Pupils will never learn unless we make it fun
Yes, children need literacy and numeracy, but they also need the space to socialise, run about, sing and engage with stories
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 Good Childhood ReportThe Good Childhood Inquiry
was commissioned by The Children's Society and launched in September
2006 as the UK's first independent national inquiry into childhood. Its
aims were to renew society's understanding of modern childhood and to
inform, improve and inspire all our relationships with children. It states serious concerns about the breakdown of fmaily life and the need for children to be in loving relationship. Most of all it says that the 'excessive individualism' of modern society is harming our children. Read more
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OpenEYE launched its Campaign film 'Too Much too Soon' in July 2008. You can see the film on Youtube
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Parents Out Loud
Parentsoutloud.com is Margaret Morrissey's new website giving parents the opportunity to voice their own thoughts and concerns. "I have been a parent in education for over 30 years as well as working
as an OFSTED Lay Inspector in all types of schools, I have also played
an active membership role in PTA's since the 1980's...I have been part of
the National Confederation of Parent Teachers Association and through
this have spoken to hundreds of parents and teachers, frequently
broadcast on local and national radio and appeared on most TV news
broadcasts. I hope this has given me an great insight into parents
views and opinions and shown her the benefit of parents working closely
with their child's school." |
What about the Children?
What about the children.org.uk is a website devoted to an understanding of the under threes. They are holding a conference in London later this month.
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Send in your stories!
OpenEYE works because it is in touch not only with early years experts, but with people at the grass roots who really know what is going on. If you have stories that you think we should know about please email us | |
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February 2009
February has been an interesting month with much dialogue about the Rose Report recommendations for summer-born children and the publication of the Childen's Society Good Childhood Report.
It also saw The Cambridge Review's report on the primary curriculum, which presents an
alternative to Rose and which you can read more about below.
We have had a number of letters printed in the media and, thanks to the newsletter, we now have a significantly increased email list with more than 2500 signed up!
Please help us tell others about our work.
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The Cambridge Primary Review
The
main aims of the Cambridge Primary Review are to assess the current condition of
English primary education and offer a vision of how it should change to meet the
needs of children and society in the 21st century. The Review covers ten
themes, one of which is the curriculum, and its evidence includes over 820
submissions, 28 specially-commissioned research surveys, 3,000 publications and
more than 200 meetings across the country.
The latest publication is one of a
long series of interim reports (31 so far), with the final report due to be
published later this year. The Review has identified a number of problems, some
serious and long-standing, and its findings will have implications for early
years as well as primary education. The report on the primary curriculum offers
a significant alternative to Rose, both in its analysis of what needs to be
fixed and in its proposals for the future.
All
the reports, together with short summaries, can be found on the
website: www.primaryreview.org.uk
Read what the Times has to say here |
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OpenEYE responds to the Rose Review
OpenEYE has now issued a formal response to the Rose Review Interim Report which you can read here |
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It's Official - Play really matters!!
Scientific American Mind - January 28, 2009
The Serious Need for Play
Scientists confirm that free,
imaginative play is crucial for normal social, emotional and cognitive
development. It makes us better adjusted, smarter and less stressed
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Childcare Fees Continue to Rise
Many parents in Britain are paying in excess of £8,000 a year for a full-time nursery place, a new Daycare Trust survey suggests.
The yearly cost of a typical nursery
place for a child under two was £8,684 in England, £8,216 in Scotland
and £7,592 in Wales.
The trust said for England this was a 5% increase on the previous 12 months, compared with a 3.1% inflation rate.
With the government working towards higher level qualifications for all Early Years staff, we wonder, especially in the current economic climate, how parents and nursery settings are going to be able to afford all these new professionals?
OpenEYE is fully committed to excellence in Early Years provision, (in fact we think that Early Years teachers need really specialised training). We are, however, worried that insufficient thought has been put to the realities of the situation.
Read the BBC News item
Childcare 'beyond' poor parents
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A Generation that cannot think?
Professor Tim Birkhead's article in the TES expresses his concern that overly prescriptive education systems are eliminating the 'discovery process' from learning and resulting in university students who cannot think for themselves:
The most striking thing about some undergraduates is their
dependence, their lack of initiative and their reluctance to think for
themselves. This is reflected in their often-shocking inability
to engage in intellectual conversation and to organise their thoughts
in writing.'
Read the whole article here
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More Evidence about summer-born children 'Birthdate Effects: A Review of the Literature from 1990-on', published
by the Cambridge Assessment, part of Cambridge University, says that
developmental psychology suggests that children between the ages of
four and five may not be ready for formal schooling. It says factors
such as leaving familiar surroundings, facing separation from their
parents and adapting to new routines could help to explain why children
born in the summer perform less well overall in exams than those born in Autumn or Winter. Data
from 13 local education authorities (LEAs) providing GCSE results undertaken in
1990 to 1994 shows that summer-borns achieved the lowest results in ten LEAs
and autumn-born children were the highest achievers in nine LEAs.The review concludes that the birthdate effect is much weaker in countries
where formal schooling begins at a later age.
In a letter to Sir Jim Rose, who is conducting a Government-backed review into
primary education, Tim Oates, group director of assessment research and
development at Cambridge Assessment, called for urgent research into how best
to remedy the birthdate effect.
Summer-born children 'not ready for school at four', says study By Melanie Defries Nursery World 17 February 2009
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Independent schools have condemned plans to require them to hand over data on five-year-olds' achievements.
Helen Ward - TES - 20th Feb
"Currently, while all of those working with under fives are expected to meet the requirements of the EYFS, local authorities are restricted in what they can ask from those schools that do not receive state funding for three and four-year-olds. The data they can demand is set to expand following the publication of a new consultation document this week. Diana Watkins, chair of the Independent Association of Prep Schools and head of Leaden Hall School, Salisbury, said that while some schools may be happy to work with local authorities, they do not want compulsion. She said: "There is a huge feeling in the independent sector that this is the thin end of the wedge. Some people choose not to take the funding so they can maintain their independence." Read full articleRead OpenEYE's position on this |
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EYFS - Practitioner realities
A letter to Nursery World on the 26th February adds further weight to the argument that wide variations are occurring between what the government says about EYFS bureaucracy and what is actually happening on the ground. You can read the whole letter hereWe are keen to understand the realities of the situation so that we can offer effective support to Early Years settings. Please contact us with your own stories. | |
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JOIN OUR EMAIL LIST!
We really care about Early Years Education and value your support. Please join our email list and let us know about your own practice and concerns.
By clicking on the bottom side-link you can also easily forward this email to others. |
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With warm wishes from
The OpenEYE Team |
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