However, the door has always been left open for this. The construction of the guidance leaves the practitioner in no doubt as to what the Government sees as the most important areas of learning - the core subjects! Personal, social and emotional development is allowed the first slot, but the 'meat'
of the document surrounds English and maths. A well-thought-out document would have centred on PSE, Knowledge and Understanding of the World, Creative and Physical Development. With these in place, English and maths can follow with good grounding.
It is interesting to consider the Government's latest proposal while reading the helpful article on the Profile by Pauline Hoare in the same edition of Nursery World. The development of the Profile is a positive step. It is manageable and valuable. It is unusual for the QCA to produce something that is user-friendly for the early years. We have to make sure we hang on to positive work like this. As was pointed out in 26 September, 'The Foundation Stage Profile is about the needs of the child, rather than rigid external requirements'.
It is interesting to note that in the same article it is stated that, at the DfES conferences on Effective Reception Class Practice, a message to schools and local education authorities was very clearly repeated - 'literacy and numeracy constitute elements of Foundation Stage provision, but pedagogy is the decision of the teacher'. If only that were true. I have copies of the handouts from one of those conferences which state, 'Daily mathematics lesson, with a three-part structure in place by late reception year' and 'The literacy hour and daily mathematics lesson are in place by the end of the reception year'.
What hope is there for effective pedagogy and the needs of the child? Rigid external requirements, however inappropriate, have a way of becoming the norm.
Sue Allingham. Foundation Stage and infant co-ordinator Hounslow, Middlesex
