The last government was clueless – this one is the same. Quite correctly there is concern about standards of readingin children, especially white working class children (ones with potential Reform voting parents – i.e. knuckle draggers!).. The answer to this from the Whitehall technocrats is to increase the external testing – children will soon have compulsory tests in 7/14 of their school years. I grow tomatoes (amongst other things!) and do not expect my plants to grow better if I measure them every other day!
A scenario of a UK family. Both mum and dad have full time jobs to pay mortgage, child care is basic and un trained. House has no books at all. Bedime is provided by games on phone or cheap tablet if at all. Labour talks about financial deprivation but there are other sorts! Time deprivation – I always believed that the greatest thing I could give my children was my time ( and I believe I have been wonderfully successful – 3 lovely caring sensibl’ish children); Stimulation deprivation – no books = lack of imagination, a video may compensate a little, but how many films have you seen that are better than the books you read first? So the child is deprived of learning opportunities from birth. A childs brain is a wonderful thing, not only do under 5’s learn to speak and communicate effectively, they also learn how to learn. However they can also learn something much more insidious and even dangerous – how to compensate for their lack of learning.
If we are testing children 7 times in compulsory education we are also condemning at least a tird to failure ( the bar will be lifted if a cohort is successful). How do we/children react if pronounced failures? Of course we can initially blame others; or adopt a “I don’t care” attitude; or big themselves up in other ways – the “big car – small penis syndrome”; or turn to cime (of which I include domestic violence).
So my answer is to reverse the spending bias on universities and higher education and concentrate on the under 11’s. My friends tell me that their children have never had a male teacher until secondary school. That is insane. TBH how many men do you see as good role models for children, especially young boys? Especially if what I have said above is even 30% true. Prioritise early education and enrich it. If that means universities having reduced funding, so be it. Employers with applicants able in maths and english can be trained. I could go on! but will stop now – email your comments, especially if you disagree.