The Times Educational Supplement (TES) reported on a school I was very familar with...25 years ago. The County asked me to be the interim headteacher for a term while the school appointed a permanent headteacher. It was like being on a sabbatical from my school. This Lower School (ages 4-9 yrs) was the first school I had come across with a permanent breakfast club in a class, all day long. Children did not necessarily arrive when the bell went, a truly inclusive strategy which seemed to work very well for children (and parents) who were hesitant or not sufficiently organised to engage in the normal school day. The catchment area, at the time, had all the signs of being well below the national median income. It was a standing joke that the cars around the school displayed (in those days) tax discs which were out of date or just missing.
The TES reporter found that this school had now managed to double the number of its children reaching a good level of development after cutting its Reception classes from 30 to 20. I think there is a lesson the senior leadership teams of primary schools need to consider seriously. If ignored, then those developmental delays (whatever they are) will continue through the school over the years and act as a barrier to learning.
By: Mike Aylen
On:21-01-2026
