n-a-t-e.co.uk

The United Nations defines early childhood from 0-8 years. In the United Kingdom the figure is 0-5. This discrepancy has attracted little attention in the UK and the motive for it is rarely questioned but its effect has been profound and underlies the current deepening nationwide crisis of psychological health and resulting social and economic dysfunction.

The brief statement below explains how the disinclination of successive UK governments to acknowledge the nature and extent of early childhood as defined by the United Nations, has resulted in a failure to resource the psychological development of significant numbers of disadvantaged children in the context of both early years and the school system. JT

 

NATE National Association for Therapeutic Education

Patrons: Graham Allen MP* Rt Hon Professor Lord Alton of Liverpool KCSG KCMCO MP* Gregory Barker MP* Bishop Paul Bayes Rt Hon Richard Benyon MP* Gerry Bermingham MP* Clive Betts MP Baroness Blackwood of North Oxford MP* Tom Blenkinsop MP* David Borrow MP* Dr Peter Brand MP* Julian Brazier MP* Steve Brine MP* Helen Brinton MP* Annette Brooke MP* Rt Hon Sir Robert Buckland KC MP* Paul Burstow MP* Bishop Paul Butler Dr Lisa Cameron MP* Lord Carlile of Berriew KC CBE FRSA MP* Neil Carmichael MP* Jenny Chapman MP* Rt Hon Tom Clarke CBE JP KSG MP* Vernon Coaker MP* Rosie Cooper MP* Lord Cotter MP* Baroness Cox Rt Hon Lord Cryer MP* Alex Cunningham MP* Sir Tony Cunningham MP* Janet Daby MP Cynog Dafis MP* Rt Hon Lord Davies of Oldham MP* Sir Philip Davies MP* Rt Hon Sir David Davis KCB MP* Jim Dobbin MP* Rt Hon Sir Jeffrey Donaldson MP* Brian Donohue MP* Rt Hon Lord Dubs MP* Mark Durkan MP* Rt Rev Lord Eames OM Bill Esterson MP Bill Etherington MP* Rt Hon Nigel Evans MP* Tim Farron MP Mark Fisher MP* Robert Flello MP* Lord Flight MP* Barbara Follett MP* Michael Gapes MP* Rt Hon Lord Garnier KC MP* Dr Ian Gibson MP* Stephen Gilbert MP* Lord Glentoran CBE DL Mary Glindon MP Sir Richard Glyn BT Thomas Graham MP* Rt Hon Dominic Grieve KC MP* Andrew Gwynne MP Fabian Hamilton MP Mike Hancock CBE MP* Sir Nick Harvey MP* Lord Haskins Rt Hon Lord Dr Hastings of Scarisbrick CBE John Hemming MP* Bishop Ralph Heskett CSsR Bishop Peter Hill Wera Hobhouse MP Sharon Hodgson MP Bishop Anne Hollinghurst Professor Baroness Hollins Adam Holloway MP* Paul Holmes MP* Rt Hon Baroness Hooper CMG DSG FRSA FRGS Bishop Alan Hopes Rt Hon Lord Howarth of Newport CBE PC Rt Hon Sir George Howarth MP Rt Hon Dr Kim Howells MP* Rt Hon Sir Lindsay Hoyle MP Rt Hon Lord Hunt of Kings Heath OBE PC MP* Andrew Hunter MP* Dr Brian Iddon MP* Cathy Jamieson MP* Bishop Sophie Jelley Brian Jenkins MP* Jon Owen Jones MP* Dr Lynne Jones MP* Martyn Jones MP* Fraser Kemp MP* Andy King MP* Rt Hon Lord Knight of Weymouth PC FRSA MP* Rt Hon Sir Norman Lamb MP* Pauline Latham OBE MP* Baroness Lawrence of Clarendon OBE Professor Lord Layard FBA Rt Hon Dame Andrea Leadsom DBE MP* John Leech MP* Rt Hon Sir Edward Leigh MP Rt Hon Sir Oliver Letwin MP* Professor Baroness Lister of Burtesett CBE FBA FAcSS Bob Litherland MP* Elfyn Llwyd MP* Andy Love MP* Karen Lumley MP* Dr Wendy Lynas PhD Rob Marris MP* Steve McCabe MP* Ian Mearns MP* Patrick Mercer OBE MP* Rt Hon Penny Mordaunt MP* Bishop Roger Morris George Mudie MP* Bishop James Newcome KCVO DL Bishop David Oakley Mark Oaten MP* Lembit Opik MP* Diana Organ MP* Sandra Osborne MP* Lord Ouseley Kt Professor Lord Parekh FBA FAcSS FRSA Bob Parry MP* Rt Hon Dame Priti Patel DBE Lord Patel KT Professor Sir Denis Pereira Gray OBE FRCP FRCGP FMedSci Bishop Dr John Perumbalath Peter Pike MP* Bishop Stephen Platten FSA Chris Pond MP* Mark Prisk MP* Bishop John Pritchard John Pugh MP* Lord Rana OBE Syd Rapson BEM MP* Bishop John Rawsthorne Bishop Dr Lee Rayfield Rt Hon Lord Rees of Ludlow OM FRS HonFREng FMedSci FRAS HonFInstP Bishop Edwin Regan Lord Rennard MBE Bell Ribeiro-Addy MP Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick MP* Bishop Tony Robinson Dan Rogerson MP* Sir Bob Russell MP* Christine Russell MP* Martin Salter MP* Adrian Sanders MP* Laura Sandys MP* Barry Sheerman MP Henry Smith MP* Peter Snape MP* Lord Storey CBE Gerry Sutcliffe MP* Lord Taverne KC Simon Thomas MP* Rt Hon Baroness Thornton Rt Hon Viscount Thurso PC MP* Sir John Timpson CBE Dr Desmond Turner MP* Dr Rudi Vis MP* Baroness Walmsley Dame Angela Watkinson DBE MP* Mark Williams MP* Roger Williams MP* Bishop Tom Williams Rt Hon Lord Willis of Knaresborough MP* ( MP* formerly Member of Parliament) (Patron during lifetime - Sir David Amess MP David Cairns MP Rt Hon Lord Chidgey MP* Baroness Greengross OBE Baroness Howe of Idlicote CBE Lord Jones of Cheltenham MP* Baroness Masham of Ilton DL Norman Mikardo Cardinal Cormac Murphy O’Connor Lord Rea Of Eskdale MD FRCGP Archbishop Peter Smith)

59 Birdham Road Chichester PO19 8TB 07984654503 www.n-a-t-e.co.uk johnhtierney@outlook.com /24

 

The Deepening Nationwide Crisis of Psychological Health – A Brief Overview

 

In the years before the pandemic there was already a deepening nationwide crisis of psychological health. This has intensified and now includes a younger age group. The underlying cause of the problem is known. Attachment theory – an evolutionary advance in understanding of psychology of the twentieth century - reveals that psychological development in infancy and beyond results from effective, sustained, individualised attachment relationships between adults and children but the Sutton Trust estimates that as many as 40% of children ‘lack secure bonds with adults.’ (‘Baby Bonds’ – Sutton Trust 2014.)

Parental dysfunction on this scale should be offset by a system of early childhood education which effectively resources the psychological as well as physical, social and academic potential of each child but in the UK this does not happen. Unlike the UN, government defines early years from 0-5 and intervention has posed many problems not least because the state has limited legislative influence in the voluntary preschool sector. Support systems for psychologically undeveloped children have sometimes been misdirected and often under resourced and they remain generally overwhelmed. In 2008 ministers introduced an Early Years Foundation Stage to regulate preschool provision but although the EYFS prescribed pupil/teacher ratio of 1:13 is theoretically adequate for psychological development, state funding for contact hours is not.

In the school system the reverse applies. Pupil attendance is a fully funded statutory obligation but pupil/teacher ratios in the infant sector remain unrealistic for psychological development. United Nations guidance indicates that it is theoretically a function of child education from 5-8 to resource the psychological as well as physical, social and intellectual potential of each child but in practice since the Education Acts of 1988 and 1998 even deprived infants have been required by the UK government to study a centrally prescribed academic curriculum in classrooms limited at 30. Pupil/teacher ratios on this scale prohibit the sustained, individualised attachment relationships between children and adults on which psychological development is known to depend.

The inconsistencies identified here have been integral to the accepted conceptual foundation for UK child education for decades. They are a pivotal cause of the deepening nationwide crisis of psychological health and resulting devastating social and economic dysfunction. The failure of state intervention in both early years and the school system has had implications for intergenerational health and well being but senior leaders have consistently declined to acknowledge the problem. Education policy reflecting the fundamental discrepancy between the United Nations’ description of early childhood (0-8) and the definition chosen by the UK (0-5) has undermined the health, social welfare and economic success of the nation but the issue has been ignored by successive governments and key national institutions.

The time is overdue to resolve a critical cause of the deepening nationwide crisis of psychological health. The state should begin by reducing class sizes in infant schools to the potentially realistic levels prescribed by EYFS to permit attachment relationships for the thousands of psychologically undeveloped children who currently need them.

For further information or discussion please contact

John Tierney Director National Association for Therapeutic Education NATE