Angela Forkin, a nursery teacher at Wigan Sure Start in Merseyside, proposed changes to the three-to-11 curriculum. She said too much pressure is put on nursery children to read and write, taking time away from play and learning how to socialise, and they could be labelled as failures before they start school. She suggested that such pressure is causing behavioural problems in children of school age.
Ms Forkin said, 'Children shouldn't be standing by the whiteboard practising their handwriting, they should be exploring the world and building their motor and cognitive skills.'
Phillipa Kearns, a foundation stage teacher from Hertfordshire, urged the ATL's executive committee to recognise the growing demands on members working in the Early Years Foundation Stage, in particular the workload challenges the EYFS presents and the implications for staff levels.
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