The national curriculum should not start until children are at least six years old, according to the British Association for Early Childhood Education.
The association wants national baseline assessment for all six-year-olds and is asking the Government to redefine early education as a phase in its own right.
The association has just received a grant of nearly Pounds 200,000 from the National Lotteries Charities Board, which will fund four regional development officers across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Wendy Scott, national chair, said: “The grant will allow us to be more informative and influential in extending our work with both parents and practitioners.”