helen_hale

Helen Hale · @helen_hale

1st Feb 2013 from Twitlonger

Elizabeth Truss MP seems to have been getting her research a little mixed up in her recent speech on #childcare reforms I notice. This statement in particular jumped out at me:

“Research for the Foundation Years Action Group by academics from UCL, the Institute of Education and Bristol University has laid this out in stark terms. At the age of 15 or 16, English pupils score 492 on the average PISA maths score, compared to 555 in Hong Kong, 562 in Singapore and 600 in Shanghai. Yet the gulf in attainment is evident way before that age. The gap between England and East Asia does not differ between the ages of nine or ten and 15 or 16. It’s already there by five years old"

And then:

“If we look at international comparisons of how many children could complete early numeracy tasks when they started primary school, we see the same countries at the top of that table as we would expect to see when comparing the abilities of adults - countries like Chinese Taipei, Hong Kong and Singapore”.

And the supposed source of this information:

Foundation Years Action Group, The vital importance of early development to later life outcomes, 15 November 2012. http://www.fyag.org.uk/events.htm

Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS), TIMSS 2011 International Results in Mathematics.
http://timssandpirls.bc.edu/timss2011/downloads/T11_IR_Mathematics_FullBook.pdf

So I thought OK let’s have a look at the evidence then. There is certainly no doubt that children in countries like Chinese Taipei, Hong Kong and Singapore did achieve better scores in the TIMSS when tested at 10 and again at 14. But there is no evidence of any testing at age 5, and given that the children in those countries do not begin primary school until they are 6 or 7 (at least 2 years later than the children in England) would this not be a case for us delaying formal education in this country? No? Apparently instead Ms Truss thinks that our children should begin formal lessons as young as 2 (as they do in France according to her) and where do France come in the TIMSS study of 63 countries we might ask? Oh they didn’t take part? Well I think I’ll draw my own conclusions on that one!

So, what message do I think that the Foundation Years Action Group were really trying to get across to Ms Truss at that November seminar? Well could it have been that babies need nurturing, they need secure attachments, they need to feel loved, and unless we make this happen then the long term consequences for babies and young children in early years care could be severe? http://www.fyag.org.uk/long_term_impact.htm

One staff member to 4 babies? I don’t think so! Do you?

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