When do 'the early years' begin? Government documents often refer interchangeably to 'early years, 'pre-school children' and 'under-fives', focusing on cognitive development rather than any other aspect of development. They talk too of 'school readiness', as if school were an end in itself rather than a small part of life-readiness, and success in school-taught subjects as the most important aspiration for childhood. There's more to education than prescribed learning to tested standards, epitomised by the early learning goals of the Early Years Foundation Stage, and many people are appalled by both the cognitive and social pressures to which children are expected to conform as they grow up.
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