Children in Reception class in England should be taught how to grip a pencil properly and how to sit correctly at a table, says the watchdog Ofsted.
Inspectors say a third of five-year-olds do not have the essential knowledge and understanding they need following their first year at school. They say the picture for children from poorer homes is worse, with nearly half failing to gain necessary skills.
Heads said the good work of early years professionals should not be undermined. Ofsted says primary-school teachers should be reading lots of stories, poems and rhymes out loud to children and encouraging them to join in and learn them by heart introduces them to new vocabulary, language structures and ideas.
Providing children with the right reading books to practise what they have been taught in their phonics lessons will make sure they master the alphabetic code so they can read by themselves.
Reading should be the focus in the Reception year and reading "was at the heart of the curriculum" in successful schools.
The report - Bold beginnings - also says schools should:
- ensure that when children are learning to write, resources are suitable for their stage of development
- ensure they are taught correct pencil grip and how to sit correctly at a table
- attach greater importance to the teaching of numbers and counting, recognising small numbers of items, comparing numbers and solving problems
- provide frequent opportunities for children to practise and consolidate their skills
The watchdog says the Reception year is essential as, for many children, it is their first experience of full-time education. It says it is a time when teachers set the routines and expectations that will serve children well for the rest of their school life.
