Is child’s play fast becoming an “endangered species”? Is it facing extinction, if so, why? Reasons might include the greater use of electronic devices and also parents wanting to protect children from strangers, traffic, pollution and bullying. Research also points to a low awareness of the importance of play, more pressure on children to do well in class and more restrictions on play. Children learn through all their senses through taste, touch, vision, hearing and smelling. They will watch those around them and copy language and behaviour.  The underlying message is that when children play they also learn.

League tables and performance indicators can make or break a school. So it’s maybe no surprise that, despite outrage from parents, teachers and education experts, a pilot of new baseline assessment for four-year-olds will be introduced in almost 10,000 primary schools this September.
Many primary headteachers are critical of Reception baseline assessments, with some branding them “appalling” and “total and utter madness,” according to research.
A Department for Education spokesperson said: “The Reception baseline assessment is not a test. It does not have a pass mark, and there is no reason for parents or teachers to prepare pupils ahead of the assessment”.

All 4-year-olds have been entitled to government-funded early education since 1998 and in 2004 this was extended to all 3-year-olds. Since September 2017, working parents of 3- and 4-year-olds have been entitled to an additional 15 hours of funded childcare for 38 weeks of the year. There has been a significant rise in the number of parents asking for their summer-born children
to delay starting school. When asked for their reasons for delaying their child’s admission, the most common reason given was, whether parents felt their child was ready for school.

Differentiation comes in all different shapes and sizes – it is definitely not just about creating different worksheets for different children. Much differentiation is so subtle that an observer might not even notice it was happening – when the teacher picks a particular child to answer a question, in order to build her confidence, for instance, this is differentiation.

Should ministers hold a relevant qualification and experience in child development/care and education before they are assigned a children and families post so they can make informed and educated decisions – based on experience and knowledge- before ‘inflicting’ their ideas on early years practice?