This campaign continues to grow in numbers. Thank you everyone for sharing and supporting. Our children do deserve better there can be no doubt so please keep talking. Through the power of social media a movement is building... There is also the issue of baseline testing on the horizon, so I thought you might be interested in the fact that according to TES it will come at a cost of £10m. Surely in these days of austerity this is absurd? My latest blog: With the ridiculous notion of free childcare aka 30hrs funding, which is seeing early years settings closing their doors and the much discussed shocking funding crisis in our schools, I was absoIutely incensed to see the following story in the news today. https://www.tes.com/news/school-news/breaking-news/dfe-planning-spend-ps10m-reception-baseline-test I find it absolutely disgusting (and totally disrespectful to those working in the Early Years, our children and their families) that this government proposes to literally flush £10m down the toilet as they hand OUR hard earned money over to a yet-to-be-named company who will be designing a test for our nations 4 and 5 year olds. In a recent Government consultation, early years teachers, school leaders and leading EYs organisations told the Government that Baseline testing does not work. They were sent links to evidence. They were told face to face at meetings. Their last effort to trial baseline failed to give them the results they wanted as most of the nations schools said no to a test and opted to assess children by observing them. But even in the face of all this adversity, they are ignoring all the evidence. They will not provide an observation led model. They will not listen to all the input from those experts both on the ground and in the world of research. They are pushing ahead regardless at the cost of £10m (and who knows what cost to developing minds). This test will be taken by children in their first weeks in school to give a "baseline". It has been said that their scores will then be hidden away (so schools and parents will not even know how the children have achieved) only to be revealed when they leave primary school. The data will be used to see whether the child has made enough progress in their time at the school..so in short its a way to measure schools. And in the meantime a change of Government could see the measure scrapped. So will this data ever see the light of day and even if it does... Will it actually mean anything??? The company who will gladly take the £10m pay cheque will more than likely have no or very limited knowledge of children and their development and yet will write a test that will be administered to our children. This will be a test, there is no doubt. It will probably be done on a tablet with some friendly computerised character. It will be sold to parents and schools (and children) as enjoyable and fun. Would you find it "fun" on only your first days in a new environment to be removed from the room and presented with a tablet to complete questions on by an adult you are still getting to know? According to TES, observational assessment (the model most of the nation's schools chose in recent trials, which ACTUALLY involves early years staff observing children as they play and engage in activities) has been ruled out. Do not let anyone sell it as a game or a fun activity. IT IS NOT!!!! It's a test. A test that will at best tell us nothing, cost millions and at worst damage our children as they begin their journey in school. Meanwhile whilst this company (whoever they end up being) are handed £10m (I imagine it in one of those big cardboard cheques) our early years workforce are often spending their own money on essential resources such as paper, pens, glue and even furniture with no chance of ever being reimbursed. Many families are finding themselves accessing food banks, struggling to pay bills and make ends meet. Mental health issues are on the rise for children and adults (including teachers). So it's absolutely disgusting, and a kick in the teeth for us all that this £10m will be lining the pockets of a company somewhere designing a completely useless, pedagogically irresponsible, unethical, developmentally inappropriate test for children who have been in existence for somewhere between 48-60months. We will not be taking this lying down. Please SHARE if you are with me. We need parents, grandparents, teachers, school leaders, people working with children, professors, lecturers, researchers...we basically need anyone who cares about our children to stand with us. I need to know I'm not alone in my absolute fury and disgust. People are asking me if there will be a petition. Will there be boycotts? All I can say right now is that we will be making a stand. But it must be the right kind of stand, a connected, joined up, strong stand, where instead of all running in different ways, we come together as a community to tell those who plan to not only waste our money, but waste our childrens precious early years that this WILL NOT be tolerated.