Nursery World - MPs likely to reject Labour policies

The long-awaited all-party Select Committee on Education and Employment report on the early years is expected to make recommendations contrary to Government policy. The report, which is due out today (Thursday), is expected to recommend that Britain follows the example of other countries and postpones the formal teaching of reading, writing and maths until around the age of six, at the start of Key Stage 1.

The report, which is due out today (Thursday), is expected to recommend that Britain follows the example of other countries and postpones the formal teaching of reading, writing and maths until around the age of six, at the start of Key Stage 1.

Margaret Lochrie, chief executive of the Pre-School Learning Alliance, said, 'The age at which children start school has effectively been lowered to four without legislation or public debate.'

The Select Committee report is also believed to recommend that childminders are not allowed to smack children or to smoke in their presence. Last month the Government rejected the opinion of thousands of childcarers following consultation and said that on the basis of a survey of just over 1,000 parents it intended to let childminders smack and smoke with parental permission.

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