A new book by academics from the University of the West of England argues that the 'curricularisation' of childhood and a fixation on outcomes ignores the real needs of children and families.
Whose childhood is it? assesses the impact of policies for children over the past 20 years, including Sure Start and the Early Years Foundation Stage, and takes in the global context with the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child.
Co-editor Dr Richard Eke, deputy head of UWE's school of education, said the book was about 'being on the side of children and looking at the cumulative effect of Government policy on childhood'.
Dr Eke said Government initiatives were too often about doing 'what is readily measurable rather than what is best for children'.
He criticised the emphasis in the Early Years Foundation Stage on getting children ready for school. 'The implication is that childhood is a race. It's all about what children are becoming, not what children are, and that's an impoverished view of childhood. We worry about the curricularisation of childhood and the downward pressure of National Strategies.'
With the EYFS, he said, 'it slides very easily from "listening to children" to "children listening".'
One chapter in the book looks at children's graphic representations. Dr Eke criticised the EYFS for reducing the importance of graphic mark-making to being about 'making letters' and for 'listening and interpreting meaning becoming about the ability to respond to instructions'.
Dr Eke, who is a chair of governors at a children's centre and primary school in Bristol, said there had always been a tension in the Treasury agenda for Sure Start, with the focus on getting women back into work.
As children's centres were rolled out, he said, quality was diluted because the Government 'did not put enough resources into making sure there's high-quality care everywhere. It's going to take a long time to fully evaluate the impact of these programmes'.
The book also discusses the importance of involving children in designing their environment, citing the new nursery on the main campus at UWE, which was designed with children's input.
FURTHER INFORMATION
'Whose childhood is it? The Roles of Children, Adults and Policy Makers', edited by Richard Eke, Helen Butcher and Mandy Lee.
