LABOUR’S shadow Education Secretary Stephen Twigg clearly knows very little about the educational priorities of a fiveyear- old.
Under a suggested scheme he says children as young as five should be offered “work experience” to help address the country’s skills shortage.
He wants to bring in “work discovery” schemes consisting of factory and office visits and talks from employers.
What next, I wonder, workfare for toddlers?
Children this age first need to learn life’s basic skills: reading, writing and arithmetic, before considering spending valuable school time looking at future career routes.
This “work discovery” scheme would consist of factory and office visits and talks from employers. A five-year-old would not understand the importance of these visits.
Having worked in pre-school education for 15 years I know building skills for young children at an early age is hugely important, but please let’s get the raw basics sorted out first.
Stephen Dixon, Redcar.
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