It’s the start of the summer holidays again (the years seem to keep going faster!) and although the pandemic is beginning to - we hope- be a thing of the past we cannot forget the impact it has had on your children over the last two and a half years and as practitioners we know that it has had an impact of children’s school readiness.
Over the last 36 months our children have been isolated, self-isolated and home educated, all in a time of anxiety and uncertainty. For this summer’s new school starters, they have spent nearly half of their life (and most of the life they remember) is so form of a lockdown or isolation. For some it has been a wonderful time of togetherness, a time we won’t get again but for many the last 36 months has been about holding down jobs, not in the office, but at home, in a new hybrid way of working and living, at the kitchen table, with toddlers and children needing attention and time. It’s been a time of worry over the virus, uncertainty over job security and employment and the constant worry about finances, and for some a time of poverty.
So, when we look at school readiness, we must consider all the factors contributing to the picture we now have. A nursery leader said to me last year “I am changing all my planning, I need to ensure that these ‘Covid babies’ get what they need to thrive – they need interaction and experiences, for many they have missed out on play dates at soft play, birthday parties, farm trips, days at the beach and the opportunities to go to friends’ houses for coffee mornings and play dates.” This is still the situation today.
We know that to maximise a child’s development they must have the opportunities for social interaction and for a range of environmental and cultural experiences. So, I see this as a starting point for modern school readiness.
“What we learn with pleasure we never forget.” (Alfred Mercier)
There are often two differing views on school readiness – the holistic, child centred view and the academic view. Really, there can only be one view – that the whole child is at the centre of school readiness. Because, like building a wall, if some bricks are not in place at the bottom securely, eventually the wall will tumble under the weight of all it holds.
For many parents’ toddler groups are a wonderful place where their children can explore and develop their communication skills and they can meet friends. They are also the breading groups for the “my child can” parents. I remember taking my eldest daughter to one of these groups when she was 3 and another parent telling us all that her son could already count to 20, he knew all his letter sounds and recognised his name. (At this point I just wanted my daughter to grown enough hair to look like a girl when she started school the following year). However, he did not leave her side. He did not interact with the rest of the children, he could not climb or scurry, he could not crawl or swing. When we sat for lunch, he would not join his friends, he sat on her lap and she spoon fed him. I did not say a word but watched as my daughter attempted to cut up her own food after a hour of running and climbing, engaging in conversation with the other children about the slide and the big bear while she used her cutlery to eat her lunch. In my mind she was far more school ready, despite not knowing her phonics at 3!
Children are only children once – they grow a little older every day and that all children are born to be able to learn. All children are unique, they are innately different and grown and develop at different speeds, they learn in different ways, and achieve different things, this is the bio-cognitive development process – the world would be boring if we were all the same.
So, as we get ready for another September when children excitedly, and nervously, start school and parents hold back tears at the school gates what does school readiness really mean in a nutshell? School readiness is about having the skills to be able to develop and learn in a school environment, which for the first year at least will continue to be play based in most settings.
As we continue to travel the 'Covid school readiness pathway' we know that every child has had a different experience. We have all been in the same storm but our journeys have been significantly different and for children this journey will have undoubtably shaped their formative years so far.
We must also look at the research that backs our understanding children’s development. We know, on average, children are toilet trained 2 years later than they were 25 years ago – this undoubtably has an impact on children’s independence and we know more and more children are not fully toilet trained on entry to school. We also know that speech and language continues to be a rising concern – without good communication children struggle to express themselves thus find building friendships hard.
Children must be given the opportunities to develop their building blocks of life before starting school, during school and then as adults they continue to add blocks. To do this they need opportunities to:
· Socialise – allow children to be other others, to play, to make mess and explore, to take turns and to learn to share and negotiate. Socialisation allows children to develop respect, empathy, kindness and cooperation skills.
· Build resilience – to explore and take risks, to learn from mistakes and keep trying, whether this is climbing a tree, building a model or playing a game.
· Ensure their physical and mental health – we all know that being in nature is good for our mental health and wellbeing – it’s good for children’s too – so get outside in nature, explore, walk, climb, scurry, run and roll – it’s good for you!
· Time to communicate, to speak and to listen – talk, read stories, tell stories, spent time with friends and family. Talk is key in a child’s development. Research shows that children who listen to stories every day hear up to 30 million more words that those who do not hear stories. The disadvantage gap in language at 5 is a strong predictor of how well a person will do at the age of 34. (Institute of Education).
“Reading and writing float on a sea of talk.”
· Independence and self-care – children should be able to manage their own basic self-care. Secure attachments and modelling will help children develop skills such as toileting independently, putting on shoes and socks, dress and undressing, asking for help and talking about their needs and feelings, using cutlery effectively to eat, holding a pencil to make marks.
· Secure attachments – children who have a secure attachment to their care givers are more likely to thrive, to take risks and to learn. These relationships help children to develop functional relationships in later life.
So… in that nutshell – school readiness is not about being ahead in phonics, writing or maths it is about being ready to learn these things in school. School readiness is about ensuring that a child has secure physical, emotional and neurological wellbeing – this is school readiness and everything else will come in time.
Books to support starting school:
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