Sir Jim also recommended extending play-based learning from the EYFS into the primary curriculum to ease the transition for young children, particularly for summer-born children and those still working towards the Early Learning Goals.
Literacy, numeracy, ICT and personal development will be at the heart of the new primary curriculum, to be introduced from September 2011, with a new focus on developing children's speaking and listening skills.
Stephen Crowne, chief executive of BECTA, the Government's technology agency, said that without the right emphasis on technology in schools from an early age there was 'a risk of a digital underclass developing'.
The report recommends that summer-born children should start reception class in the September after their fourth birthday rather than the following January, but says parents' views will be taken into account and in some cases children might start school part-time.
In response to the recommendation, the DCSF said it would meet the costs of funding up to 25 hours a week of childcare for parents who choose to keep their children in private and voluntary early years provision.
Sir Jim was asked to review two of the literacy goals centred on children's ability to write simple sentences and use punctuation in simple sentences by the age of five - 'use their phonic knowledge' and 'write their own names'.
But he recommended that the Department for Children, Schools and Families should give extra guidance to early years teachers on how to support young children's emerging writing skills with examples of how these two goals are being met by children.
Sir Jim said, 'Large numbers of children are already achieving these early writing goals, so I fail to see why we would want to put a ceiling on them and stop children in their tracks. There are other areas of learning, such as problem solving and creativity, where similar proportions of children are already achieving them, but we have not seen a call for these to be scrapped. The goals are aspirations that teachers encourage children to move towards in a supportive way, not hoops to jump through.'
The new curriculum has been organised into six areas of learning. These are:
* Understanding English, communication and languages
* Mathematical understanding
* Understanding the arts
* Historical, geographical and social understanding
* Understanding physical development, health and well-being
* Scientific and technological understanding.
The curriculum will continue to incorporate traditional subjects, such as history and geography, but will also include more ICT, personal development, and health and well-being.
There will be more cross-curriculum activities. Schools should teach one or two foreign languages, and there will be a new focus on communication, using drama and role-play to enhance children's language development.
Funding for postponed school entry
The DCSF announced last week that it will fund up to 25 hours a week of early years education in private and voluntary nurseries from September 2011, giving parents the choice to send children to school at a later age.
The National Day Nurseries Association said children could benefit from being in a less formal learning environment and that local authorities and schools must make sure parents were aware of the options so that they know they do not have to send their child to school if they do not think they are ready.
Chief executive Purnima Tanuku said, ‘Many children, especially summer-born ones, are simply not ready for a school environment, and it is important that parents have the option to allow their children to continue in a nursery if they feel that is more appropriate. However, many local authorities already work to the recommendation of school following a child's fourth birthday, and it is vital that the choice to stay in a dedicated early years setting is promoted and equitably funded locally.
‘There is also the danger that creating a single point of entry into school could damage the sustainability of nurseries in areas where there are currently multiple entry points.’
