Opinion: Letters - Letter of the week - What boys need

I groan when I read headlines in newspapers, early years magazines and journals such as, 'How to encourage boys' writing' or 'Boys' reading skills need more support'. These are often written by acclaimed former teachers who are well meaning and no doubt want the best for boys' potential attainment.

Has it never occurred to the predominantly female workforce that maybe boys don't want to read and write until they are physically able to use and control gross motor skills in their little bodies and are emotionally and socially able to cope with circle times or literacy and numeracy carpet times, where they are made to sit cross-legged for far too long, next to someone who irritates them, and they cannot help but twitch their unrestricted limbs.

Over the years I have listened to trainers on courses suggesting, 'Why not offer clipboards and paper outside to encourage boys to write, because they don't want to sit indoors at tables?' During my Foundation Degree and EYP long pathway I began to professionally grow up with an independently-thinking early years brain, reflecting, digesting and questioning what I read and heard. Now I think, 'Why, oh why are they still banging on about clipboards? Who do we see around our communities with a clipboard in their hands?'

I would tentatively suggest that there appears to be an ongoing female conspiracy because so many teachers cannot cope with boys not being ready for school. My husband is a teacher in a secondary school and he notices that so many boys have been turned off school and education by the time they are teenagers. By pushing them into educational constraints before they are developmentally able, we may be damaging them for life.

I therefore propose that head teachers are encouraged - no, let's be bold, made - to attend short but intensive university courses to help them understand stages of child development and become more empathetic towards young children's learning styles and abilities. Oh, and while we're at it, keep the clipboards in the graphics area or zone, as the writing table is fashionably referred to. The children playing outside need their arms and legs to balance as they crouch, crawl, chase, run and leap for the sheer joy of living.

- Melanie Lacey, mother of six boys and supervisor, Sunbeams Pre-school, Carisbrooke, Isle of Wight

Degree plus EYP

It was pleasing to see a recent article about the Children's Workforce Development Council pilot taking place in four universities, where students are combining their Early Childhood Studies (ECS) degree with an Early Years Professional pathway. The article included a balanced range of perspectives on the pilots and Early Years Professional Status (EYPS). I would, however, like to address one point made, which could be misleading for people considering the opportunities of EYP status.

The EYP programme is not focused on the management of early years services. The distinctive strengths of the programme are that it focuses on practice with young children across the Early Years Foundation Stage age range; on practice with parents and carers; and on the leadership of practice. Leading practice is about developing a culture of learning and development for practitioners (reflective practice) and consequently for children and their families.

We are running one of the EYPS pilots with a small group of highly committed ECS students at Sheffield Hallam University. Currently, they are undertaking small-scale action research projects, which integrate their academic and professional studies. I am impressed by their early impact on aspects of practice across a range of settings, including one children's centre. They are enjoying the challenge of moving into this new role, and I think they will have much of value to contribute to the sector when they have gained Early Years Professional Status.

- Ros Garrick, principal lecturer, Sheffield Hallam University

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