The letter from the Independent Schools Council (ISC), which represents 1,280 fee-paying schools, educating more than 500,000 children, was sent to Ms Hughes last month and leaked to the media last week.
The ISC wrote, 'This clumsy intrusion into the early years curriculum of independent schools is both unjustified and unnecessary. More importantly, this interference conflicts with the rights of parents to privacy in their home life, which includes the freedom to choose how they educate their children and to educate them free from the control of the state.'
The letter, signed by Chris Parry, the ISC's chief executive, also criticised the lack of consistent advice from local authorities on how the EYFS should be implemented and said that some had not been given any advice at all. It said that, given the lack of consultation, there should be a 12-month transition period for implementation of the framework.
The ISC raised a number of other objections to the EYFS, which will apply to 946 of its member schools that teach children under five.
It said that the written observations will result in teachers 'acting as time and motion experts hovering around children with clipboards, Post-it notes and cameras to collect evidence', and that rather than raising standards, the requirements will 'simply distract teachers from their teaching responsibilities.'
The ISC also criticised EYFS staffing requirements, saying that private schools will have to hire three or four adults for each reception class of 30, compared with one in the state sector.
George Marsh, headmaster of Dulwich College Preparatory School in south London and chairman of the Independent Association of Prep Schools, told Nursery World, 'A lot of teachers' time will be taken up ticking boxes rather than helping children directly. I've just been down to our nursery watching the wonderful interaction between teachers and children and I feel there will be less of that, which saddens me.'
Many of the ISC's comments were echoed by panel members at the Select Committee meeting for Children, Schools and Families in the House of Commons in May (News, 29 May).
Anna Firth, campaign co-ordinator for the Open Eye pressure group, said, 'I'm worried there will be no free choice for parents once the document is statutory. It's the fundamental right of parents to choose the learning experiences of their non-school-age children.
'Parents do not want every setting to be the same and provide the same - they want to choose a setting which suits their child's personality.'
Ms Firth said there was pressure on practitioners to produce written observations and collect evidence.
She said, 'In every setting I've spoken to, often the practitioners are very good, but they have files full of paperwork and their central piece of equipment is a digital camera.'
