Some of our most eminent early years specialists have voiced their concerns, stating that the pressures of daily life are to blame for 'childhood depression' and 'behavioural and developmental conditions' (In My View, 21 September). Everyone agrees that what young children need is 'real play', the opportunity to learn in a non-threatening supportive environment, a place to have fun and engage in social interactions with friends and people who care about them.
Nursery schools provide these experiences on a daily basis. The EPPE project concluded that the quality of education is at its highest in nursery schools, and children who received high-quality pre-school education 'showed more independence and reduced anti-social/worried behaviour by the time they reached primary school'. The researchers also remarked that pre-school can be an effective intervention for the reduction of special educational needs, especially for the most disadvantaged and vulnerable children.
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