Play is an essential part of the early years’ curriculum within English preschools. It is believed that children learn through play when allowed to self-initiate and explore their environment (Miller, Cable and Devereux, 2006). Within the English curriculum free play is the traditional approach chosen in adopting the theory of Froebel and Rousseau. Froebel describes play as “the work of the child” linking it to part of the educational process. English children have time to adapt and gain knowledge of their own by starting school earlier. This gives them the boost in their own education gained by their own findings to support them throughout their schooling years. The Plowden Report (1967) …show more content…
Having said this, it is the early years’ program that prioritizes free play that has several crucial weaknesses. McIntyre, Slyva and Roy (1980) took it upon themselves to examine the different ways of which not only children but adults divided their time during free play within preschools. Foundlings of this investigation included the lack of challenge activities set out for children to push themselves that little further during free play within preschools. Activities discovered were redeemed as repetitive and simple. Meadows and Cashdan (1988) studied children’s behaviour during free play reporting that teachers although very kind to the children were really busy and very little demanding. The research outlined that very little interaction between child and adult was limited. They argued that there was limited benefits of supervised free play for children and interaction between the child and adult needed improving (Wheway, …show more content…
This petition was to delay formal schooling within England until children are the age of 7 years old encouraging an extension of informal, play based preschool provision from the current effective start of age 4. Studies to support this included a study funded by the UK Department of Education of 3000 children, showing that extending the period of preschool play-based education increased the attainment making significant differences for the child’s well-being and learning through their primary education (David Whitebread,