Louise's research finds a shift from a broad, contested concept to a narrow, data-driven 'Good Level of Development' (GLD). She argues that the GLD isn't just a measure of a child’s progress, it’s a form of technology of governance, driven by neoliberal logics that prioritise economic productivity and performativity over the actual lived experience of the child. The result is narrowed curricula, teachers pressured by accountability with children viewed through the lens of future economic output.
Dr Kay believes that we need to move away from this 'readying' of children for a rigid system and toward a relational, bi-directional transition that respects professional knowledge and childhood itself.
Read the full article: School readiness and the good level of development: Policy constructions in English early childhood education in the British Educational Research Journal (BERJ).
