Tristram Hunt said he had been struck by the number of head teachers concerned about an increase in four-year-olds turning up at school with delayed speaking, listening and motor skills in the last decade.
The shadow education secretary went on to say these motor skills come from playing and talking to children, and advised parents get ‘down on all fours’ and engage with their children from an early age.
Making the comments to journalists after addressing delegates at the National Association of Head Teachers’ annual conference in Liverpool, Mr Hunt said, ‘Whenever I talk to head teachers one of the big issues is the development and underdevelopment of speaking and listening skills, those motor skills, and what that comes from is playing and talking to children, getting down on all fours from goo-goo, ga-ga onwards.’
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