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The Independent UK
The Independent UK
Lifestyle
Jasmine Norden

Parents warned children with no reading experience start school as ‘second-class citizens’

Parents have been urged to read to their children before they start school - (Getty/iStock)

Children who arrive at school without having been read to at home are starting their education as "second-class citizens", the children’s laureate has warned.

Frank Cottrell-Boyce, a celebrated children’s author and screenwriter, told headteachers at the Association of School and College Leaders’ (ASCL) annual conference that nearly half of all children are beginning school at a "massive disadvantage" due to this lack of early exposure to books.

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