Do we need to learn a French lesson in our nursery schools?

TO any parent with a child in a pre-school nursery or who is about to do the tour of local nurseries to find what they hope is the gold standard of pre-school care for their child, a story about early years education is an instant magnet. It can be a source of great anxiety and confusion.

Childcare minister Elizabeth Truss has given an interview, describing some nurseries as “chaotic” places, where chidren run about and are not taught to sit quietly and listen – skills they will need when they go to school.

She compares these nurseries she has visited unfavourably with their French counterparts, where children start working with a graduate-level teacher when they are two. She says youngsters are also expected to say “bonjour” when an adult enters the room.

Ms Truss said of the English system: “In these settings where there aren’t sufficiently qualified staff and children are running around, we are not getting positive outcomes. We want children to learn to listen to a teacher, learn to respect an instruction, so that they are ready for school.”

The minister added that she wasn’t talking about two-year-olds doing academic work but about “structured play” where they learn social interaction such as learning to take their turn, and activities where they learn about numbers, say, through a play-based activity. Only a third of nurseries in this country currently have graduate level teachers. Changes to adult/child ratios in nurseries will help to finance the employment of more highly qualified staff says the government.

Continuing the comparison with France, Ms Truss added: “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.”

Last week chief inspector of education Sir Michael Wilshaw announced that nurseries and childminders in England will face tougher inspections under proposals announced by Ofsted. Proposals include childcare providers currently classed as “satisfactory” being downgraded to “requiring improvement” and undergoing extra inspections.

This follows concerns that nurseries are not improving fast enough, particularly those in deprived areas. The Pre-School Learning Alliance warned that real improvements would require better funding for childcare.

Anand Shukla, chief executive of The Childcare Trust, says that while he agrees with some of the Government’s proposals on improvements in early years education, including the need for better qualified staff, comparisons with the French constitutes dealing in “caricatures”.

“No-one is disputing that 
French nursery education is good. But it’s not a black and white situation. Many nurseries here are good, and we are happy with Ofsted’s proposed badging scheme to help improve things. But typical French nurseries don’t have two and three-year-olds sitting quietly in rows and nor would we want that sort of 1950s regime.

“There are worries about 
starting children on formal learning too young. In Finland and Scandinavia children start early years education a year later and their educational outcomes are very good. There is no evidence that starting formal learning earlier leads to better outcomes.”

By 2015, working couples may qualify for tax breaks worth up to £1,200 per child per year.