ABSTRACT
In this chapter we set out our reasons for changing the traditional approach to teaching and learning in Year 1. The contrast between children’s experiences of play-based learning in EYFS and a formal approach in Year 1 was both striking and uncomfortable and we draw from a wealth of research into child development theories which confirm that most children need an active play-based approach to learning until around the age of seven. The chapter considers the adverse impact of too formal an approach on particular groups of children, including disadvantaged and boys and on children’s well-being and mental health in general. Finally, we compare approaches to early years education in the different parts of the United Kingdom and elsewhere in the world.
