It's important that parents do not put pressure on their children to start reading before they are ready, says Penny Tassoni, and taking a relaxed approach will reap far more benefits
The introduction of the Foundation Stage has brought with it a more relaxed approach to reading. Many practitioners, including Louise Burnham, a reception teacher in Hayes, Kent, have welcomed this. She says, 'Previously, some children were not ready, and many simply lost enthusiasm and confidence. Many children in my class are really benefiting from taking the time to enjoy books rather than being pushed simply to decode them.'
While most practitioners are happy with the approach taken by the Foundation Stage, many parents are concerned about whether children are being 'stretched enough'. A stroll around any large bookshop will reveal a mass of books aimed at helping parents to teach their children to learn to read at home. The formal testing of reading at the end of the infant phase of education, with accompanying league tables, is thought to be in part responsible for raising parental anxiety.
'Parents, in their concern to help their children succeed, often unwittingly put enormous pressures on both the child and the educators,' suggests Karen Murphy, an educational consultant. 'This can lead to potential conflict of interests, where pre-schools and nurseries are competing for children. The choice can be stark; formal reading or a fall in numbers of children.' Karen goes on to remind us that the trend to an early start in reading is relatively new in this country. 'Thirty or so years ago, many children were not in school until the term after they were five years old. Nap times in the afternoon were a familiar sight for this age group then. Children were not expected to be reading any earlier.'
Interestingly, the debate as to when formal reading programmes should begin is not restricted to this country alone. In France, where, in line with many other European countries, children do not begin the process of formal reading until they are six, a recent article in the parenting magazine, Famili, looked at whether reading should begin earlier. The conclusion of the article was a definite 'no', with Professor Agnes Florin questioning why children should be forced 'to dance faster than the music'. She asks parents to examine their motives carefully, and queries whether the drive to get children to read earlier is really linked to the child's own needs.
Back in the UK, Sue Martyn, head of Welholme Infant School, suggests the answer lies in developing close relationships with parents. 'We try to teach parents that reading is not just about barking at print, but about enjoyment and understanding. We try to involve parents from early on in their child's school life and the parents respond brilliantly.'
Sue and her team use many strategies to encourage parents and children to read together at home. 'We emphasise the importance of shared reading and make sure parents can come in and choose high-quality books with their child. We have also introduced a reading challenge for older children. Children get stickers when they have spent time meaningfully reading with their parents. This might be reading out a shopping list in a supermarket or reading to find out what is on television. This helps parents to see that reading must have meaning and relevance and reading is not just about books alone.'