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Tristram Hunt: Four-year-olds arriving at school unable to speak because parents don't get on 'all fours' and play with them

Labour's education spokesman: 'Parents haven't been sitting down on all fours and sitting down an intereacting with their children'

Friday 01 May 2015 17:41 BST

Tristram Hunt has criticised the Coalition Government for presiding over the closure of Sure Start centres (Getty Images)

Four-year-olds are arriving at school unable to speak because their parents do not get down on "all fours" and play with them at home, Labour's education spokesman Tristram Hunt has said.

Mr Hunt, speaking at the National Association of Head Teachers' conference in Liverpool, said: "When you talk to headteachers, one of the big issues is the delayed and under-developed speaking and listening skills of children that come through play and talking to children."

He told the conference: "Parents haven't been sitting down on all fours and sitting down an intereacting with their children.

"I am struck by how often headteachers say this (pupils' communication skills) has got markedly worse over the last decade."

He added: "Whether that's the influence that TV and smart phones and ipads have, whether it is poverty, both parents working and not enough time or whether it's about the failure to understand the importance of this, I'm not sure."

In pictures: Experts' predictions for the General Election - 26/04/15

Show all 10

1/10In pictures: Experts' predictions for the General Election - 26/04/15

In pictures: Experts' predictions for the General Election - 26/04/15

Andrew Hawkins (ComRes)

“This is an election of wild promises and political cross-dressing; so no differentiation, no breakthrough, no majority. The most likely outcome is Ed Miliband in No 10 because only he will be in a position to work with enough parties (that is, the SNP) to form a workable government.”

Andrew Hawkins

In pictures: Experts' predictions for the General Election - 26/04/15

Joe Twyman (YouGov)

“As each day passes and the Conservatives fail to increase their vote share, the likelihood of Ed Miliband becoming PM (albeit still with a minority) grows. That’s due to the continued performance of the SNP in Scotland and former Lib Dem voters propping up Labour in England.”

In pictures: Experts' predictions for the General Election - 26/04/15

Ben Page (Ipsos MORI)

“A better week for Ed Miliband than for David Cameron – personal ratings improving, and the betting markets moved in his favour. The poll numbers have him ahead by a whisker which, combined with the electoral maths, makes him more likely to be able to form some kind of government on the raw numbers right now. However, Cameron will be hoping for a 1992 moment when ultimately voters can’t quite bring themselves to try someone else – and 38 per cent of voters still say they may change their mind.”

In pictures: Experts' predictions for the General Election - 26/04/15

Rick Nye (Populus)

“The Populus/Hanover Predictor has Ed Miliband ending up as Prime Minister in more than five out of six simulations we run.”

In pictures: Experts' predictions for the General Election - 26/04/15

Nick Moon (GfK)

“Tories most seats, SNP 45 or more, Ukip fewer than five: minority Labour government.”

In pictures: Experts' predictions for the General Election - 26/04/15

Damian Lyons Lowe (Survation)

“Ukip’s vote share is prone to be squeezed, benefiting the Conservatives, while the SNP’s onslaught on Labour continues. Based on three UK/Scotland polls, I am upgrading the Conservatives and the SNP, and downgrading Labour. Both the Lib Dems on 30 seats and Ukip on 5 to 10 remain unchanged.”

In pictures: Experts' predictions for the General Election - 26/04/15

Michelle Harrison (TNS)

“Still no change, but Nicola Sturgeon goes from strength to strength in Scotland. For me, who the biggest party is will hinge on the crucial marginals. But what ultimately wins – safety first, for the Tories, or Labour’s ‘get out the vote’ ground war?”

In pictures: Experts' predictions for the General Election - 26/04/15

James Endersby (Opinium Research)

“Our poll today shows a one-point Tory lead, statistically a tie. It’s going to be incredibly tight. Labour and the Tories would do well to be negotiating with the smaller parties behind the scenes. In the likely event of a hung parliament, we’ve been testing various combinations of coalition. Labour teaming up with the Lib Dems would be more popular than with the SNP, which in turn would be more popular than a Tory/UKIP scenario.”

In pictures: Experts' predictions for the General Election - 26/04/15

Martin Boon (ICM)

“Not much going on really, and no reason to change my mind. Tories by a couple of points.

In pictures: Experts' predictions for the General Election - 26/04/15

Lord Ashcroft (Lord Ashcroft Polls)

He refuses to make predictions. “My polls are snapshots, not predictions.”

Rex

He criticised the Coalition Government for presiding over the closure of Sure Start centres - where parents could go with pre-school children and learn parenting skills. He said that 750 had already closed and a further 1,000 would go if the Coalition returned to office. "That would be the end of it," he said.

Labour would halt the closure but he acknowledged there was unlikely to be enough money to re-open any of those already closed.

He added that there was a need for a "bully pulpit" approach - stressing the need for parents to spend more time communicating with their children.

Mr Hunt also told heads he would argue for more pay for teachers to over the recruitment crisis facing the profession - but was not convinced he would win against the Treasury.

"I can deliver on (improving) workload, I can deliver on conditions but I can'y yet deliver on the pay packages you would like to see," he said

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