As the Early Years debate ramps up
ahead of the announcement of the Revised
Early Years Foundation Stage, and SATs season approaches, I have drawn on
my knowledge of child development psychology, biology and neurobiology to suggest
a draft ‘Charter for Childhood’ to improve both physical
and mental
health. This is just a first attempt; I am hoping that others will input to
these ideas so that they can be shaped into a set of ambitions that will be
generally acceptable to the UK children’s workforce.
Attachment and Emotional
Development:
*Practical and financial support for
families with children under 3 to provide high adult:child ratio care on
domestic premises. This would not have to be solely within the child’s family
home, but those of extended family and paid childminders.
*Practical and financial support for
families with children under 5 to ensure that they never live in a situation of
desperate poverty (for example, dependent on food banks to eat)
*Practical and social support for families
with children under 3 to enable the child to create secure attachments with a
small circle of adults who provide regular care for him/her.
Early Education and Care:
*A guaranteed half-days/half weeks nursery
place for every child from the beginning of the term after his/her third birthday.
*A guaranteed full time nursery place
for every child from the beginning of the term after his/her fourth birthday.
*Early years education managed, led
and staffed by early years specialists, trained in human physical,
psychological and biological development and early years pedagogy from the term
after the child’s third birthday until the term before his/her seventh birthday.
Play, Socialisation and Mental
Health:
*The provision of safe places for
children aged 7-14 to use for free, collaborative play both indoors and outdoors,
overseen but not directed by adults, managed, led and staffed by trained
playworkers; free attendance during the school term.
*Local Schools and Local Play Centres
to co-ordinate on children’s attendance between 8am and 6pm on weekdays, with at
least four hours spent in non-school activity every day between these hours.
*Play Centres to be open 8am to 6pm
weekdays in school holidays; a fee proportionate to family income to be charged
for attendance.
*Legislation to prevent children
under 14 owning networked cell phones and tablets (ownership of cell phones
with call and text facility permitted).
*Lead an international initiative to
ban children under 14 from adult social media and gaming, and set up adult
moderated alternatives for online child social media and gaming that are not
financed by commercial advertising.
*No statutory testing up to the
beginning of Key Stage 3. School inspections to focus on work sampling and quality
of teacher continuing professional development.
*A statutory 20 minute mid-morning
break and a 30 minute lunch break for both teachers and children in all schools.
