Nursery World - All about ... children's values

The values nurtured in the early years shape how children approach
the wider world later in life. But which values are beneficial and how
do we balance different interests? By Marion Dowling

In August, the then new education secretary Nicky Morgan made her first public statement. 'One of the most important roles of the education system is that it should prepare young people for life in modern Britain. I am clear that public money should not be used to support any school or early years provider that does not support this aim.'

It was made apparent that local authorities would remove funding from any early years setting that failed to meet this requirement. This followed an earlier and similar requirement statement made to schools.

On the face of it, this declaration seems straightforward and not one to question. It arose following the 'Trojan Horse' scandal in some Birmingham schools - when, it was alleged, hard-line Islamists were planning to take over the governance of these settings - and is intended to prevent extremism in schools.

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