Young children should spend less time sitting still listening to their teachers in Year 1 and instead be given more opportunities for active, independent learning and learning through play, according to a report commissioned by the DfES.
Academics and early years experts warn of the harm that can be done to children if they are pushed too soon into structured learning. They argue that teachers need extra training to understand how play is central to children's learning at this age if they are to achieve a smoother transition from the Foundation Stage.
The report, A Study of the Transition from the Foundation Stage to Key Stage One (see www.nfer.ac.uk) presents practitioners and policy makers with a child's-eye view of what it's like to make the move from the reception class into Year One. It is not always a happy one.
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