The Issue
admin November 7th, 2007
This website has been created by parents to provide a focus for campaigning to stop the UK government forcing all Steiner Waldorf and other kindergartens and nurseries to implement the Early Years Foundation Stage requirements.
Most of the framework is both positive and uncontentious. The problem is that some of the development goals and assessment run contrary to existing forms of education that thousands of people in the UK and many more in Europe have been championing for decades.
Mandatory reading, writing and numeracy at age 4-5
The new legal requirements introduced by the Childcare Act 2006 will come into force from September 2008 and threaten to disrupt established educational methods such as the Steiner Waldorf curriculum that are based on childrens’ natural development processes in an environment that is not formally assessing them.
Steiner Waldorf kindergartens do not teach literacy at all at age 4-5 as this is covered very well in the initial years in the main school at a time (beyond age 6) at which it is believed to be more appropriate for children to learn it. Therefore this change will completely alter the landscape of Steiner Waldorf education principles in the UK. Many European countries have excellent literacy rates and yet do not have mandatory education until ages 6 or even 7 years.
The EYFS is part of a ten year strategy called "Choice for parents, the best start for children", even though as it stands EYFS is set to remove choice for parents and represents a different start for children, one which many experts do not believe is the best.
Mandatory assessment at 5 years old
The EYFS includes contains 117 different points against which kindergarten and nursery teachers will have to assess every single child in their care. This report will be given to local authorities and parents when each child is 5 years old. This assessment is a legal requirement, and the implementation of it is subject to OFSTED inspections and/or Local Education Authority inspection.
No exemptions
The Childcare Act 2006 and the requirements of the EYFS are already law. It turns out that the exemption regulations being drafted currently offer no exemptions that will work for Steiner Waldorf kindergartens. As a result a letter has been written asking for the regulations to be made more flexible to allow such exemptions.
Help us save childhood
If you are unhappy with the increasing pressure on young children to learn reading, writing and arithmetic at such young ages and the encroaching mandatory assessment that may affect the quality of their education, please join our campaign and take action.
Read more
Further details are available in the early years reference materials section.
Book Mark it-> del.icio.us | Reddit | Digg