Children are no longer learning traditional rhymes and songs, according to Ofsted chief inspector Amanda Spielman.

According to the Sunday Times, she will tell a childcare conference that there should be a return to these rhymes and their loss was “a great shame”.  “I imagine most of you could recite The Grand Old Duke of York. But we can’t say that is the case for children today.”

“Humpty Dumpty may seem old-fashioned, but children who can sing a song and know a story off by heart aged four are better prepared for school. Nursery rhymes provide a collective experience - and teach a little bit of social history to boot,” she said.

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