Editorial and Contents of Spring 2008 Journal

Hardly a day goes by when young children’s education and wellbeing is not headline news. Perhaps we should not be surprised by this, given the level of interest in the early years sector in recent years. Even so, it is well known that the media is highly selective in what it reports and how, and that there is a relationship between the media and the ‘moral panics’ that have punctuated policy debate throughout the history of education.
A recent example of how high-profile media coverage of research can give misleading messages is reported in our first article. The EPPSE team (Effective Pre-school, Primary and Secondary Education project) give a robust and systematic response to research
undertaken at Durham University which questioned the wisdom of public investment in early years provision. Reading this article reminded me of a headline which appeared in a national newspaper a couple of years ago, which announced, ‘Four-year-olds struggling with writing!’ The article went on to explain that ‘32 per cent of four-year-olds were not developing fast enough with the skill of linking sounds and letters’.
For me, the emphasis on ‘failure’ seems strangely at odds with the views expressed in this issue and by early educators more widely; that there is a great deal more to the present and future lives of young children than whether or not they can link sounds and letters. This is certainly the view taken by Michael Rosen, whose passion for engaging children’s emotions in the written word is infectious. Good stories not only engage children’s emotions, but also enable children to move beyond the here and now, to consider what might be rather than simply what is. This is imaginative play with words, ideas and feelings, and is a particularly powerful capacity in children aged three to five. If this is so, we might ask why we appear to place so much emphasis on the importance of ‘linking sounds and letters’ and, moreover, why we introduce the notion of ‘failure’ into the discourse of education for children who are not yet of statutory school age.
The importance of playful encounters whether in sharing books or between people, surfaces once again in a timely article by Sally Thomas. The article is particularly pertinent as we prepare for the implementation of the Early Years Foundation Stage, since it revisits many of the principles that underpin work with babies and young infants. Collaborative ways of working are explored in relation to the interplay between the young infant and the trusted carer. Following this, Anne Nelson introduces a useful new series of leaflets from Early Education, designed to support all those working with the EYFS.
Finally, an article by Mary Fawcett and Penny Hay reminds us that creative values and creative practices can be empowering for both children and adults, reiterating the belief that young children are strong and competent learners – sentiments that are threaded throughout this issue and enshrined in the EYFS documentation.
The message emanating from this journal is quite clear. In all we do, a balance must be struck between adults’ need to account for learning and children’s need to initiate and develop their ideas about the world, to engage emotionally with language, both written and spoken, and to learn in ways that make ‘human sense’ (Margaret Donaldson, Children’s minds, 1978).
Themes that arise out of children’s real interests and concerns, whether in negotiation with adults or between groups of children; playful and imaginary encounters that engage the emotions as well as expand vocabulary; time and space or play to develop: all these will encourage children to travel far beyond the boundaries of curriculum objectives. And who knows? We might yet see the headline, ‘Young children are strong and competent learners.’
Sue Rogers
South West Representative

Features

Is public investment in the early years worthwhile? The EPPSE team
Still hunting for bears Pat Gordon-Smith
Thinking about paired and shared key caring Sally Thomas
Implementing the Early Years Foundation Stage Anne Nelson
Researching children as they research the world – 5x5x5=creativity Penny Hay & Mary Fawcett

Regulars

Editorial Sue Rogers
Reviews Naomi McLeod & Lynne Kendall, Aileen Withington, Fran Paffard
Diary dates


Early Education is the leading national voluntary organisation for early years practitioners and parents with members and branches in England, Northern Ireland, Scotland, and Wales. Early Education promotes the right of all children to education of the highest quality and provides support, advice and information for everyone concerned with the education and care of young children from birth to eight years.

Early Education is published three times a year [ISSN 0960-281X]
Editor Pat Gordon Smith
Advertising officer Jenny Rabin
Cover photo Emma Hertzberg
Designer Sue Clarke for Expression, IP23 8HH

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