All early years settings will have to adhere to the statutory foundationstage, but Steiner and Montessori nurseries follow their owncurricula.
Currently, the Department for Education and Skills is consulting onexceptions to the foundation stage, taking into consideration providerswith a Steiner or Montessori philosophy. But if the Government does notprovide an opt-out clause, these well-accepted teaching methods could beat risk.
Steiner nurseries focus on teaching by example rather than directinstruction, and learning is integrated rather than subject-based.Montessori settings discourage testing and grading practices, focusinginstead on a child's developmental stages.
Barbara Isaacs, college chief executive of the Montessori CentreInternational, said: "If we can work towards the foundation stage goalsin our own way there will be no problem, but there will be difficulty ifwe have to follow the actual processes detailed in the foundation stageguidance."
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