ABSTRACT
Imagine the process involved in building a traditional brick built home: plans are drawn up, the land surveyed and eventually building begins with excavation and stabilisation. Different types of land and soil require specialist intervention and support in order to strengthen the footings in order to prevent future difficulties. However, as in all building work this first stage is the most important and vital for the future effectiveness of the home. It is on these foundations that the strength, stability and longevity of the building will rest and although invisible after the house is completed, it is the consideration and attention given at this early stage that will ultimately prevent future problems from arising. The same analogy can be applied when thinking about the most important and influential first stage of life: the Foundation years are just that. It is this foundation that provides the stability, strength and resilience that all humans need to thrive. We are preparing children for so much more than school; we are equipping them with the essential ingredients for a healthy childhood: strong relationships, regular sleep, good food and daily opportunities to be active and physical. The London Olympics was built on the legacy of inspiring a generation; we need to capture this and consider how we can both ‘inspire’ and ‘aspire’ to reassess our practice to provide better opportunities for children and families within our communities. It is clear from Government indicators that ‘readiness for school’ will be a priority for those working in the early years; however it is important for practitioners to deconstruct their understanding of this concept. By focusing simply on the school skills of literacy or numeracy, many children, including a high percentage of boys, may continue to be unfairly branded as failures before the age of seven. Evidence from the Cambridge Review indicates that ‘the education of young children matters immeasurably; to them both now and in the future, and to our
society’.2 Practitioners must set high expectations because no matter what their background or circumstances, young children are born with huge potential. But we must also consider the environments in which young children find themselves. Evidence from teachers in year one classrooms suggest children are already being ‘turned off’ school, being required to sit still for long periods of the day. Fears are that with the introduction of the phonics test this situation will only get worse. Therefore, as ‘schoolification’ of young children’s lives becomes set more deeply in policy, it is increasingly important for practitioners to be able to question what experiences young children need and deserve in their formative years and what this means in terms of health, learning and well-being. The definition of education provided at the start of the chapter by Richard Peters reminds us that learning continues throughout life, long before and long after we enter statutory schooling. But learning is not easy and it takes great effort so it is important to think about the learning dispositions we can instil in our children that will not only prepare them for school but provide them with the essential tools for life.
