Infant skills static

The Government's early-years education policies have made no impact, according to new research. Despite the introduction of several initiatives over the past decade, there has been no improvement in the development levels of pupils entering primary school, the study from Durham University found.

The six-year study of 35,000 children, led by Christine Merrell, revealed that children's development and skills at the start of school were no different now than they were before the Labour Government's overhaul of early-years education.