When I was interviewed for the post of National Director for the Foundation Stage some three years ago, I was asked to identify key issues in the early years. One of those issues was the tension felt by reception class teachers who, despite their inclusion in the Foundation Stage since September 2000, still often felt as if they were being pulled in different directions. This tension had several causes but a significant factor was that, unlike the rest of the Foundation Stage, the reception year was included in the literacy and numeracy frameworks.
It is worth remembering the debate around the establishment of the Foundation Stage and the age range it should cover. The debate arose from a concern that the needs of young children were being ignored within a culture of 'the earlier the better', a culture based on a false and simplistic assumption that by doing things sooner with young children we give them a better start and a sound basis for later success.
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