Early years education

Karen Neville

A strong start for a bright and happy future: why early education shouldn’t be one size fits all

As a teacher and a parent, I have observed the importance of getting the right start in education for our children. As Head at Frensham Heights, I not only advocate but also witness the benefits of an environment which allows children the freedom to explore, play, challenge and make mistakes and one in which teachers are encouraged and trusted in their teaching, to take risks, and importantly build relationships with their class.

My youngest, now six, started his educational journey in a “traditional” educational environment. Tradition dictates that our kids must sit inside uniform boxes and develop at a uniform rate, in line with their peers (often more of a disadvantage for those summer born children who play catch up from the start). Standards require that our children meet whatever arbitrary marker the government of the day chooses to use to standardise their progress (EYFS assessments; phonics tests; SATs) and yes, this all starts from the earliest years. I would suggest that this is outdated and in my experience, just doesn’t work – I watched my son wither away through his early experiences of education, not only missing the markers which were used to judge his development but more worryingly, losing the joyous, funny and quirky personality which we so loved; I regularly meet other children to whom the same has happened.

This is not a criticism of any particular school, but more a comment on a system that perhaps we should be challenging. Another child in the same school with the same teachers may thrive, but the truth is that one size does not fit all when it comes to education. Every parent will know that two children, from the same parents, living in the same household and raised with the same values can have wildly different personalities and interests as they grow up. Despite this we are often unable to apply this same thinking to our system of education and instead tend to default to a narrower position based purely on academic achievement. I think we all know that the road to a successful, happy and fulfilled life is so much more than the assessments we are set along the way.

I was fortunate to have the opportunity to move my son. At Frensham Heights he spends a significant portion of his time outdoors, as well as enjoying a much stronger focus on creative activities such as music and art. The irony is that, with this less ‘traditional’ approach, his reading and his maths have improved exponentially, but far more importantly, his joy is back.

Every school I have visited is filled with staff who work so hard for the children and who want nothing but the best for them. Sometimes I can’t help but reflect that just maybe, society’s definition of what is “best” is wide of the mark. As parents, we know our children will develop at different rates and in different ways to their peers, but ultimately the greatest progress comes when a child is happy; if only the education system as a whole recognised this too?

Ben McCarey
Head, Frensham Heights School

A strong start for a bright and happy future: why early education shouldn’t be one size fits all

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