Poll: Should the national age at which children start school be lowered to two?
More nursery education should be carried out in schools to prepare children better for later education and help bridge the gap between rich and poor, the chief inspector of schools has said.
Sir Michael Wilshaw warned that too many early years education providers are failing to teach youngsters 'social, emotional and learning skills' and get them ready to start primary school.
Pupils from poorer backgrounds are also too often falling behind their more privileged peers by the time they reach school age, but bringing 'structured' early years provision into a school setting would help put them on equal footing.
Sir Michael is also expected to argue that children should be enrolled in school as young as two years old.
His comments came ahead of Ofsted's first Early Years Annual Report, published today, which called for a shake-up of early years education in England. The report highlights the continuing gap between children from disadvantaged backgrounds and more affluent youngsters, saying too many children are not ready for school.
What do you think? Should the national age at which children start school be lowered to two?
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