08/09/2026
After this morning’s conversation on BBC Radio Cymru (BBC Radio Wales) with Plaid Cymru ‘s Education Minister anna b about Wales’ PISA results - and whether Learning Through Play has “been a mistake?” - we wanted to share some clarity from an early-years perspective.
Wales’ scores came out below the OECD average in literature, mathematics and science, which is really not good, but this doesn’t mean our children are failing. What it does highlight is how vital strong early-years foundations are - and that’s exactly why we follow a Scandinavian inspired approach at Nestlings Nurseries.
Countries like Finland and Estonia, which consistently rand among the highest performers in PISA, use play-based learning thoughout their early years education systems. Their systems show that children thrive academically later when they spend their early childhood exploring, imagining, problem solving and building confidence through play.
Learning through play isn’t “just playing”.
It builds language, early maths, memory, social skills, emotional regulation and curiosity - the very skills children need before formal literacy and numeracy can flourish.
We see this every day at Nestlings.
Your children are learning deeply and meaningfully through every moment of exploration, indoors and outdoors.
Thank you for supporting playful, joyful, evidence based learning with us here at Nestlings Nurseries.
