How do we move on to the next stage of improving children's lives for decades to come? The past 18 months have produced one shock analysis after another, beginning with Sue Palmer's Toxic Childhood and continuing with the Unicef report suggesting that British children suffer a low quality of life.
On Saturday 10 November, early years specialists met at Early Education's AGM. Professor Iram Siraj-Blatchford took a thought-provoking look at the monitoring and evaluation of the implementation of the Foundation Phase in Wales. The outstanding difference between that work and that in England was the decision to work with three- to seven-year-olds.
The demands of the Early Years Foundation Stage will increase the number of developmentally inappropriate assessments for reception-age children. The resolution to call for the extension of the EYFS into Year 1 would enable more young children, including the summer-born and those with special needs, to complete the goals of the Foundation Stage.
England seems to be alone in insisting that the end of reception is a cut-off point. Recent research by the Institute for Fiscal Studies (Nursery World, 8 November) also emphasised that specifying a child's age rather than a school year would be more appropriate for assessment purposes.
By extending the work of the EYFS to support the needs of the individual child upward into Year 1, we would remove downward pressures on children to achieve in narrowing areas of learning.
Using professionals in schools and settings to work alongside parents to share their children's personal learning journeys will ensure the growth of understanding of the needs of each individual child. This then becomes a genuine partnership. It will empower parents and carers to participate in the joys of achievement and to reach a shared view of improving the lives of children.
- Pat Wills is a parenting co-ordinator in Blackpool
The introduction of the Foundation Stage in September 2000 placed great emphasis upon being the strong foundation for children's future learning. Sadly its implementation was not supported by a campaign to involve parents and carers in understanding the breadth and enjoyment that can be attained by their children and to ensure that they are set on the road to becoming self-motivated and higher achievers as a result.
