A letter to Sir Michael Wilshaw - Ofsted

An article by Claire Jones-Hughes    No Comments

This week Ofsted chief Sir Michael Wilshaw has spoken in the news about the need for a greater emphasis on structured learning within school-based nurseries. “More than two-thirds of our poorest children - and in some of our poorest communities that goes up to eight children out of 10 - go to school unprepared”.

Dear Sir Michael Wilshaw,

I do not want my children being put under academic pressure BEFORE they start school. Why can’t we just let our children, ‘be’ and ‘play’? Instead of creating a teacher-led environment, we should be facilitating a safe place for them to express their emotions, self-learn and socialise.

The conclusions and actions you have drawn from your report are nothing to do with our children. You have shifted the burden of education from the under-funded, under-skilled primary school system to the sporadic and inconsistent pre-school system. You are attempting to appease weary reception class teachers who consistently have to tackle ill-prepared children while simultaneously trying to steer them onto an intense national curriculum and hit targets by the end of academic year. Starting children in a scholastic environment from 2 years old is simply NOT the answer.

I agree with your point that children should have the ability to articulate, listen, follow instructions before reaching reception, these are essential to learning. But I do not want my child being taught to hold a pen at 2 years old by a teacher. Both my kids held a pen at 2 years old but we didn’t teach them in a formal way. We merely created an environment where they could watch and experiment with a pen until they made it work for them.

Where do the parents fit in your conclusions? Did you talk to many (or any) parents? In the socioeconomically challenged communities you refer to, where children are less likely to be ‘school ready’ they have no doubt seen investment in their area plummet, jobs evaporate and had to justify the aid they seek from the state for their families (and most likely had it cut). Are you really surprised the younger generations are impacted by this?

Did you not think that parents want to prepare our kids for school ourselves. We want to help them hold a pen, we want to toilet train them and converse with them. But we need support from our community and local services. There are added time pressures to working families, who find both parents needing to bring in money to pay the bills. This leaves little time for precious family interaction which is vital for the developmental stimulation children need.

In the UK, children already start school too early in my view. Models of education from around the world have shown starting school at 6 or 7 can provide the best benefits. I do not imply that nursery does not have benefits. Being able to go back to work has been a valuable experience for me, even though I need to in order to pay the mortgage. The amazing staff at the nursery we chose, became our partners in parenthood. We have been a formidable team, observing their growth, responding to their needs. Being empowered in this manner was extremely rewarding. We have been able to bond with our kids despite our increasingly busy lives.

The problem of children not being equipped to learn as they advance through this country’s education system is not solely an Ofsted problem. A great leader would seek some ‘joined up thinking’ from other departments and ministers. This current political and economic climate is failing young people. The prospects for their future are damaged and you are looking for solutions in the wrong place. Early years childcare needs more recognition but not for their academic achievements.

To succeed in a future society, our children will need to possess skills which teachers alone cannot coax out of them. Problem solving, leadership, empathy, communication, listening…..skills which are first nurtured by primary care-givers and the support network they cultivate.

Claire Jones-Hughes