the Government plans to take to ensure that (a) all children start their first year of school with the expected levels of language and communication skills and (b) the gap in those skills between children aged five from richer and poorer backgrounds is closed.


Answered by
Caroline Dinenage Portrait
Caroline Dinenage
This question was answered on 12th September 2016

The Government recognises a key part of raising the standard of education for all children, regardless of background, is to ensure they receive a good level of development in literacy and numeracy before they start school at age five, which is why in 2010 we extended the free entitlement to 15 hours for all three and four year olds

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) framework sets the prime areas of learning which early years providers must follow. This includes a focus on communication and language. The Early Years Foundation stage is published on gov.uk and is available at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/335504/EYFS_framework_from_1_September_2014__with_clarification_note.pdf

The 2014-15 EYFS Profile results tell us that the proportion of children achieving a good level of development continues to increase – 66 % in 2015, compared to 60% in 2014 and 52% in 2013. The EYFS Profile results also show that more than 80% of children are reaching the expected communication and language skills by age five. A higher proportion of children eligible for free school meals are achieving a good level of development – 51% in 2015 compared to 45% in 2014. Although the gap between disadvantaged children and their peers is narrowing, we recognise there is still some way to go.

The quality of early education is improving, the numbers of qualified staff have risen, the numbers of graduates in the workforce continues to rise, and a record number of providers are rated good or outstanding, with 86% of providers currently on the Early Years Register judged good or outstanding for overall effectiveness at 31 March 2016.

The quality of the workforce continues to rise with 87% of staff in full day care settings now qualified to level 3 (equivalent level of study to A-level). To improve the quality of the workforce further, we have introduced early years teachers who must meet the same entry qualification requirements as teachers of older children. We have also introduced an early years pupil premium to help providers support the learning and development of children from disadvantaged backgrounds.

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