ABSTRACT
IN THE HADOW Report on Infant and Nursery Schools (1933) the question as to what we may fairly expect of the child at the end of his life in the infant school (that is, at six plus to seven plus) when he will enter the junior school, is answered by the following statement: 'He should have had reasonable opportunities by suitable surroundings, games, and other physical activities for ensuring good physical development and acquiring good physical habits. He should have developed some power of steady concentration, some appreciation of the importance of effort, some knowledge of his own achievement and how these compare with those of his fellows. He should have learnt something of how to live as an individual who is also a member of a group. He should have acquired some firsthand knowledge of the world around him by direct and active experience and experiments, so that he is prepared for the right interpretation of later book-knowledge. He should be able to express himself readily in clearly articulated speech and in movement and should have had an opportunity of enjoying beauty in language, music, and colour. He should have begun to acquire by means of various practical activities some power over material. He should have learnt to listen carefully to what is said to him, and to read very simple matter with enjoyment, and should have acquired the skill to write legibly and with some ease with a soft pencil. He should have been taught to perform some simple arithmetical operations.
