Education advised not to get fixated on pre-school education
PRE-SCHOOL education is not the priority issue, two children's campaigners calling for Education to widen its focus have said.
Wayne Bulpitt and Jane St Pier have called on the department to rethink plans for a universal entitlement to 15 hours of pre-school education at the age of four and to start giving children support much earlier. 'We don't think pre-school education is a bad thing, it's part of the journey that young people go on, but it's not necessarily the greatest priority,' said Mr Bulpitt. 'What we would advise is that Education's proposals should be reconsidered alongside other needs, going from conception to age three – the first 1,001 days that a child has are some of the most important.' Mrs St Pier said Education, along with other departments such as Health and Social Services, needed to take a holistic approach to supporting child learning. 'The age range from 0 to five is a key area where support services and intervention can have a powerful impact on a child's future,' she said.
