CYP Now - 'Schoolification' is not the answer to narrow the gap

Patience is a virtue in short supply in public services, particularly among politicians and policymakers. There can be few areas where this is more evident than in education, where initiatives and overhauls of curriculums, exams and structures seem to come ever thicker and faster. A couple of weeks ago, early years providers discovered how impatient the government and its agencies are to raise standards, with the sector's record for improving the outcomes for disadvantaged children coming under scrutiny.

Despite 78 per cent of nursery and childcare providers being judged by Ofsted to be "good" or "outstanding", the sector is not making the kind of strides the chief inspector Sir Michael Wilshaw wants to see. He believes early years providers, while delivering well for families in middle class areas, are failing children from poorer backgrounds.

Not one for pulling his punches, Wilshaw thinks early years professionals' lack of academic and teaching skills is the prime reason for disadvantaged children starting reception class many months behind their wealthier peers developmentally. His solution to this? A four-point plan designed to put schools firmly in the driving seat of early education. Wilshaw's plan has merit: in many communities, primary schools are the hub that support services revolve around, such as parenting classes, health checks and leisure facilities. If improving academic standards for young children is how you measure success, then teachers are the logical people to deliver on that.

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