Nursery World - 'These findings are shocking but not surprising'

Government adviser Louise Casey says the chaotic histories of thousands of "troubled families" need to be addressed to help them turn their lives around. Sally Goddard Blythe gives her view

Our findings from studies which have looked at the physical development of children in primary schools in the UK, Germany and Hungary suggest that more than half of primary school children are not "ready" for school in terms of their physical development. There is a correlation between immature physical development, educational under-achievement and some behavioural problems.

While immature physical development can have neurological causes these findings suggest that social and environmental factors are increasingly contributing to the picture. Coupled with neglect, abuse, lack of positive role models within the family or the immediate community and the erosion of family values, this is a toxic mixture for the future.

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