http://www.telegraph.co.uk/education/educationnews/9064870/New-style-nappy-curriculum-will-damage-childhood.html
New-style 'nappy curriculum' will damage
childhood
Children’s natural development is being undermined by a relentless focus
on formal assessments and targets in nurseries, childcare experts warn
today.
By Graeme Paton, Daily Telegraph, Education Editor, 7 February 2012
The new Early Years Foundation Stage is too focused on formal learning, experts claim. Photo: ALAMY
In a letter to The Daily Telegraph, academics and authors said that controversial education
reforms are robbing under-fives of the ability to play and leading to the “schoolification” of
the early years.
They claim that compulsory “nappy curriculum” that all nurseries, pre-schools and
childminders are supposed to follow puts too much emphasis on formal learning in areas such
as the three-Rs.
The Coalition has already unveiled a radical overhaul of the so-called Early Years
Foundation Stage – introduced under Labour – including a significant cut in the number of
targets all children are supposed to hit by the age of five.
But today’s letter, which was signed by Philip Pullman, the author, Baroness Greenfield, the
Oxford University neuroscientist, and Dr Penelope Leach, the childcare expert, warned of
“widespread concern about the direction of the current revision”.
It is feared that ministers are ratcheting up the curriculum by proposing that children learn to
spell irregular common words as well as just simple ones.
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Concerns have also been raised over compulsory progress checks that all children will be
subjected to before their third birthday to find out whether they can use basic words, respond
to familiar sounds, communicate their needs and play with friends.
The experts welcome today attempts to simplify the curriculum but suggested the system was
“too inflexible to cater for the highly diverse developmental needs of young children”.
They are now creating a new group – Early Childhood Action – with the support of around
50 leading academics, authors and childcare organisations to push for an alternative
curriculum.
The comments come just days after a report from the National Audit Office warned that a
£1.9billion-a-year plan to give all children access to free nursery provision has failed to
improve pupils’ results in the first few years of primary school.
Sue Palmer, a literacy specialist and author of the book Toxic Childhood, who signed the
latest letter, said: “The EYFS has helped skew early years practice towards formal methods at
an even earlier age, so it's no surprise the National Audit Office has found nursery attendance
makes no difference to children's attainment at seven.
“Tinkering with the current statutory requirements of the EYFS won't put things right. We
need a radical rethink of the way we treat our young children in the UK, and far greater
attention to the realities and subtleties of child development.”
Should two-year-olds be subject to progress checks?
No, it's too early to start setting targets
developing
Yes, parents need to know how their children are
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A review of Labour’s early years curriculum – published in 2011 – found that the existing system
promoted a tick-box culture that stifled children’s early development.
From this September, the number of targets under-fives are supposed to meet will be cut from
69 to just 17.
But the updated framework still puts a clear emphasis on the three-Rs, with all children being
expected to:
• Read and understand simple sentences in books and use phonic knowledge to decode
regular and some irregular words;
• Write simple sentences that can be read by themselves and others;
• Count up to 20 and use simple addition and subtraction to solve practical problems;
• Use everyday language to describe and compare size, weight, capacity, time and distance.
Today’s letter, which was circulated by Dr Richard House, senior lecturer at Roehampton
University’s Research Centre for Therapeutic Education, said ministers needed to look again
at the document to avoid the “schoolification of early childhood, with its over-assessment and
excessive monitoring”.
“Parents are under undue pressure to prepare children for formal schooling, according to a
system too inflexible to cater for the highly diverse developmental needs of young children,”
the letter says.
“Many feel disquiet about commercial influences and the statutory imposition of
inappropriate computer experience on young children.
“There should be ways to pursue equality without imposing an indiscriminate compulsory
framework upon all children, irrespective of their needs.”
A spokesman for the Department for Education says: “Of course play and imagination are a
crucial part of childhood, but we also have to make sure children are ready to learn when they
start school.
"Our emphasis on school-readiness does not mean formal education at two years old. It
means building on children’s natural curiosity and desire to explore and play by making play
a central part of children’s learning.
“Our reforms will ensure that families are supported to give children the very best possible
start in life and every opportunity to fulfil their potential.”
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sceptic3
28 minutes ago
It has always been a brain washing exercise; but then so is education generally these days with so much on the curriculum
that most parents do not agree with but which they are powerless to stop.
But the proof of the pudding as they say, is in the eating; and I think we can already see that the pudding has failed to rise.
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kingorry
Yesterday 11:52 PM
When 30% of kids leave school with few qualifications it is ludicrous to claim children are being pushed too hard.
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Artistic_expression
Yesterday 11:49 PM
Formal education is probably pointless, but as the mother of an autistic son I think parents should be made aware if their
child is not socialising with its peers, not making eye contact etc. early intervention is essential and this stops at age 5. My
son didn't get diagnosed till he was nearly 5, so he missed out on that help. My concerns about his speech delay (he didn't
talk till he was 3) were brushed aside by the health visitor. Being in denial doesn't help anyone. Recommended by 0
person
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wanderingone56
Yesterday 11:42 PM
I own no qualifications in child psychology and so what follows is nothing more than instinct.
I believe that pushing young children into formal education deprives them of vital learning that is best gained from a family
and society setting. I believe that setting targets for young children introduces an element of stress to family lives that has
no upside and that can do damage.
But then, to explain all that, I don't believe that the ultimate purpose of a human being is to be stuffed, as soon as possible,
into the machine that cranks out zombies qualified for nothing more than to be tax cows for a government made up of
privileged elites. Recommended by 5 people
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BergBlanca24
Yesterday 11:38 PM
US is behind this for sure...Read here and u will get convinced...http://qikr.co/fns5y
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lorriman
Yesterday 11:14 PM
In the UK the State is the true parent of your children. You are mere suckling cows for the children of the Fatherland.
Quite apart from the anti-conservative (and anti-human) 'Curriculums', the State may forcibly adopt your children in secret
courts and, as if it were equivalent to capital punishment, does so irreversibly even if the real parents (and they are the real
parents) are later found innocent. And all on the word of these so-called 'Experts'. Experts whose 'evidence based'
approach is actually stats not facts.
A soft population has permitted a near stalinist regime. Recommended by 11 people
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mtc22
Yesterday 11:17 PM
I seem to remember that it was a Conservative government that introduced the National Curriculum in the first place and
Mr. Gove seems determined to impose even more state control on the curriculum and on schools. Recommended by 1
person
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lorriman
Yesterday 11:36 PM
Yes, and I would argue that the Conservative party has been anything but for a long while. Thatcher, for example, was an
economic liberal. I think she was a sincere person with good intentions but her policies have ruined the UK; and I say that
from a conservative standpoint. The UK is geared towards consumerism and pleasure rather than human satisfaction. UK
communities are collapsed and families are often unrecognisable as such. Recommended by 3 people
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Thecountrysfinished
Yesterday 10:53 PM
Might be why ever increasing numbers of parent are turning to home education. If nothing else it gets them out of the
hands of the box ticking numpties the LA's and DofE employ. Recommended by 12 people
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notrocketscience
Yesterday 10:52 PM
It is important to know whether there are developmental delays arising, because if they are left they take longer to correct.
That said it is easy to spot those problems through observing play and games. Other countries that delay entry to formal
education until 7 years of age seem to be able to achieve high academic results for a larger proportion of the population.
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tdhp
Yesterday 10:42 PM
Formal schooling at such an early age is just a cover to undermine the traditional (with a proven record of being best for
the child) family by nudging mothers to work so the state and unions can bring up the next generation of voters.
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joedixon
Yesterday 10:34 PM
Common sense at last