The report, The education of six-year-olds in England, Denmark and Finland, published last week, found these Scandinavian countries see children's social, physical and moral development as higher priorities than developing their reading, writing and mathematical skills. They also see the children's early years as a time for them to develop self-control, speaking, listening and being prepared for school.
The Ofsted team, who carried out their research in March, noted that only in England were children in school at the age of six, as compulsory education does not begin in Denmark and Finland until children are seven.
In Finland, six-year-old children attend pre-school classes in kindergartens or pre-school classes attached to 'comprehensive schools' for children aged seven to 16. In Denmark, the children go to pre-school classes, with an average 21 children in 'folkeskoler' - schools for children aged six to 16.
The report compared these pre-school settings with Year 1 classes in England in terms of the learning environment as well as teaching and learning. It said, 'Learning tasks in the lessons for six-year-olds in England had a greater emphasis on knowledge than those in Denmark and Finland, where acquiring positive attitudes to learning and awareness of the feelings and needs of other people had much greater prominence. The Danish and Finnish teachers also made much greater use of oral and collaborative tasks and activities.'
The researchers also looked at the role of teaching assistants in each country. They noted that while in England teaching assistants undertake various roles, including providing general assistance or working with children with a range of learning needs, in Finland teaching assistants are also allocated to specific children, as well as to classes with more than 12 children. In Denmark their work relates to the curriculum, rather than to specific children.
The report said that both Denmark and Finland 'have virtually no national testing or performance targets, and their teachers have a high degree of autonomy in planning the curriculum'. Yet even though Danish and Finnish pre-school teachers placed 'less emphasis' on reading and writing than Year 1 teachers in England, the time Finnish pupils are 15 they outperform their English counterparts in the PISA (Programme for International Student Assessment, OECD 2000) tests 'by a considerable margin in reading literacy, and by smaller margins in mathematical and scientific literacy'.
Rosemary Murphy, chief executive of the National Day Nurseries Association, said, 'Ofsted is now highlighting the disadvantages of early formal schooling most European countries have understood for many years. We hope this will begin a long-overdue debate on how we deliver early years education in the UK.'
Ofsted chief inspector David Bell said, 'This report uses comparisons with other European countries to contribute to discussion about how younger children in primary schools might be educated.' But, he insisted it did 'not take sides in a debate' and the report 'certainly does not recommend a return to some mythical golden age of primary education'.
The report (ref HMI 1660) is on Ofsted's website at www.ofsted.gov.uk.
Copies are available free on 0700 263 7833.
