John Dewey said we should 'cease conceiving of education as mere
preparation for later life, and make it the full meaning of the present
life'.
Dewey felt that each part of a child's education had a value in and of itself; that we should let children enjoy the process, rather than constantly striving towards a future goal. Increasingly, though, those who make policy see each phase of education as a preparation for the next, rather than an entity in its own right. Nicky Morgan recently said, 'In future, we could try to link qualifications to tax data too, in order to demonstrate the true worth of certain subjects.' Is the ultimate aim of education, then, about how much tax people end up paying?
This sense of reaching forward is powerfully felt in the early years sector, because these first few years lay the foundation for all that is to come. When he launched Ofsted's report on early years education, Sir Michael Wilshaw talked about 'school readiness' as a key aim for early years settings, and that small children need more structure, preferably within school-based settings. He wanted to be sure that children could sit still and understand that 'no' sets boundaries for behaviour. Apparently Sir Michael has forgotten that his Ofsted data tells us that more than 80 per cent of PVI settings are judged 'good' or 'outstanding'. Or that it is completely normal for small children to wriggle around and push limits from time to time.
The notion that early years settings have a duty to 'prepare' small children for school is entirely the wrong way of looking at things. Rather, we should be saying that schools have a duty to prepare themselves for the smallest children. This is especially important because England has the second earliest school starting age in Europe.
Given that schools are being asked to offer provision for ever younger children, it is critical they understand young children's needs. Children are young for a very short period of time - we should be enjoying and celebrating these precious first few years of children's lives.
This is not a statutory part of their education: some kind of 'finishing school' for tiny tots. Why are we peering ahead, worrying about the future? We should be enjoying, celebrating, and revelling in these precious first few years of our children's lives.
