Too young to test

[Dawn]

My son's playgroup handed me as folder of his work this week - he is 3 years 3 months - I was appalled to find that his work had been marked. Isn't this taking things too far? It is a playgroup for goodness sake - he has at least another 17 years education in front of him.
It will be all too soon before he gets dragged into a system whereby he is marked and therefore judged and I really believe that at this young age we sould be concentrating on letting children learn for themselves with help and encouragement. Am I alone in thinking this?

No - if my daughter's nursery started marking her stuff I'd be appalled too! They've been great, teaching her to read a bit and write her name, but I don't think they're into assessing the children at all.

I recently helped out at playgroup and was shocked by the extent to which they are keeping records and marking children. A group were playing a game, which involved colours, and throwing a dice. Records were being made as to which children knew which colours and which numbers! I was horrified, not least because it is virtually impossible for anyone to actually enjoy the game under those circumstances, and involves the playleaders in lots of admin., rather than childcare. Apparently it is all to do with their being registered for funding for free places for four year olds ...

I have been at loggerheads with my local SPPA, Regional Council and Scial Work Dept for 2 years now. Our playleader is now, meant to keep a detailed report of each childs good and bad points, and after reading the sheets she was to fill out I was really bloody angry. These are pre-school children, not trainee brain surgeons, we have refused so far, as she keeps her own diary of each sessions saying what she did and how the kids coped with it. If one struggles a bit she does it again including all of the children, so that one does not feel left out, which I think is a very un-predjudiced way of doing. We can no longer wash their hands after going to the loo, they have to use wipes as it is the same after playing with play-dough, out comes Wipe Monster (me) flapping wipes all over the place. As soap and water is no longer considered hygienic by the Health and Safety Executive, what is wrong with these people!. But I do not agree with keeping detailed reports on children who are not in their first year at school i.e. Primary 1, for goodness sake what will we doing next, keeping detailed reports from conception, and chanting the times table instead of breathing exercises. I will now depart and have a stiff gin and lemonade and yet another fag!!!, and put the brats to bed, yeeeeeeeee harrrrrrrrrrrr.

Oh ooooops, that should be Social, I promise I have had no gin yet!!!!!!!!!1

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No wonder the playgroup system is under threat in some parts of the country. It sounds like they are being forced into beating nursery schools at their own game. A friend in Edinburgh took on being chair of her local playgroup partly to meet new people and partly to ensure there was still one available for when her eldest turned three. It was a bureaucratic nightmare - they had to have one helper who had Qualified Teacher Status and all they could afford to pay was a pittance. Eventually they got one but it was real 11th hour stuff. I thought these wretched vouchers were supposed to improve the situation?

We do fund raising nights and quizzes, and then find out the Council has charged us £9.10 per hour for the hire of the hall. We soon got that rectified, cheeky woman, that is another story. We find funds hard as there are only 6 children at present and we have received 1 grant in the past 18 months. The rest of the Playgroup mums and comittee are not keen in going into partnership and neither an I, as our PLayleadwer would have to keep these "detailed reports" on each child, which I find totally unreal.

Its good to know that there are others out there who feel the same as me. I am currently writing a letter to the Chair of the playgroup committee to voice my concerns - perhaps I should suggest that playgroup is an inappropriate description and another title should be used - how about 'A Level preparation for 3 year olds?'.....perhaps not.