Letters November 10: Danger of turning children off education at an early age

In response to your Editorial ‘More tests are not the answer’ (The Yorkshire Post, November 4) and Jayne Dowle’s article ‘Testing times that will only destroy children’s confidence’ (The Yorkshire Post, November 5), why is the Government intent on “formal” testing at this early stage in children’s development?

As a former teacher of 25 years I totally agree with your comment that more tests are not the answer.

As you so correctly point out, “in countries such as Sweden children have barely even started school by the age of seven”. Our children are no different to theirs.

We must, as Jayne Dowle points out in her column, turn children on, not off learning. If we don’t catch and engage them early they may well be lost to education for ever.

Young children have many talents and skills and they need the time and space to practice and consolidate their learning in a reflective and responsive environment.

This is achieved by using “informal” practical assessments. They need time to demonstrate and model their deeper understanding in a truly active, practical and engaging way. Teachers and parents can work in partnership to achieve objectives by using practical, innovative and adaptive teaching and learning resources.

Let children from an early stage “play” with numeracy and synthetic phonic tiles as contrary to common belief children can effectively and efficiently learn the basics and have fun.

We must promote the essential speaking and listening skills that are often forgotten in this technological age.

We need, as the actress Kate Winslet so sensibly advises, to play board games and truly interact with our children.

Just think of how we as adults enjoy learning in a group. The buzz and excitement of human interaction is catching.

We must not, as Jayne says, dent and damage children’s confidence but continually and systematically build it in informal, rather than formal ways.

From: Ted Bentley, Francis Street, Scunthorpe

A LONDON primary school has insisted children walk with hands clasped behind their backs.

It sounds like a punishment for just being a child. Please no other school copy this daft rule.