Nursery leaders round on Truss criticism

The sector spoke out after Truss used an interview with the Daily Mail to accuse the nation's under-fives of having “no sense of purpose” and compared them to children in French nurseries who had “good manners”.

“What you notice in French nurseries is just how calm they are. All of their classes are structured and led by teachers. It’s a requirement,” said Truss.

“They learn to socialise with each other, pay attention to the teacher and develop good manners, which is not the case in too many nurseries in Britain.”

She said of the UK nurseries: “Free-flow play is not compulsory, but there is a belief across lots of nurseries that it is. I have seen too many chaotic settings, where children are running around. There’s no sense of purpose.”

She also said children as young as two in France were expected to greet their teacher when they entered the room.

June O’Sullivan, chief executive of the childcare charity and social enterprise the London Early Years Foundation, said she was “shocked” by the comments.

“When she came to our nurseries she commented on how nicely behaved the children were,” said O’Sullivan.

“Her comments show a failure to understand pedagogy. It’s terrifying that our minister, who’s leading the sector, doesn’t get how children learn.”

O’Sullivan travelled to France in February to research French early years provision after Truss indicated the government’s childcare reforms were modelled on the country’s system.

“She’s not comparing like with like,” said O’Sullivan.

“An école maternelle does not necessarily address the issues of social mobility we are trying to address, and it's not just catering for two-year-olds.”

“Two-year-olds only have about 20 words of vocabulary in any country."
 
Neil Leitch, chief executive of the Pre-school Learning Alliance, called the minister's comments “ill-judged”.
 
“The picture the minister paints is not one that would be recognised by anyone who knows anything about child development and learning,” said Leitch.
 
“Young children are by nature active, energetic and inquisitive. It is these features that good-quality nursery staff nurture and develop through a balance of child-oriented and adult-led activities.

"This is not done by making them sit still and upright at desks in regimented rows.”
 
Purnima Tanuku, chief executive of National Day Nurseries Association, said research suggested the UK compared favourably to France when it came to early years provision.

“The Economist Intelligence Unit report Starting Well: Benchmarking Early Education Across the World ranked the UK third in the world for quality of early years education,” she said.

“Early education in France was ranked ninth in the world for quality of early years education.”

A Department for Education spokeswoman did not defend Truss’s comments but reaffirmed the government’s position on following the French example.

"What is evident from early years settings in France is the emphasis they have on encouraging socialisation through structured teacher-led group sessions. Young children learn to respect each other and how to share,” she said.

"Free-flow play – where the child chooses the activity – is often considered to be a requirement in the Early Years Foundation Stage.

"This is a myth, and there is no reason why structured teacher-led sessions can't also be the norm here.
 
"It's important for parents to have a choice of different pedagogical approaches in early years settings – so they can choose what works best for their child."