Parents will benefit from interactive learning tools and text message tips to support children’s early language and literacy at home, as part of a society-wide push to make sure children start school ready to learn.
“Families from disadvantaged backgrounds will be given free access to some of the best children’s educational apps for smart phones and tablets, the Education Secretary Damian Hinds announced on the 20th of February.
On average, disadvantaged children are 4 months behind in their overall development at age 5. This grows by an additional 6 months by the age of 11 and by the time they take their GCSEs they are, on average, 19 months behind their peers in overall attainment.
There are hundreds of educational apps for phones or tablets on the market that parents can choose from to support their child’s early learning, but there is little reliable information about which are the best or most effective. So the Department for Education will buy subscriptions to high-quality early learning apps and provide access to some of these free of charge to disadvantaged families with children aged two to four, in up to 12 pilot areas across the country. Parents will benefit from interactive learning tools and text message tips to support children’s early language and literacy at home, as part of a society-wide push to make sure children start school ready to learn. The Government has announced that families from disadvantaged backgrounds will be given free access to some of the best children’s educational apps for smart phones and tablets.”
