More than box ticking

I take exception to Gordon Sturrock's assumptions that the adult role in supporting young children's development and learning in their early years is purely didactic and based on 'outcome checklist' assessment (Special Report, 27 January). We need to make the distinction here between the natural investigative and exploratory play essential for learning in the early years and the extended unsupervised 'deep' play opportunities of older children perceived as a separate entity from 'education'.