Are we seeing, unfolding before our eyes, a studied, well-orchestrated ideological offensive by the current government and Ofsted, seemingly determined to undo much of the progress made in early childhood education over recent years?
They certainly seem to be doing all they can to give that impression. I am known as someone who believes passionately that England’s early years policy-making has not been nearly progressive enough since 1998; so it feels somewhat strange, now, to be strongly defending that of which I’ve been critical, since ‘Open EYE’ was founded in 2007!
We will have our robust exchanges over the extent to which the ‘play’ outlined in the EYFS is genuine, authentic play but all sides would surely find common ground in arguing that it’s far better to have some prominent notion of play in the EYFS, however denuded, than none at all. Yet this is precisely what now appears to be under threat from the current government.
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