In England over the last five years there has been some important government documentation. This has opened up tight and less flexible initiatives such as the National Literacy (DfEE, 1998) and Numeracy (DfEE, 1999) frameworks. In 2000 the introduction of the Curriculum Guidance for the Foundation Stage (QCA, 2000) clearly opened the way for more child-centered approaches and highlighted a play-based curriculum.
More importantly there was a move away from a subject based curriculum to the recognition that each subject was intertwined and therefore interdependent on the other.
This holistic approach was further emphasized in the document Excellence and Enjoyment: A Strategy for Primary Schools (DfES, 2004c) in which it was stated that the numeracy and literacy frameworks were not statutory and that teachers should work flexibly within a broader curriculum. Schools were asked to ‘take control of the curriculum and be innovative’ (p. 16). At the same time the national assessment procedures for Key Stage One were gradually moving more to teacher assessment in evaluating children’s attainment, thus recognizing the teacher’s professional expertise and the knowledge she had of the children in her class.
The Foundation Stage Profile was introduced in 2003 and sits well with the Curriculum Guidance for the Foundation Stage.
This profile reports children’s attainment at the end of the Foundation Stage and is based on ongoing observations of children throughout the year, rather than the very narrow task testing procedures of the previous ‘base line assessment’.
This kind of assessment not only helps teachers to know children’s achievements but also informs the learning process. The observation-based profile is important for teachers to judge the outcomes and therefore the quality of play. Documenting what children say and do in play has highlighted for many, who may have needed convincing, that children are challenged to the maximum of their capabilities in play.
This has helped people realize the cognitive potential of play and of a play-based curriculum. However, moving towards a play-based curriculum has meant that the downward pressure of a more formal curriculum in the Primary sector did not match the ethos and principles of the Foundation Stage.
Transition from one key phase to the other has been reported as being detrimental to young children (NFER, 2005). To counter this negative effect the training materials encompassed by Continuing the Learning Journey were produced for schools, (QCA, 2005).
This has been welcomed by Early Years professionals as the materials emphasize continuing the play-based approach in year one and planning from children’s interests, as well as looking at the objectives needing to be taught. Again from 2006 the documentation and guidelines are to be reviewed. There is a need to move further towards a more holistic approach to children’s learning and teaching.
Every Child Matters agenda (DfES, 2004a) has been a catalyst for change and is underpinning the Early Years Foundation Stage (forthcoming) where Birth to Three Matters (DfES, 2002a) and the Curriculum Guidance for the Foundation Stage (QCA, 2000) are meshed. The numeracy and literacy frameworks are being reviewed with consideration to the Early Years Foundation Stage document. Many qualities government supported materials have been produced, for example Listening to Young Children (Lancaster and Broadbent, 2003) and Communicating Matters (Sure Start, 2005). All these documents should help put the child and their family back at the center of the learning.
The rise of Children’s Centers as an almost organic approach to education and care is an exciting initiative and will be both a breeding ground for new thinking and providing a new research base. Children’s Centers play a key role in the implementation of the government’s ten-year strategy for childcare (DfES, 2004b).
These centers are becoming internationally renowned as an up-to-date model of early education and care supported by a multi-disciplinary team. The ‘British Infant School’ model of the sixties and seventies had similar acclaim as a pioneer of new thinking with the influence of Piaget and a play centered curriculum. These new centers are the perfect context to open up teaching and learning with a strong emphasis on practitioner research. Against this background this book will add to the revival of looking at young children more closely.
The area of mathematics is still riddled with questions and some of the main ones that concern teachers are, ‘How can I move children to understanding the abstract symbolism of mathematics? What is the development? When and how do you introduce standard symbols? What do children’s own mathematical graphics look like?’ We are at a time of giving teachers back their professionalism and allowing them to really observe young children and to support their own thinking and meaning making this is the key to teaching and learning about children’s mathematical mark making.
Since we wrote the first edition, we have noted that settings for children under five
are well on the way to creating the body of knowledge needed to support children’s
thinking in mathematics. However, as this Advanced Skills (reception) teacher
explained:
