In an interview with the Daily Mail, the education and childcare minister said that ‘many nurseries were filled with toddlers running round with no sense of purpose.’
She went on to say, ‘This isn’t about two-year-old doing academic work, it’s structured play which teaches children to be polite and considerate through activities which the teacher is clearly leading.
‘What you notice in French nurseries is just how calm they are. They learn to socialise with each other, pay attention to the teacher and develop good manners, which is not the case in too many nurseries in Britain.’
The interview with Miss Truss follows on from a speech she gave at the Nursery World Two-Year-Olds conference on Friday, in which she told delegates there is no requirement for settings to provide free-flow play or child-led activities.
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