A long, hard struggle by early years experts finally ensured that the Foundation Stage guidance stressed the importance of play and informal teaching methods. But the literacy hour stems from a very different philosophy, however much the Department for Education and Skills claims covering elements of it in reception is 'fully consistent with the early learning goals'.
In practice, teachers are feeling pressured to adopt the formal methods of the literacy hour. Those with early years experience and backing from their headteachers are trying to minimise this and introduce it gradually. Others, who may have come from teaching older children, are tending to stick with the approach they know.
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