7th October 2015 8:00
By Blue Tutors
A literacy campaign group has raised concerns that poor children in Wales struggle with language by the time they begin primary school. A report from Ready to Read Wales noted that children from poor backgrounds are 67% more likely to score below average in vocabulary aged 5 than their classmates. The report has come amid concerns that the poorest children in Wales are falling significantly behind their peers before they begin school. The Read On. Get On. Campaign group has called for greater investment in Wales’s early years workforce and greater support for parents to ensure that children do not fall behind.
The campaign group, which is supported by various children’s and literacy charities in addition to teaching unions, libraries and publishing agencies, said that one in four poor children in Wales leaves primary school unable to read well. The report shows that those who fall behind in early years are unlikely to catch up, with more than three quarters of poor children who score below average in vocabulary at age 5 also scoring poorly at age 7 and 11. Save the Children Wales said that ensuring children’s language skills is a crucial step towards ensuring that they achieve good qualifications and employment later on, and called on the government to do more to raise children’s literacy.
Read on. Get on. have called on the government to appoint a Children’s minister who could focus on children’s education and ensuring support for parents which would allow them to help their children before they begin school. An additional report from the Wales Institute for Social and Economic Research highlighted the difficulties faced by parents who are struggling to find work, or who are working long hours. Under those circumstances, it can be difficult for parents to provide their children with the necessary support for developing literacy and language skills. The campaign group has set a target of getting every child in Wales reading well by the age of 11 by 2025.