Press Release
Date: Thursday 9 May 2002 (NR/18/02)
CCEA GIVES EVIDENCE ON EARLY YEARS LEARNING
CCEA, the body responsible for advising the Government here on what should be taught in our schools, today had the opportunity to present evidence to the Education Committee of the Northern Ireland Assembly on proposals for a new approach to early years learning in our primary schools.
The evidence session took place this morning at Parliament Buildings, Stormont as part of the Education Committee’s inquiry into early years learning.
CCEA has proposed that children spend most of the first two years of primary education developing their dispositions to learn; their confidence and self esteem; and their ability to think for themselves and to show initiative. The second year would be a transition year into more formal teaching.
Dr Alastair Walker, Head of Education Services at CCEA, explained to the Committee why CCEA was proposing this change:
If we are serious about tackling issues such as underachievement, improving standards and addressing the present under-performance of boys in the classroom then we have to tackle those issues from the start of children’s education.
Over the last number of years CCEA has looked carefully at research and best practice from around the world and of course in Northern Ireland. What we have found is that most other countries start formal learning slightly later than here and spend those all important early years building up the children’s self confidence and the skills necessary for later learning. Evidence from these countries suggests that this approach improves children’s literacy and numeracy in the longer term, especially for boys.
We are now into the second year of piloting this approach in a number of our local primary schools. Around 30 are already involved and another 50 are due to join in September 2002. Already the feedback we’re getting from the first year is very positive. Year 2 teachers in the pilot schools have commented on how the children have benefited from this new approach. They are impressed at the confidence, creativity and concentration span the children have developed.
CCEA is confident that this new approach, building on existing good practice in our schools, has the potential to improve the education of all our children. However we will continue to gather evidence from schools across Northern Ireland to substantiate our proposals. We are also using teachers already involved in the pilot to spread the word in terms of best practice and the benefits of this new approach to early years learning.
We recognise that this approach has resource implications and we are currently working with the Department of Education to see how best these might be addressed.
CCEA’s proposals on early years education are part of a broader review the body is undertaking into what is taught and assessed in Northern Ireland’s schools.
Anyone interested in reading and/or responding to CCEA’s proposals can
do so by visiting the CCEA web site on: www.ccea.org.uk/and
clicking on the curriculum review link. Alternatively,
hard copies of the proposals can be ordered by contacting Margaret Quinn at
CCEA on (028) 9026 1220, e-mail: mquinn@ccea.org.uk
Media enquiries to Ruth Maguire on (028) 9026 1216, Mobile 07796947993. E mail rhmaguire@ccea.org.uk
ENDS
Note to Editors
CCEA is the Northern Ireland Council for the Curriculum, Examinations and Assessment.
CCEA places learners and those who have a concern for their educational and personal development at the forefront of its thinking. CCEA's mission is:
"To enable the full potential of all learners to be achieved and recognised"
What we do
CCEA is a unique educational body in the UK , bringing together the three areas of curriculum, examinations and assessment.
Advising Government – on what should be taught in Northern Ireland ’s schools and colleges.
Monitoring Standards – ensuring that the qualifications and examinations offered by awarding bodies in Northern Ireland are of an appropriate quality and standard.
Awarding Qualifications
– as Northern Ireland’s leading awarding body we offer a diverse range of qualifications, such as GCSEs, including the new GCSE Double Award specifications in vocational subjects, GCE A and AS levels, Entry Level Qualifications, and Graded Objectives in Modern Languages.
- CCEA also offers a range of Awards and Certificates in Education, Training and Skills (ACETS) targeted at learners who want to get
the knowledge, understanding and skills needed
to hit the ground running in the world of work.
