All schools are under significant pressure to get results, but that does not excuse any of us for making rash choices about early years practice. There is currently such a strong emphasis on progress and outcomes that every choice we make – whether it is about the curriculum, the environment, or our assessment system – feels ‘high stakes’.
But our choices are only truly high stakes in one sense: three-, four- and five-year-old children cannot have their early childhood back if we get things wrong for them. The decisions we make can have a decisive impact, for good or for ill, on every child we teach. Although some children are resilient and will cope with all sorts or provision, others are not. They may not be experiencing much in the way of play and conversation at home. If we cannot get school right for their emotional well-being, early communication and self-regulation, we risk doing harm to their prospects.
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