Mountpleasant Primary School in Dudley made the move after its head, Gail Bedford, became concerned about how her youngest pupils were coping. She said, 'I have become quite concerned over the last two years in particular about the experience that Year One pupils have been having. It is not an exaggeration that some children are becoming quite stressed.'
Mrs Bedford, a teacher for 36 years and headteacher for the past 19 years, said that while the Foundation Stage curriculum was less formal and more child-focused, the Government's need to meet its own literacy and numeracy targets was forcing Year One children into a rigid and formal learning environment which is stifling creativity. She said, 'We try to give children confidence and experiences that will not stress them. What we have from the Government are a culture of testing and compartmentalising of children's progress at the expense of creativity.'
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