SCHOOLBOYS' progress in early years education in St Helens is considerably lower than girls and also behind their national peers, a council report has said.

In 2017 only 59.2 per cent of St Helens boys at the end of their reception year were found to be making good progress according to their Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) profile.

By contrast 75 per cent of girls were, a 15.8 per cent difference.

In 2016 there had been a 17.5 per cent gap between the sexes in St Helens (57.5 per cent and 75 per cent), mirroring national trends.

Boys' attainment is below national levels with 62.1 per cent of boys achieving good progress in England last year.

A St Helens Council report, entitled ‘The Lost Boys', says the consequences of falling behind in early language and communication skills can "damage the life chances of children", and negatively impact on future earnings, literacy skills and mental health as adults.

It was added boys who have difficulty expressing themselves may exhibit challenging behaviour.

Also, children who did not achieve the expected standard of early language and communication at age five were found to be more than four times more likely to be below age-related expectations at 11.

The report says several actions have been taken to tackle the problem of boys' underachievement which have included targeting schools and settings with the weakest outcomes to take part in evidence-based projects.

Intervention programme Early Talk Boost and the MABLE (Maths and Boys’ Literacy) project have been implemented and multi-disciplinary training focused on narrowing the gap in early years and key stages one and two.

There has been bespoke training for headteachers to challenge quality of early years provision.

The authority says provisional data so far shows an "improvement in boys’ attainment".

St Helens Council's cabinet member for children, families, young people and education, Cllr Jeanette Banks, said: "The gap between boys' and girls' attainment continues to be a challenge for us in St Helens, and this reflects the situation nationally.

"However, early indications from this year's outcomes are positive and show that the efforts of our schools and settings are bearing fruit.

"For example, evidence-based projects aimed at improving children's early language and mathematical skills have contributed to improved attainment for boys in early years settings this year.

"The local authority is maintaining a strong focus on the achievement of boys and is working closely with schools and nurseries to ensure the good work continues."

The report adds that future actions will see rollout of training and evidence-based projects to other settings and efforts to provide effective training and improvement funding.

There will also be a thorough analysis of national and local data in November and introduction of a new skills audit in schools.