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Good morning. Teaching four- and five-year-olds has always involved patience, care and flexibility. What many reception teachers say they did not sign up for was spending large chunks of the school day managing toileting, feeding and basic self-care because growing numbers of children are arriving without those skills in place.<\/p>\n
New data points to a widening gap in England and Wales between what parents believe \u201cschool ready\u201d means and what classrooms are actually experiencing \u2013 with consequences not just for teachers, but for every child in the room. And the long shadow of coalition-era austerity cuts to local services and Sure Start is exacerbating the problem in more deprived areas.<\/p>\n
For today\u2019s newsletter, I spoke to Felicity Gillespie<\/strong><\/em>, chief executive of Kindred\u00b2, the organisation that carries out the school readiness survey, to find out how widespread the problem has become for teachers, what is driving it, and what might actually help. Here are the headlines.<\/p>\n Iran<\/strong><\/em> | The US has announced plans to hold multi-day military exercises in the Middle East as it deploys what Donald Trump has called an \u201carmada\u201d led by the USS Abraham Lincoln to the region as part of a tense standoff with Iran.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n UK politics<\/strong><\/em> | The Labour party\u2019s civil war over the Gorton and Denton byelection has intensified after Andy Burnham accused Downing Street sources of lying about his decision to apply to stand in the Manchester seat.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Minneapolis<\/strong><\/em> | Gregory Bovino, the border patrol commander who has become the public face of the immigration crackdown in Minneapolis, was expected to leave the city as the Trump administration scales back the federal presence there after a second fatal shooting by officers.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n UK news<\/strong><\/em> | Two red flood warnings \u2013 meaning danger to life \u2013 are in force for rivers in south-west England as Storm Chandra brings heavy rain and strong winds to many areas of the UK.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n US news<\/strong><\/em> | Antibiotic use in US meat production spiked 16% in 2024, representing the highest increase since the government began tracking data, a new federal report shows.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n <\/span>Young children are spending increasing amounts of time on screens.<\/span> Photograph: Lukas Coch\/AAP<\/p>\n \u201cTeachers and parents are telling us that this is a national crisis,\u201d Gillespie tells me. \u201cWe\u2019re now seeing almost 40% of children arriving for their very first day at school without the basic life skills they need to be able to access learning.\u201d That figure has risen steadily in recent years, from around one-third of children in 2023 and 2024 to 37% this year, according to teachers surveyed.<\/p>\n The knock-on effects extend well beyond the first few weeks of school. Teachers report that children who start reception without basic skills are much less likely to reach a good level of development by the end of the year, and many struggle to catch up with peers who were school ready. The disruption also affects entire classes, with staff reporting higher stress, lower morale and less time for structured learning, as teachers are repeatedly pulled away to manage care needs.<\/p>\n The long shadow of abandoning Sure Start<\/strong><\/p>\n The report does not break results down by income, but teachers and parents consistently link readiness issues to cost-of-living pressure and longer working hours.<\/p>\n One reception teacher quoted in the survey describes children \u201cin at 7.30am and being picked up at 6pm\u201d, adding: \u201cThat\u2019s why you don\u2019t read, that\u2019s why you don\u2019t do your homework, that\u2019s why you don\u2019t know these things \u2026 because your parents are having to work every hour under the sun.\u201d<\/p>\n Gillespie says parents repeatedly point to \u201cincreased pressure \u2013 the rising cost of living, their inability to get access to health visitors in the way they used to, the closure of Sure Start\u201d.<\/p>\n Those pressures are showing up directly in classrooms. This year\u2019s report, for the first time, asked teachers to break down where lost teaching time is going. On average, 1.4 hours a day \u2013 the equivalent of a full school day each week \u2013 is spent supporting the toileting needs of children who are not potty trained when they start school. Because this data was not collected in previous years, it is not possible to compare trends, but it illustrates how much time is being diverted away from learning towards basic care.<\/p>\n The Sure Start programme was designed to equalise the educational and life chances of socially and economically disadvantaged children, through childcare, play sessions and parenting advice among other things. It was accessed by millions of children, but was heavily scaled back between 2010 and 2019 as a result of austerity-driven cuts to council funding, with the biggest losses falling in more deprived areas, as exclusive reporting by Patrick Butler showed at the time.<\/p>\n This chart from the school readiness report shows how many more children are arriving at school without basic skills, with big leaps in the north-east, West Midlands, north-west and London, all places where deep poverty is rife.<\/p>\n <\/span>A table from the Kindred\u00b2 school readiness survey.<\/span><\/p>\n Screens, attention and the early years<\/strong><\/p>\n This isn\u2019t the only challenge primary schools face. Evidence suggests screen use among very young children has risen sharply, with implications for language, attention and social development. Almost all two-year-olds now watch screens daily, often for more than two hours, while close to 40% of three- to five-year-olds use social media.<\/p>\n Reception teachers describe children struggling to sit still, hold a pencil or speak in full sentences, becoming frustrated when tasks are not instant, and showing weaker creativity, problem-solving and hand-eye coordination \u2013 patterns many link to early and excessive screen exposure.<\/p>\n Primary school staff now cite screen use \u2013 by children and parents alike \u2013 as the single biggest factor affecting school readiness, though Gillespie is careful to emphasise context.<\/p>\n With almost all two-year-olds now spending some time on screens each day, Gillespie accepts \u201cthat horse has probably bolted\u201d \u2013 but argues that parents need help to understand why<\/em> it is a problem for development. What matters most in the early years is the two-way \u201cserve and return\u201d interaction between a child and a caregiver, she explains, which drives brain development. Sitting passively in front of a screen, she says, is like the child\u2019s brain playing tennis \u2013 but with no one on the other side of the net.<\/p>\n Why the early years matter so much<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cLots of us think real education is what happens at school,\u201d Gillespie says. \u201cThat it\u2019s GCSEs and A-levels that really count. But actually the most significant period of brain development happens much earlier.\u201d<\/p>\n Between birth and the age of five, children\u2019s brains are developing at their fastest rate. Language, emotional regulation and social skills formed in those years are strongly linked to later educational outcomes, mental health and wellbeing.<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s why the early years are the foundation for everything that follows,\u201d she says. \u201cIf we miss those opportunities, it becomes much harder \u2013 and much more expensive \u2013 to put things right later.\u201d<\/p>\n A gap in expectations, not effort<\/strong><\/p>\n One thing that remains clear is that parents might not realise the extent of <\/strong>the problem.<\/p>\n Nearly 90% of parents believe their child is school ready when nationally only 63% are, according to teachers. At the same time, more than one in five parents think it is acceptable for a child to start school not toilet trained, and almost half do not believe children need to be able to dress themselves independently by reception.<\/p>\n \u201cThis isn\u2019t about blaming and shaming parents,\u201d Gillespie says. \u201cIt\u2019s about acknowledging that there is a genuine gap in understanding about what being school ready actually means \u2013 and then getting that information out clearly and early.\u201d<\/p>\n That distinction matters, particularly in a media landscape primed for culture-war takes. After last year\u2019s report, a Telegraph column asked why people should \u201cbother\u201d having children if they \u201ccan\u2019t be arsed\u201d to raise them properly. Gillespie is blunt about that framing. \u201cYou can\u2019t control how people receive information,\u201d she says. \u201cBut finger-wagging doesn\u2019t help anyone.\u201d<\/p>\n Send and mental health are also part of a complex picture<\/strong><\/p>\n The report says that special educational needs and disabilities (Send) form a growing part of the school readiness picture. Of parents, 9% say their child has a formal Send diagnosis, while 21% strongly suspect additional needs. One headteacher quoted in the report says: \u201cThe number of complex-needs children that we have now is astronomical,\u201d while another describes Send as \u201cone of the biggest funding challenges\u201d facing schools.<\/p>\n However, the survey also captures some unease among staff about how Send is understood and supported. A small number of teachers express concern that suspected Send can sometimes be used to explain developmental delays \u2013 in language, toileting or independence \u2013 before those issues have been fully addressed. As one reception teacher puts it, parents may \u201cpin it down to Send, which might not even be true\u201d, potentially delaying early support that could help children make progress sooner.<\/p>\n Mental health issues are also affecting parents, which may be contributing to some children not being school ready. The campaign group Make Mothers Matter has this morning released new data having surveyed thousands of mothers across Europe. Of the 800 spoken to in the UK, 71% said they felt overloaded, with 47% stating that they suffer from mental health issues, including 25% suffering from depression. Three-quarters of them were working mothers trying to balance their jobs with care duties, the responsibility for which remains unevenly spread in many households. The mothers surveyed said they handle up to 71% of household and caregiving tasks alone, regardless of whether they are employed or not.<\/p>\n What could help<\/strong><\/p>\n Kindred\u00b2 has welcomed the government\u2019s announcement that new guidance on screen use for under-fives will be published this spring. The organisation is also part of a coalition of early years groups producing practical, government-backed resources for parents, including a national potty training guide and the starting reception framework, which sets out clearly what children are expected to be able to do when they begin school.<\/p>\n \u201cThe message from parents is really clear,\u201d Gillespie says. \u201cThey want information earlier, they want it to be simple, and they want support \u2013 not judgment.\u201d<\/p>\n If there is an optimistic note in this year\u2019s data, it is that consensus: teachers, parents and policymakers increasingly agree that school readiness is not a niche education issue, but a national one \u2013 and that getting the early years right could make everything that follows a little easier.<\/p>\n <\/span>A makeshift memorial in the area where Alex Pretti was shot dead on Saturday. <\/span> Photograph: Octavio Jones\/AFP\/Getty Images<\/p>\n Oliver Laughland\u2019s latest dispatch for Anywhere but Washington is essential reading and watching to understand what is happening in Minneapolis<\/strong>. Aamna Mohdin, newsletters team<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<\/li>\n Zoe Keziah Mendelson urges everyone to \u201cput down the poison satan make-you-stupid machines\u201d and quit Instagram<\/strong> so we all stop doing Meta\u2019s unpaid labour. Martin<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<\/li>\n Donald Trump understands better than most world leaders that attention is power. Catherine De Vries makes a compelling argument on why Europe needs to stop being so reactive. Aamna<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<\/li>\n Keith Stuart has interviewed Jade Scott<\/strong>, one of the most recent bunch of television\u2019s The Traitors, about her interest and history in gaming, which began with Minecraft. Martin<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<\/li>\n Some of our most beloved TV characters<\/strong> have never been on screen. From ugly naked guy to the various prime ministers on The Thick of It, Stuart Heritage has a wonderful roundup of the best ones. Aamna<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n <\/span>England\u2019s captain Harry Brook celebrates after scoring a century (100 runs) with Joe Root during the third one-day international (ODI) cricket match between Sri Lanka and England at the R. Premadasa International Cricket Stadium in Colombo on 27 January, 2026. <\/span> Photograph: Ishara S Kodikara\/AFP\/Getty Images<\/p>\n Cricket<\/strong><\/em> | The wrestler \u201cStone Cold\u201d Steve Austin was the surprising inspiration for Harry Brook\u2019s century celebration as the England white-ball captain led his side to a one-day international series victory against Sri Lanka with a thrilling, unbeaten 136.<\/p>\n Tennis<\/strong><\/em> | Top seed Carlos Alcaraz is within two victories of a career grand slam after piling more major pain on home hope Alex de Minaur in a largely straightforward Australian Open quarter-final victory, secured 7-5, 6-2, 6-1 in 136 minutes on Rod Laver Arena.<\/p>\n Football<\/strong><\/em> | Manchester United fear Patrick Dorgu could be out for a prolonged period because of the muscle injury he sustained in Sunday\u2019s 3-2 win at Arsenal.<\/p>\n <\/span>Guardian front page 28 January<\/span> Photograph: Guardian<\/p>\n \u201c\u2018Mass murder\u2019: medics reveal grim reality of Iran\u2019s hidden death toll,\u201d is the splash on the Guardian<\/strong> on Wednesday. The Telegraph<\/strong> has \u201cStarmer led \u2018witch-hunt\u2019 against Iraq veterans\u201d. \u201cWashington links Ukraine security guarantee to territorial concessions,\u201d says the FT.<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cFake jobs for sale to cheat system on migrant visas,\u201d is the lead story at the Times<\/strong>, while the Express<\/strong> opts for \u201cQuelle totale farce!\u201d \u201cPubs U-turn to save Britain\u2019s locals from extinction – but no help for restaurants facing April tax hikes,\u201d says the i<\/strong>. \u201cHalf measures,\u201d quips the Mirror<\/strong>.<\/p>\n \u201cSix years of chemo when I only needed six months,\u201d is the lead at the Metro<\/strong>. The Sun<\/strong> has \u201cRun for the hills, Katie\u201d, and the Star<\/strong> \u201cAway at the Races.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/span>Members of the Syrian government security forces stand guard after they took control of al-Hol camp following the withdrawal of Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), in Hasaka, Syria, 21 January, 2026. <\/span> Photograph: Khalil Ashawi\/Reuters<\/p>\n Can Syria keep the world safe from IS fighters?<\/strong><\/p>\n Syrian government forces have seized swathes of territory from Kurdish groups \u2013 including camps holding IS prisoners. Will Christou<\/strong> reports on why this is a dangerous moment.<\/p>\n <\/span>Suella Braverman joins Reform <\/span> Illustration: Ella Baron\/The Guardian<\/p>\n A bit of good news to remind you that the world\u2019s not all bad<\/em><\/p>\n <\/span>The new Port of Leith Distillery has great views over the Firth of Forth.<\/span> Photograph: Iain Masterton\/Alamy<\/p>\n Leith, Edinburgh\u2019s historic port, has for centuries been a gateway for people and ideas. It is now a hub of creativity for artists, startups, and a vibrant food and drink scene, which has been amplified by the 2023 tramline connection to the city centre.<\/p>\n The Leith immortalised in Irvine Welsh\u2019s Trainspotting has largely faded, but the area is not entirely gentrified. Two recent successful campaigns have galvanised locals: one to stop Waterstones opening near the independent Argonaut Books; and the other to return the benches used by day-drinkers on the Kirkgate, which had been removed by the council.<\/p>\n The area comfortably accommodates its different aspects, blending a strong, village-like community with the dynamic energy of a city, fueling a quiet but noticeable boom.<\/p>\n Sign up here for a weekly roundup of The Upside, sent to you every Sunday<\/strong><\/p>\n And finally, the Guardian\u2019s puzzles are here to keep you entertained throughout the day. Until tomorrow.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Good morning. Teaching four- and five-year-olds has always involved patience, care and flexibility. What many reception teachers say they did not sign up for was spending large chunks of the school day managing toileting, feeding and basic self-care because growing numbers of children are arriving without those skills in place. New data points to a<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":42940,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[57],"tags":[1043,187,2266,6711,1513,334,588,1500,5379],"class_list":{"0":"post-42939","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-education","8":"tag-briefing","9":"tag-crisis","10":"tag-growing","11":"tag-primary","12":"tag-readiness","13":"tag-school","14":"tag-schools","15":"tag-turn","16":"tag-wednesday"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42939","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=42939"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42939\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/42940"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=42939"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=42939"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=42939"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Five big stories<\/h2>\n
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In depth: \u2018This isn\u2019t about blaming and shaming parents\u2019<\/h2>\n
What else we\u2019ve been reading<\/h2>\n
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Sport<\/h2>\n
The front pages<\/h2>\n
Today in Focus<\/h2>\n
Cartoon of the day | Ella Baron<\/h2>\n
The Upside<\/h2>\n
Bored at work?<\/h2>\n