Schools slam under-fives curriculum

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The Independent Schools Council has written to children's minister Beverley Hughes complaining the new arrangements would mean the education of under-fives was subject to greater government interference than that for any other age group, according to The Times newspaper, which said it had seen a leaked copy of the letter.

It says the Early Years Foundation Stage framework is a "clumsy intrusion into the early years' curriculum of independent schools" and is both "unjustified and unnecessary".

It adds: "More importantly, this interference conflicts with the rights of parents to privacy in their home life, which includes the freedom to choose how they educate their children and how to educate them free from the control of the state."

The letter, copied to Schools Secretary Ed Balls, also complains that the framework is likely to hold back children's progress and to lower standards, the newspaper reports.

The framework becomes law in the autumn and will affect all 25,000 nurseries and childcare settings in England, whether they are run by the state, charities or private companies.

A spokesman for the Department for Children, Schools and Families said: "It is nonsense to say that the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) breaches human rights.

"We consulted widely on the Early Years Foundation Stage.

"It was based on the evidence of qualified early years professionals and was debated both in Parliament and through a public consultation. This consultation, carried out in 2006, showed widespread support for EYFS."