Nursery World - Petition to protect Foundation Stage

Early years consultant Margaret Edgington has started a petition seeking to protect the Foundation Stage for three- to five-year-olds, which has a firm emphasis on learning through play, from the more formal approach of the Literacy and Numeracy Strategies. Ms Edgington launched the petition at the annual conference of the National Council for Nursery Education (NCNE) in London last week, where the theme was 'The Foundation Stage One Year On'. Ms Edgington is vice-president of NCNE, although the petition is not an NCNE initiative.

Ms Edgington launched the petition at the annual conference of the National Council for Nursery Education (NCNE) in London last week, where the theme was 'The Foundation Stage One Year On'. Ms Edgington is vice-president of NCNE, although the petition is not an NCNE initiative.

The petition congratulates the Government on introducing the Foundation Stage and the accompanying curriculum guidance. However, it expresses concern that 'some practitioners, particularly those in reception classes, are being hindered in their attempts to implement the principles of the Foundation Stage by top-down pressure from primary head teachers and colleagues in Key Stage 1 and by literacy consultants, who are giving advice or making demands which conflict with the guidance'.

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