Marc Palmer

Sometimes you just feel like the whole world is going mad. How did we end up here?

In the last few weeks there has been a storm brewing. It turns out that in 2006 the UK Labour government introduced the Childcare Act 2006 which no doubt includes some sound aims.

In it however, it includes a duty to implement the Early Years Foundation Stage framework. What this does is legally require providers of care/teaching to 4-5 year olds to lead them in adult led play and teaching to learn the basics of reading, writing and phonics, from age FOUR.

My four year old daughter is currently very happy doing NONE of this and I am very happy that it is this way currently. Childhood, it seems, where you are free to play and hence free to learn according to your desires and abilities, ends at 4 according to the government.

"We… must… produce…. more…. robots…." I can hear them thinking it. "More parents at work!" "Start teaching the children when they are babies they need a head (Sure) start". "Boost productivity!" "Increase GDP!" "Fight off the threat from China!"

What a load of utter nonsense. There are going to be a lot of seriously outraged parents writing to a lot of MPs and a lot of very well respected, long established, and good-performing schools threatened with closure unless the government realises that it cannot dictate to everybody how their children are educated when there is no evidence of any problem.

With this in mind, I have started the Save Childhood website with a view to organizing campaigning around this theme of the Early Years Foundation Stage, and maybe in future the longer term issues with assessment and testing in later years, and the frankly horrendous proposal to fine children who are not in further education or training if they have left school before 18.

Alastair Darling… I left school at 16 willingly, to work full time. How dare you propose that I would not be able to do the same again if I were a child now – shame on you.

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