It is, said Damian Hinds, a scandal. It matters, he added. Damian Hinds is Education Secretary. He was talking about a new report that warned a growing number of children were arriving at school unable to adequately read and write.
The Department of Education’s found over a quarter of four and five-year-olds couldn’t communicate in full sentences.
And Hinds is going to do something about it. He has kicked off a plan to halve the figures in 10 years. He’s making the right noises, showing the link between early positive intervention and success later in life. He’s saying things about life chances and social mobility. Which is all very nice. At The Big Issue we’ve been asking different governments for years to take the prevention message seriously. To get in early and make sure that where you are from doesn’t keep damaging where you’re going.
Children who rely on free school meals during term-time are going hungry in the holidays
The problem is, I can’t find a lot of detail in Hinds’ plans. The words ‘positive’ and ‘support’ and ‘advice’ pop up. But not actual examples of things that would help.
So, I have one for him here. Stop closing libraries. Stop it. Don’t say you’re not. Don’t say it’s local government. Don’t say it’s not something you can influence. Your party has been in government for almost eight years. In that time, over 470 libraries have closed across the UK.
That’s over 470 places where parents could take their children so their children could be immersed in books and language. Where parents could meet other parents in their situation, where they could share stories, pick up tips, discover the books their children can abandon themselves in. Places that start assembling the scaffolding under which lives rich in promise and hope can be built.