Campaigners argue that the literacy goals in the EYFS are set too high for children as young as four and should be scrapped.
Philip Pullman and former children's laureate Michael Morpurgo were among the signatories to a letter in yesterday's Times newspaper calling for the statutory framework to be changed to voluntary guidance.
More than 80 campaigners, including early years experts, academics and child psychologists, signed the letter.
It criticised children's minister Beverley Hughes for the 'concession' she made earlier this month to review two of the literacy early learning goals, because she 'ignored calls to suspend literacy goals, which are widely deplored as being far too advanced for many young children'.
It also claimed that the exemption process to allow childcare providers to opt out of some of the learning and development requirements has been designed to deter anyone from applying (News, 24 July).
The letter said, 'We continue to campaign for the compulsory learning requirements being changed to voluntary guidance; for EYFS to be extended until the end of the school year when children turn six; and for no achievement targets to be imposed on local authorities before then.'
Read the full story in Nursery World 31 July.