We know that parents are a child’s first and most important educator, and they are also the most potent force in affecting government education policy decisions because of their voting power.
When moves to dilute staff:child ratios were warded off in Liz Truss’s time as early years minister, it was parents’ opposition that was the decisive factor.
With that in mind, it is interesting to see the way that a significant proportion of parents are now thinking. Last week, figures were released on the numbers of families asking for their summer-born children’s entry to school to be deferred for a year – a rise of 84 per cent over two years.
These parents are concerned that their young children are not ready for what increasingly awaits them in Reception class and want to delay their introduction to more formal learning.
And just look at the phenomenal rise in the popularity of forest schools and outdoor nurseries in the past few years. Parents can see for themselves the huge benefits in health and well-being, personal, social and emotional development, phsyical development…in fact all areas of learning…when their children have these wonderful environments to play in.
Our Nursery of the Year 2017, Dandelion, demonstrated this perfectly, attracting national media attention and demand to cater for older children too. And highly commended Little Forest Folk has 2,000 families on the waiting list for its group of urban outdoor nurseries.
More parents now want their children to experience mud kitchens, toasting marshmallows round the fire, building dens, getting dirty and climbing trees. We should prepare to harness this movement as we await the release of the revised early learning goals and assessment regime. Parent power may need to come to the rescue again.