Nursery World - Misinterpreted

I must leap to the defence of Jennie Lindon following the extraordinary attack on her (Letters, 7 February). If the Early Learning Goals are wrong, it is not Ms Lindon's fault. And, in any case, I wonder why Pat Field thinks it strange for under-fives to be expected to be able to maintain their attention or concentrate on something or sit quietly for a while? Hasn't good nursery education always encouraged children to be able to do such things? To strongly emphasise that the context must be appropriate just sounds like good practice to me.

If the Early Learning Goals are wrong, it is not Ms Lindon's fault. And, in any case, I wonder why Pat Field thinks it strange for under-fives to be expected to be able to maintain their attention or concentrate on something or sit quietly for a while? Hasn't good nursery education always encouraged children to be able to do such things? To strongly emphasise that the context must be appropriate just sounds like good practice to me.

Further, it appears that Ms Lindon's 'triple-underlining' of the word 'appropriate' stems from her having observed some very inappropriate interpretations. If this is going on it is surely worth saying so and describing the mistakes being made. Why should this offend anyone? Do we consider our profession is one in which everyone always gets everything right?

Register now to continue reading

Thank you for visiting Nursery World and making use of our archive of more than 35,000 expert features, subject guides, case studies and policy updates. Why not register today and enjoy the following great benefits:

What's included