Memorandum submitted by the Early Childhood
Forum
The Early Childhood Forum is a coalition of
professional associations, voluntary organisations and interest
groups united in their concern to develop the care and education
of young children from birth to eight. ECF is unique. It is the
only body that brings together nearly 50 member organisations,
covering the full spectrum of early years providers.
The Forum has discussed the Committee's current
enquiry and the range of evidence being presented to it and would
like to make the following comments. We would also appreciate
the opportunity to make an oral presentation to the Committee
if this is felt appropriate.
1. Initially we would like to emphasise
the fact that reading is a skill which relies on the presence
of other skills for example, acquisition of speech and language,
hearing and listening skills, recognition of shape, difference,
pattern and sequence etc. Its development is therefore woven into
the activities which form part of a young child's day and should
not be separated out from the learning which takes place through
the play, work and discussion in an early years setting.
2. Children learn skills when there is a
reason to do so. Many acquire initial reading skills because they
realise the benefits which follow, for example they learn the
letters that represent their name and thus know where to hang
their coat, put their mug etc. For most children it can be acquired
effortlessly through this linkage with other aspects of their
life. This is particularly effective when it is reflected in both
home and early years setting/school and so the involvement of
parents in this type of activity is crucial as is support to ensure
that they understand the effectiveness of such strategies in their
children's learning.
3. Phonics teaching is not appropriate for
children in pre-school or reception classes. It depends on the
accurate pronunciation of letter names (which is open to confusing
variation eg haitch for H) and their initial sounds. If the practitioner
demonstrates the sounds singly, as for example in hop, and creates
a gap between the initial and subsequent sounds it is very difficult
for the child to "hear" the complete word. Presented
with material which is out of context or uninteresting, children
may well repeat sounds or words by rote, but not assimilate these
into their knowledge base.
| Case example from an ECF member:I recently witnessed a literacy presentation with young reception children. The practitioner drew three adjacent boxes on the white board and reminded the children of previously learned words from "The gingerbread man". Letters were referred to as "phonemes" (correct but unlikely to be in common practice at home). The words selected for the lesson were hop, run, and man. One phoneme from the word hop was placed in each box. The words man and ran were presented in the same way. The class sounded out the words together, different children had turns in saying the sounds and words and seemed to know them. The story was then re-read and re-told by the children—this section was enjoyed by the children. To conclude the session, the phonemes were again presented in their little boxes. The children did not remember the words despite much prompting by the practitioner. They made guesses which included words not taught in the lesson. Only one child remembered them quickly and accurately. This session seemed, therefore, to be a waste of the children's time and inappropriate for the age and development of the class. Such presentations and uninteresting repetition do not engage the child's interest and may well inhibit future learning. Phonics have their place in teaching reading but not for pre-reception or reception classes.
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4. International comparisons: Recent papers published
in Scandinavian countries stress the child-centred approach to
learning. In many nursery and "first" schools in Denmark,
Sweden and Finland the children are not subjected to restricting
formal lessons but are provided with "systematic support
for their growth, development and learning". (Finnish Family
Policy document) In Sweden, "Educational activities are based
on the children's individual capabilities and are linked to what
the child has already experienced and learned. Children are encouraged
to engage in their own activities and discover things for themselves.
The importance of play for a child's development and learning
is emphasised both in preschool education and in school age childcare,
and is included in the national curriculum for compulsory schools."
(Sweden SE Childcare in Sweden)
In the Council of Europe, the Committee of Ministers' Recommendation
to member states on child day-care, concerning the care and education
of children from birth to eight years [Rec. (2002) 8], stresses
play and talking as very important elements in children's learning.
All the countries mentioned above start formal schooling later
than in the UK and have literacy outcomes far higher than ours,
so maybe the approach speaks for itself.
5. Ofsted recently reported on "Reading for Purpose
and Pleasure: an evaluation of the teaching of reading in primary
schools". The main findings draw attention to important points
regarding the teaching of reading: although stating that the teaching
of phonics was good in the schools with high standards, Ofsted
states that
"the schools which were effective in raising reading
standards and tackling underachievement taught a broad range of
strategies early on, including the use of words recognised on
sight, context and grammar".
Most importantly, they state:
"Although some schools were successfully raising reading
attainment and were teaching pupils the skills they needed to
read with accuracy and understanding, few were successfully engaging
the interest of those who, though competent readers, did not read
for pleasure. Schools seldom built on pupils' own reading interests
and the range of reading material they read outside school."
What is the point of creating children who are efficient
decoders through phonic awareness if they do not read for pleasure
as part of lifelong learning?
6. It is important to emphasise that it is not the children
who are failing in literacy, but our methods which are failing
the children. The apparent success of the literacy hour for older
children does not mean that it can be translated to a younger
age group and we are concerned at the downward pressure to start
"schemes" in nursery classes rather than understanding
and utilising the concepts of early literacy. Literacy activities
should be given in short informal, interesting sessions; one hour
is too long for young primary school children. Trainee teachers,
or qualified teachers working with an unfamiliar age range, must
have a basic understanding of the needs of young children. Practitioners
need to know the various methods of teaching reading, their application
and their use.
7. The Early Childhood Forum includes a large number
of organisations for children with disabilities and we maintain
an active debate on inclusion. In this repect we are particularly
concerned to ensure that the needs of these children are understood
and supported within mainstream settings and feel that this is
of particular relevance in the teaching of reading. The methods
which we have outlined above allow for the individualised support
of children with learning difficulties alongside their peers which,
particularly for young children, is vital in engaging them with
learning.
8. Lastly, but very importantly, we would like to re-emphasise
the importance of parents in the process of reading acquisition.
Parents need to be informed about helping children at home through
a variety of learning experiences using every day examples of
reading and this can then mirror and reinforce the work being
done in the early years setting or school. For instance, if children
find it difficult to relate to the printed word it is sometimes
because they do not see their parents or other adults reading
or writing much at home. Children learn by example. If the examples
are absent, artificial or boring, children may not make the effort.
As mentioned above, we would value the opportunity to expand
on some of these areas by providing the Committee with oral evidence:
Members of the Early Childhood Forum
4children
Association of Advisors for Under Eights and Their Families
(AAUEF)
Association of Educational Psychologists (AEP)
Association of Teachers and Lecturers (ATL)
Campaign for Advancement of State Education (CASE)
Children in Scotland (CiS)
Children in Wales (CiW)
Council for Awards in Children's Care and Education (CACHE)
Council for Disabled Children (CDC)
Community Practitioners and Health Visitors Association (CPHVA)
Daycare Trust (DCT)
Early Childhood Studies Degrees Network
Early Education
Early Years Equality (EYE)
Forum for Maintained Nursery Schools
High/Scope UK
Local Authority Early Years Coordinators Network (LAEYCN)
Mencap
Montessori Education UK
National Association of Education Inspectors, Advisors &
Consultants (NAEIAC)
National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT)
National Association for Primary Education (NAPE)
National Association of Nurseries in Colleges & Universities
(NANCU)
National Children's Bureau (NCB)
National Campaign for Nursery Education (NCNE)
National Childminding Association (NCMA)
National Council for Parent Teacher Associations (NCPTA)
National Day Nurseries Association (NDNA)
National Deaf Children's Society (NDCS)
National Network Of Children's Information Services (NACIS)
National Portage Association (NPA)
National Union Teachers (NUT)
Northern Ireland Preschool Playgroups Assoc (NIPPA)
Preschool Learning Alliance (PLA)
Prof Assoc of Nursery Nurses (PANN)
Race Equality Unit (REU)
Refugee Council
Royal National Institute of the Blind (RNIB)
Save the Children (SCF)
Scope
Steiner Waldorf Schools Fellowship (SWSF)
Training, Advancement & Co-operation in Teaching Young
Children (TACTYC)
What About the Children (WATCh)
World Org for Early Childhood Education (OMEP)
ECF response
January 2005
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