Parents should spend time talking to children, the report says

The Basic Skills Agency found many parents did not "see the point" of developing verbal skills, focusing instead on reading and writing.

Some four-year-olds threw tantrums in class because they could not communicate in any other way.

The BSA wants primary school teachers to work with families to improve children's conversation.

Family 'splintering'

Its report - Talk to Me - says verbal skills are declining "year on year".

It says all-day television, parents' long working hours and the "decline of the family meal" are causes of poor communication.

It also cites the "splintering" of families into different rooms in the house, with children as young as four watching TV alone in their bedrooms.

The increased use of forward-facing buggies means babies and toddlers have less chance to communicate with parents, the report adds.

Front-facing buggies are said to prevent conversation

The "greatest impact" on children's verbal skills was among disadvantaged families.

The report backs US research conducted in the mid-1990s, which found that by the time they started school a child of professional parents had heard about 50 million words.

For those of working-class background it was 30 million and for those with parents on income support it was 12 million.

BSA report author Sue Palmer found parents were "wary of schools interfering in their family life and resentful of any suggestion that they don't know what's best for their children".

Schools 'struggling'

The gap between homes and classrooms had increased since 1996, when a gunman killed 16 children and their teacher at a school in Dunblane.

With greater security in place, primary schools had "struggled to remain the inviting, welcoming places they once were", Ms Palmer found.

Her report calls for head teachers to make more use of parent-helpers and to invite parents in more often.

It says: "When it comes down to it, it's hope - not objectives, targets or evidence - that motivates people.