Charity calls to enrol qualified teachers in pre-schools

Save The Children has partnered up with psychologists to call on the government to put a qualified teacher in every pre-school, after raising concerns that poor nursery teaching was causing many children to be left behind academically.

Education experts are backing the campaign claiming the move is a ‘critical opportunity’ to enable childrens’ brains to develop key skills and avoid physical, cognitive and emotional problems in the future.

The charity has urged the government to install at least one qualified teacher in every nursery to help children develop speech and English language skills so they are at a better advantage once they enter school.

Official data has shown that in 2015, 130,000 children in England were falling behind with communication abilities, even before they reached school.

Commenting on the move, Torsten Baldeweg, a child health professor, said: “If these connections are not formed they, to variable degrees, will suffer longer term consequences to their physical, cognitive but also emotional development. These early years are absolutely critical. Much more must be done to boost early learning.”

Gareth Jenkins, the charity’s director of UK poverty, said: “Toddler’s brains are like sponges, absorbing knowledge and making new connections faster than any other time in life. We’ve got to challenge the misconception that learning can wait for school , as, if a child starts their first day at school behind, they tend to stay behind.

“To tackle the nation’s education gap, we need a new national focus on early learning to give children the best start – not just increasing free childcare hours, but boosting nursery quality.”