Here’s a thought!

In 2017, according to published statistics from the Department of Education , there were 8,026,347 children in State-funded Primary and Secondary schools, State-funded Special schools and non-maintained Special schools.

Let’s consider if there was a group of children within that total which equated to 13 % of the total. By the way the Department of Education doesn’t actually have any numbers of those in that group (Admitted in a Parliamentary Question/Answer) but it is generally thought that 13% is a good guesstimate. That would be 1,043, 425 children in the minority! Not a small number I suggest.

In case you haven’t gathered, I am talking about “Left-handed children”.

Consider a life skill like handwriting which the Department of Education states : “Handwriting is the most fundamental building block of being educated”.

Now for the majority of the children (6,982, 922), there is a statutory requirement within the National Curriculum that schools help them with their handwriting. However, for the 1,043,425 children of the different group, it is NON statutory!

My questions are:

1. Would you be happy either being one of the minority children or their parent/s in that situation?
2. How might such inequality affect the child’s educational achievement/outcomes?
3. Why are the specific teaching needs of that group not a requirement as part of Initial Teacher Training?
4. Why has the Department of Education not collected such figures on that minority group?
5. How can the Department of Education talk with any authority about the needs or otherwise on that minority when they have no idea children they are dealing with?

Isn’t it about time some action was taken to improve the situation for the 1,043,425 children?