A professor has claimed that teaching very young children to read and write is "misguided".
Prof Kathy Silva, of Oxford University, said youngsters under the age of six would learn better through play instead instead of formal lessons.
But her opinions clash with the beliefs of education secretary David Blunkett, who argued it is not too early to start proper lessons with children as young as four.
On last night's Panorama programme, Prof Silva, head of a five-year inquiry into early years education, said: "I think politicians and parents are concerned with standards.
"We want children to read, we want from them good levels of numeracy, and so people think that the more we instruct children from an earlier and earlier age, the more they will know. I think this is misguided.
"I think we have enough evidence now that children under six - and certainly under five - really will have the best foundation for more formal literacy and numeracy learning in a more play-based early childhood programme."
Her views have been greeted with a mixed response from experts.
Nick Seaton, of the Campaign for Real Education, said: "We have had play-based primary education for 20 or 30 years and it doesn't seem to have done much good.
"A lot of children are ready for formal lessons when they are four or five."
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