The level of protest and dissent about Ofsted’s report into Reception class teaching, ‘Bold Beginnings’, has hardly diminished since our last issue on 11 December.
All over Christmas and New Year, the cacophony of early years voices raised against the report’s recommendations was sustained and consistent. Our Twitter feed in particular was awash with debate and concern, with Sean Harford, Ofsted’s National Director, Education, involved in some particularly testy exchanges with early years experts.
Just look at our Top 5 online stories list on page 10 – every one is a news story or comment piece about ‘Bold Beginnings’.
Ofsted early years head Gill Jones has since been attempting to soften the seeming messages of this report, saying in a meeting with Early Education and TACTYC (see page 7) that other reports such as the highly-regarded ‘Teaching and Play in the Early Years’ should not be discarded; schools should not unthinkingly change what they do; and that the report does not comment on what is already done well.
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
-
Free access to 4 subscriber-only articles per month
-
Unlimited access to news and opinion
-
Email newsletter providing activity ideas, best practice and breaking news
Already have an account? Sign in here
