Much of the debate around UK education has been centered on primary and secondary school systems recently, with Ofsted overhauls and curriculum reforms claiming much of the recent spotlight. However, this focus on tweaking the components and assessment of KS1 and KS2 education overshadows the wider issues facing the sector, namely funding, teacher burnout, a general disconnect between education and long term economic attainment.
While there are pushes to solve each problem one at a time, there is an urgent need to create a cohesive system that ensures all stakeholders are aligned in supporting children's learning from the very start. The lack of proper support and resources for early years education propagates all the way through to the university level. Why is the additional attention to help children walking into primary school already behind?
Without a framework that fosters collaboration among parents, educators and policymakers to track and support developmental milestones from infancy through early education, any changes to the curriculum are little more than plasters on a much deeper wound.
Ofsted’s approach to evaluating schools has long been criticised for prioritising academic performance over developmental needs, putting undue pressure on early years educators. Compliance is often emphasised over teaching, creating inefficiencies that hind children’s learning.
Policymakers, administrators and educators need to collaborate using technology solutions to reduce administrative strain while ensuring accountability. By integrating digital tools for tracking progress and providing visibility on outcomes for all stakeholders - including parents - a unified system would streamline processes and empower educators to focus more on developmental support rather than paperwork.
One of the greatest failings of the current system is the overwhelming administrative burden on early childhood educators. These teachers, already faced with the monumental task of supporting young children’s emotional and cognitive development, are now burdened with an ever-growing list of forms, checks and compliance measures. When educators spend more time on paperwork than engaging with children, it’s the children who suffer.
A well-integrated framework that includes clear communication and collaboration between teachers, parents and government bodies, could provide real-time insights into children’s progress, making it easier for educators to identify and address gaps early on. The issue isn’t just about what happens within the confines of schools; it’s about what is happening (or rather, not happening) at home.
Early childhood education should be a collaborative effort, yet many parents are left to navigate this critical stage with minimal support. With the pressures of modern life, many families cannot provide the individualised attention children need to meet developmental milestones. This is where a unified system could step in, providing the visibility necessary to be active participants their child’s learning journey.
Regular communication between teachers and families, based around shared access to developmental tracking tools, could bridge this gap. The Princess of Wales has often emphasised the importance of teaching emotional and social skills as part of her Shaping Us project, calling for a societal "rebalance" that prioritises mental and physical health. She highlighted how many societal struggles, such as poor mental health and addiction, can be traced back to inadequate emotional development in childhood. This aligns with research showing the profound long-term impact of early social and emotional learning.
The Department for Education also supports this perspective, stressing that early education is too crucial to be left to chance. However, the attempts at implementing this consistently across the UK have been scattershot at best, with problems compounding as children move from nursery into higher education.
Without a strategic framework that connects teachers' efforts with that of parents, these skills will remain fragmented and ineffective. If we are serious about creating a more equitable and effective education system, it will only happen with the involvement of educators, parents and decision makers. This collaboration would ensure all key stakeholders are aligned, reducing administrative burdens and allowing educators to focus on developmental milestones.
Without a cohesive approach, any reforms in later education will be like trying to patch a leaking roof while the foundation crumbles. Early learning shapes children's academic, social and emotional futures and only by prioritising a unified system can we truly close the achievement gap and set every child on a path to success.
