Half of children on free school meals were not 'school-ready'

New analysis by the Child of the North shows that 48.5% of children who receive free school meals will have started school this September without meeting ‘school ready’ criteria.

Meanwhile, 49.1% of children not school ready are later identified as having Special Educational Needs (SEN).

Children are deemed to be school ready if their performance is rated as age-appropriate in the domains of personal, social, and emotional development; communication and language; physical development; mathematics; and literacy.

Not being 'ready’ to start school puts children at much higher risk of issues such as poor dental health and being out of work or education in years to come.

The analysis uses the latest data from the 2023/2024 academic year to look at the long-term impact of being deemed not school ready.  It shows that a child starting formal education when not ready is twice as likely to have dental decay whether or not they receive free school meals, is 27 times more likely to have undiagnosed autism, and is eight times more likely to not reach Key Stage 1 expected levels.

Not being ready to start school also means children are two and a half times more likely to become persistently absent, and almost three times more likely to be out of employment, education or training at 16-17 years of age, the report shows.

The data also suggests that children not school-ready who are on free school meals and with special educational needs have a 25% probability of being out of employment, education or training later in life.

The findings are on the agenda for policymakers, academics, clinicians and educators attending the National Opportunity Summit, at the University of Leeds today, where they will discuss solutions to the problems faced by the millions of children in the UK who are growing up in poverty.

Professor Shearer West, University of Leeds Vice-Chancellor and President, will welcome delegates to the event, which is hosted by the University’s CHORAL Centre (Child Health Outcomes Research At Leeds), and the Centre for Young Lives think tank.

Professor West said: “Tackling childhood inequalities benefits both young people and society as a whole. But we can only do this if we work together: the Child of the North campaign demonstrates the impact of research and innovation carried out with compassion, commitment and a collaborative spirit.

“The University of Leeds is leading the way through outstanding interdisciplinary research in this area, and by working closely with regional and national partners, we can play a meaningful part in a future in which every child can thrive.”

Today’s summit will see the launch of the 2025 Child of the North campaign, which will provide toolkits to schools, child health services and local authorities on the 12 topics identified by child health leaders as the major issues of concern. These toolkits will help practitioners and organisations take practical steps to improve the health and wellbeing issues faced by the children and young people in their care.

The ‘How To’ guides provide evidence and suggestions about how all parties can work together to build a country that works for all children and young people. The goal is to ensure alignment between practitioners on the ground and government’s work on the Opportunity Mission to make certain that every child has the best possible start in life.

Report series editor Professor Mark Mon-Williams, from the University of Leeds, said: “Last year's Child of the North campaign shone a light on the true extent of the issues facing disadvantaged children and young people, from the autism and mental health crisis, to oral health, special needs, school attendance, vulnerability and crime. The action plans we created for policymakers have resulted in real change taking place.

“This year we have provided a series of toolkits for people on the ground, working directly with these children, to help them implement our recommendations and make changes that will improve outcomes for all children.”