The report, commissioned by the Association of Teachers and Lecturers, found that because of the pressure to prepare children for formal education, teachers were working in ways that ran counter to their instincts about the experiences Foundation Stage children should have.
The ATL research follows a study by Professor Pat Broadhead (Nursery World, 8 January) which found young children missing out on play-based learning because of the Government's emphasis on league tables and tests.
It seems ironic, then, that the Department for Education and Skills has just come up with funding for the Coram Family to provide training across England based on its Listening to Young Children project. The importance of listening to children is also a fundamental principle of the Green Paper Every Child Matters.
Perhaps the Government should ask reception class children how they feel about sitting down for daily literacy and numeracy hours. They might get some interesting answers.
