{"id":8671,"date":"2019-06-27T21:56:32","date_gmt":"2019-06-27T21:56:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sceptical.scot\/staging\/?p=8671"},"modified":"2026-04-18T19:34:31","modified_gmt":"2026-04-18T19:34:31","slug":"are-we-rearing-children-fit-for-the-future","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sceptical.scot\/staging\/2019\/06\/are-we-rearing-children-fit-for-the-future\/","title":{"rendered":"Are we rearing children fit for the future?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>It\u2019s a scary world out there.&nbsp; Climate change, renewed fears of war in the Middle East, growing political instability across Europe \u2026 one can\u2019t help but wonder what the future holds for our children.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&nbsp;One thing\u2019s for sure \u2013 the next generation of adults will need all the resilience and adaptability they can muster.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u2018Resilience and adaptability\u2019 are also essential for the future workforce, according to Chris Brodie of <a href=\"httpss:\/\/www.skillsdevelopmentscotland.co.uk\/\">Skills Development Scotland<\/a>.  The Head of Skills Planning and Sector Development was speaking at a Scottish Policy Conference in mid-June on \u2018Meeting Scotland\u2019s Skills Needs\u2019.&nbsp; Two other words that cropped up frequently at that conference were \u2018uncertainty\u2019 and \u2018change\u2019, as experts discussed the challenges posed by the coming age of robotics and artificial intelligence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>According to Mr Brodie, Scotland now needs a workforce that can<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>thrive in an environment of constant change<\/li><li>make the best use of the emotional intelligence\nthat makes us human<\/li><li>innovate to keep the Scottish economy ahead of\nthe field.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Here\u2019s what he thinks underlies these human capacities: <\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/sceptical.scot\/staging\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/MetaSkills.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-8672\" width=\"583\" height=\"205\" srcset=\"https:\/\/sceptical.scot\/staging\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/MetaSkills.png 400w, https:\/\/sceptical.scot\/staging\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/MetaSkills-300x106.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 583px) 100vw, 583px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>As author of several books about child development, I found myself sighing sadly in agreement. &nbsp;I had breathed a similar sad sigh two days earlier, when the Scottish government\u2019s decision to continue national testing of five-year-olds in the three Rs was endorsed by <a href=\"httpss:\/\/www.gov.scot\/binaries\/content\/documents\/govscot\/publications\/progress-report\/2019\/06\/scottish-national-standardised-assessments-review-2019\/documents\/independent-review-of-the-scottish-national-standardised-assessments-at-primary-1\/independent-review-of-the-scottish-national-standardised-assessments-at-primary-1\/govscot%3Adocument\/Independent%2Breview%2Bof%2Bthe%2BScottish%2BNational%2BStandardised%2BAssessments%2Bat%2BPrimary%2B1.pdf\">David Reedy<\/a>, the literacy expert they\u2019d appointed to review the tests. Having specialised in literacy before child development took over my life, I fear that the \u2018meta-skills\u2019 our children need are the very ones our education system is now inadvertently beating out of them by a too-early start on the three Rs.&nbsp; <\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Ability to survive and thrive<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>That\u2019s not to suggest that literacy and numeracy are\nunimportant \u2013 educational success still depends on them and, despite\ntechnological advances, will continue to do so for the foreseeable future. &nbsp;But success in the workplace \u2013 not to mention\nthe ability to survive and thrive whatever the future brings \u2013 depends on the\ndevelopment of the \u2018natural\u2019 intelligence and skills described on Mr Brodie\u2019s\npowerpoint slide.&nbsp; <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Resilience, adaptability and all the other meta-skills are\nwhat\u2019s known as \u2018biologically primary knowledge\u2019.&nbsp; This means that the capacity to develop them\nis embedded in human DNA and \u2013 given appropriate nurture and environmental\nsupport \u2013 they begin to develop naturally during the early years of children\u2019s\nlives. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Throughout the millennia there have been two key ingredients for healthy child development, especially in the years between birth and seven.&nbsp; They are <strong>love and play<\/strong>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Young &nbsp;children obviously need the love of adults to ensure their material needs are met. But \u2013 as is now clear from a mountain of academic literature on the significance of \u2018secure attachment\u2019 \u2013 loving care is also vital for healthy social and emotional development. The pile of academic literature on the significance of play for physical, emotional, social and cognitive development hasn\u2019t yet achieved mountainous proportions because the science of play is still in its infancy, but it\u2019s growing by the day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Yet both secure attachment and play are seriously threatened\nby massive lifestyle changes over the last few decades.&nbsp; Most 21<sup>st<\/sup> century children now spend\nmany hours each day in out-of-home care which, due to economic constraints, is\nof hugely varying quality \u2013 and the chopping and changing usually required to\ncover modern parents\u2019 working patterns seldom ensures the long-term presence of\nthe constant, consistent \u2018attachment figures\u2019 small &nbsp;children need. What\u2019s more, in today\u2019s\ntraffic-clogged streets where community engagement is sadly lacking, the\nactive, social, outdoor play enjoyed by earlier generations of children has all\nbut disappeared, especially for the under-sevens.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This is why two grassroots organisations have appeared in\nScotland over the last five years: <\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>the ACE-Aware Nation movement is concerned with\nthe centrality of positive, supportive relationships in all public services,\nparticularly in the early years when \u2018adverse childhood experiences\u2019 have a\nlifelong impact<\/li><li>Upstart Scotland\u2019s campaign for a\nrelationship-centred, play-based kindergarten stage for children aged three to\nseven, which aims to reinstate active, outdoor, social play at the heart of\nearly childhood. <\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>The reason I spend such a lot of my time these days banging\nout blogs about early child development is that Scotland\u2019s politicians (and\nmost of our educational establishment) haven\u2019t yet recognised the extent to\nwhich times have changed. They still take it for granted that biologically\nprimary knowledge will just \u2018happen\u2019, the way it\u2019s always happened for children\nin the past \u2013 or at least for enough lucky children to keep Scotland\u2019s cultural\nshow on the road. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Daring to venture<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The emergence of <a href=\"https:\/\/aceawarescotland.com\/\">ACE-Aware Nation<\/a> and <a href=\"httpss:\/\/www.upstart.scot\/\">Upstart Scotland<\/a>  (of which I am chair) indicates that the conditions required for healthy development don\u2019t \u2018just happen\u2019 any more. Instead, many Scottish children are passed like parcels from one carer to another during their formative years. Play has turned into sedentary, screen-based activity (or adult-supervised clubs and classes) which bears little resemblance to the outdoor, self-directed exploration and experimentation of the past.&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The two organisations have a strong mutual regard and Upstart Scotland is grateful to ACE-Aware Nation\u2019s Suzanne Zeedyk for this quotation from the originator of attachment theory, Professor John Bowlby: <\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/sceptical.scot\/staging\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/john-bowlby.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-8673\" width=\"471\" height=\"180\" srcset=\"https:\/\/sceptical.scot\/staging\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/john-bowlby.png 405w, https:\/\/sceptical.scot\/staging\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/john-bowlby-300x115.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 471px) 100vw, 471px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Children who feel securely attached can venture off to play\n\u2013 outdoors with their friends \u2013 knowing they\u2019ll return to the safe haven of\ncaring, non-judgemental adults.&nbsp; If\nScotland wants to rear children fit to thrive in an uncertain future, we\nurgently need to reform our universal services in early years to provide a 21<sup>st<\/sup>\ncentury version of \u2018love and play\u2019 for every child. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For the under-sevens, everyday opportunities to develop the\nmeta-skills identified at the Skills Policy Conference are far more important\nthan an unnecessarily early start on the three Rs.&nbsp; The Nordic countries have long recognised\nthis and the success of their early years policies is reflected in their\ndomination of international surveys of well-being.&nbsp; Over the last twelve months, China and\nSingapore have spotted it too and changed their education policies in response.\nIn the USA, the Harvard Centre for the Developing Child constantly emphasises\nthe significance of attachment, while the American Academy of Paediatric Health\nis pushing \u2018The Power of Play\u2019. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It\u2019s time for Scotland to wake up and make sure our children are fit for the future. Whatever it brings.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Featured image by Alan McCredie&nbsp;<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Further reading<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>David Reedy\u2019s &nbsp;<a href=\"httpss:\/\/www.gov.scot\/binaries\/content\/documents\/govscot\/publications\/progress-report\/2019\/06\/scottish-national-standardised-assessments-review-2019\/documents\/independent-review-of-the-scottish-national-standardised-assessments-at-primary-1\/independent-review-of-the-scottish-national-standardised-assessments-at-primary-1\/govscot%3Adocument\/Independent%2Breview%2Bof%2Bthe%2BScottish%2BNational%2BStandardised%2BAssessments%2Bat%2BPrimary%2B1.pdf\">Independent Review of the Scottish National Standardised Assessments at Primary 1<\/a> including recommendations for the Scottish Government. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Upstart Scotland\u2019s <a href=\"httpss:\/\/www.upstart.scot\/upstart-response-to-independent-review-of-p1-tests\/ \">Response to the Reedy Review<\/a> <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>\\For the under-sevens, everyday opportunities to develop meta-skills  are far more important than an unnecessarily early start on the three Rs&#8217;: Sue Palmer of Upstart continues our series on educational reform<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":239,"featured_media":8674,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[13],"tags":[37],"class_list":["post-8671","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-culture","tag-scottish-education"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sceptical.scot\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8671","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sceptical.scot\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sceptical.scot\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sceptical.scot\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/239"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sceptical.scot\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8671"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/sceptical.scot\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8671\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":18757,"href":"https:\/\/sceptical.scot\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8671\/revisions\/18757"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sceptical.scot\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/8674"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sceptical.scot\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8671"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sceptical.scot\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8671"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sceptical.scot\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8671"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}