BBC – Staff Writer
“Improving the language skills of young children from deprived backgrounds could be the key to closing Scotland’s attainment gap, according to a report. The research by the Read On, Get On campaign suggested one in five children growing up in poverty is unable to read well by the time they finish primary. It said this helped explain Scotland’s “persistent education divide”. It called for all nurseries to have a member of staff with an early language or literacy qualification. The campaign group is a coalition of charities including Save the Children and literacy agencies. By the age of five most children should be able to speak in full sentences and use most of the everyday words that adults use, according the group. At this stage, youngsters should also be asking lots of “why?” questions as they try to understand the world around them, and should be able to talk confidently about the past and the future.”(more)