As I try to wrestle my 15-month-old son into a nappy, or stop him from throwing himself down an escalator, or teach him not to spear himself with a fork, I remember that slightly lesser-known Winston Churchill quote: ‘I am always ready to learn, although I do not always like being taught.’ It appears, however, that children are increasingly not ready to learn, and parents increasingly dislike doing the teaching.

The results of the annual survey of primary school teachers are not just mildly depressing reading on a rainy January day: they are a stark and shameful indictment of the failures of so many parents. Teachers claim that 37 per cent of children starting reception class are simply not ready, the highest on record. They state that around a quarter of four- and five-year-olds are unable to eat or drink independently, or use basic language skills like being able to say their name or answer questions. Staff estimated that they were spending 1.4 hours a day changing nappies or helping children who are not fully toilet-trained and, in total, lost over 2 hours of teaching time a day assisting pupils with basic skills such as dressing themselves.

Screen time is polarising parenting styles as it does........

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