One in six five-year-old boys can't write name

London: More than 50 per cent of boys are struggling with the basics after a full year of schooling, official figures revealed.

And nearly one in six cannot write his name at this stage.

This means some cannot dress on their own, sound out the alphabet, count to ten or write words such as ‘mum' or ‘dad'.

But girls are storming ahead of boys in all areas at this age.

The Department of Education figures are based on teachers' observations of hundreds of thousands of five-year-olds.

Based on the so-called ‘nappy curriculum' they assess physical, intellectual, emotional and social development skills.

Good level

Those who achieve at least six points for each of the 13 skills and score well in social and emotional development are said to be reaching "a good level of development" the Government standard.

Some 53.1 per cent of boys fell below the standard compared with 34.9 per cent of girls. And 15.1 per cent of boys cannot write their name, compared with 6.9 per cent of girls.

Poorer pupils, particularly poor boys, fare worse. A quarter could not write their name.

A Department for Education spokesman said: "There are still too many children starting school without the solid foundation they need to succeed. In particular, we're concerned that boys continue to lag behind girls even before they start school, especially in writing."