Telegraph Letter: The government should stop intervening in early education

[hopingforbest]

couldn't agree more... can't mumsnet also gather together to put weight behind this (or maybe most people don't agree?). Possible to have a poll?

www.telegraph.co.uk/comment/letters/10302844/The-Government-should-stop-intervening-in-early-education.html

Here is the Guardian article on the letter - early years education damaging, plus a link to a poll - should children start formal education later. At the moment 93 per cent agree.

www.theguardian.com/education/2013/sep/12/early-years-schooling-damaging-wellbeing

The Daily Mail has published an article on this too:

www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2418281/Children-start-school-age-seven-say-education-experts.html

Gove's reaction is extraordinarily paranoid - these experts, including the former Children's Commissioner and the Finnish education system, are "promoting ‘bogus pop-psychology". But what is his justification that formal testing at five will have more benefits than disadvantages for children?

this has really annoyed me- I've already posted about this on facebook yesterday
nearly 130 of the top experts in early years are telling gove to listen to them and he calls them 'misguided'
He really hasn't got a clue- what does he actually know about early years education or any education, come to that?
I feel really let down by this government
under the last government we were making huge strides in early years and they have messed it all up
I despair, I really do.
I would love a mn campaign about this

Without turning this into a debate over The virtues of SAHP and nursery etc etc the governments overriding policy is to encourage both parents to work and the cost of living makes this a necessity in many families.

Many children are put into childcare situations v young and they are obliged to follow the EYFS curriculum. As a SAHM I have noticed a real difference in the development of the children at nursery because they, even at a young age are taught in a more structured way. Even if they delay starting school - lots of children will just be in structured childcare settings anyway. Most children really enjoy it too my ds has just started Pre school and he loves it.

Of course Gove is going to dismiss this research, if he agreed with it then it would contradict the governments policy of encouraging parents back to work using child care.

Whether the curriculum should be changed that's another matter.

There are some well respected names on the list of signatories unfortunately there are also many names who know as much about quality early years education as Mr Gove and Ms Truss

insancerre you are aware that many of the signatories also opposed the last governments "strides" in early years?

no, I have to admit I didn't mrz, but I have a got real bee in my bonnet about gove

Childcare doesn't necessarily mean structured care and early education doesn't mean sorting down and learning to read and write. There are other option but the Govt ignores them because they have a dual agenda - getting people into work and gaining as much control as possible.

I would like a campaign too. I'd like MN voice behind it. I think it needs to be made clear to anyone coming along that this is not about access to education (there can still be playgroups/kidergarden etc). But about the start of compulsory formal learning and the death of learning through play.

openeyecampaign.wordpress.com/about/open-letter/ circa 2007

I don't know what's happened to me. Ungrammatical, half-sentences, wierdo words. I mean: It's not about whether kids are in schools or playground before the age of six, it's about whether they HAVE to be there, and more importantly, whether it should be formal teaching or play based learning.

playbasd learning

I don't agree at all that DC who attend very structured childcare from an early age are necessarily more "developed" than DC who are not in institutional care. It is dangerous to equate institutionalization and development...

Living in Italy the children go to a pre school from 3-6 . It generally is a playbased state ( private alternatives) system gently becoming more structured over the years preparing for the entrance into school at 6/7.
It can be a gradual introduction mornings only, then staying for lunch and then the whole day.
In 1 year of state elementary my dd has fully learnt to read, write and do basic maths. As well as other subjects.
Her handwriting is no way as good as her peers in the UK however I would say that educationally she is on a parr.
Just food for thought, If I was in the Uk I would without a doubt be signing.

In England we have play based gentle introduction becoming more structured in Y1 (age 6) starting with half days then whole days Rosa. In Wales it is play based until age 7 ...

mrz I like the current balance in school - lots of play in reception and up to about age 6. Usually part-time for the first term. In fact I thought there was some consensus on that.

When I started school back in [cough] it was the academic year after turning five and full-time. But children seemed to all start with different experiences of reading depending on how much time they had spent with their parents sounding out letters and reading together.

What does worry me is Gove reacted so strongly because he wants to formalise more testing and a more rigid structure. I just don't think he understands children or teaching at all.

I think you are right, muminlondon he just doesn't understand children and especially early years
which is why I am really scared that all his meddling is going to do real damage
that's why I've signed this petition
http://www.change.org/en-GB/petitions/uk-department-of-education-stop-developmentally-inappropriate-policy-making-in-the-early-years-2?share_id=eVCoRKJjbL&utm_campaign=signature_receipt&utm_medium=email&utm_source=share_petition here
that has these objectives

1. re-establish the early years as a unique stage in its own right and not merely a preparation for school
2. protect young children's natural developmental rights
3. prevent baseline testing
4. reinstate the vital role of play
5. call for an English developmentally appropriate Foundation Stage for children between the ages of 3 and 7

link to petition

IMHO the original Birth to Three & separate Foundation Stage (3-5) were better than what we have now ...

no, I disagree, the original EYFS was better than what we have now, with the one framework and the 4 principles alongside the ECM outcomes
they just needed to extend it to 7

So when did that change? Sorry, not a teacher.

The Foundation Stage was introduced in 2000 and covered nursery and reception only - widely welcomed especially by reception teachers. Birth to Three Matters was introduced in 2002 and in 2008 the Foundation Stage was combined with Birth to Three Matters to create the Early Years Foundation Stage coving birth to the end of reception this was replaced in 2012 with the present version.

Ah, OK - I think I probably agree then. Is the EYFS meant to apply equally to nursery schools and childminders? The government became obsessed with forms and getting childminders to justify how their after-school pickup children are delivering on their learning goals. And they wonder why childminders just stopped doing the job and child care is unaffordable.

I'm concerned that the Development Matters guidance has seemingly vanished with no comment from the education.gov.uk website. What are they up to?

old they replaced Dev Matters with a shortened form.... No prizes for guessing what that's gearing up for.