BBC – Democracy Live – Labour attacks ‘two-tier’ exams. Very interesting debate – don’t be misled by the headlines. It’s the first time I’ve watched a full debate in parliament and I couldn’t help but appreciate the benefits of having your views questioned rigorously and having to defend them/back them with facts and plans. Education in the UK has been falling behind other nations for decades now and something must be done. The point raised by Frank Field (around 13:00) is interesting: between the age of 3 and 5 the life chances of children are determined. The “solution” seen by government is to extend the hours of pre-school and/or to reform it. But is that really going to solve the problem? More school for children at that age goes against the established research (e.g. “Better late than early” by Dr. Raymond Moore) that clearly indicates that more freedom to play at this age are key foundations for success later in life (children forced to learn too early end up resenting learning later in life and as a result often don’t go into tertiary education). This of course must also be considered in the context of a stable family environment, without which a child will never flourish. But what has the government done to improve this, other than making statements about the UK being a “fatherless nation”?
BBC – Democracy Live – Labour attacks ‘two-tier’ exams
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