Tear down your distracting classroom displays, skills agency tells teachers

The brightly coloured displays of children's work so beloved of the primary teacher could be doing more harm than good, according to a Government quango.

It wants teachers to take down the art work, projects and dazzling wall charts in at least part of the classroom so the children can concentrate on their studies.

The elaborate wall coverings which have become a requirement of Ofsted inspections can cause a visual "noise" which distracts pupils from learning, says the Basic Skills Agency.

"Over-stimulating environments are not always the best and can make it very difficult for children to concentrate," says Elizabeth Jarman, who has written a guide for teachers to be published by the agency next January.

The advice challenges the received wisdom of the past three decades and the advice of the Department for Education which tells teachers on its website: "A stimulating environment makes for a stimulated child."