The study of 15,000 children by think-tank Demos found that 11.5 per cent begin school without the behavioural skills they need to build friendships and are subsequently more likely to drop out of the education system.
The report, titled Ex Curricular, points out that data from the Millennium Cohort Study showed that 66,000 five-year-olds scored 'borderline' or 'abnormal' in tests designed to reveal behavioural and emotional problems, which are linked to under-achievement at school, truancy and exclusion and can lead to young people being 'not in employment, education or training' (NEETs).
The report's co-author Sonia Sodha said, 'These nursery NEETS show the same behaviour problems as older NEETs, like difficulty making friends and bad behaviour.
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