Summarised by Centrist
A new survey of Auckland primary schools suggests a growing number of children are starting school without basic developmental skills such as speaking clearly, recognising their own name, dressing themselves, or using the toilet independently.
Commissioned by the Auckland Primary Principals Association and covering 120 primary and intermediate schools, the survey found nearly 90 per cent of schools reported an increase in new entrants struggling with basic tasks once taken for granted.
More than 90 per cent said some children did not know the letters in their own name, while others were unable to hold a pencil.
Kelly Seaburg, director of New Shoots Children’s Centre, told Newstalk ZB’s Mike Hosking that a key unknown was how many of these children had attended early childhood education, and for how long. Principals, she said, were often left to guess.
“Perhaps the number of kids not attending ECE, or as frequently, maybe those numbers are stacking up,” Seaburg said.
Parents typically answered only yes or no when asked if their child had attended ECE, leaving schools without a clear picture.
Lucy Naylor, president of the Auckland Primary Principals Association, warned that some children were entering school with developmental levels closer to those of three-year-olds.
Massey Primary School assistant principal Anna Watkin said some children struggled with empathy, focus, toileting, and basic classroom behaviour, and catching them up could take three years or more.
