Is today’s education damaging our children? Is our system of schooling eroding childhood? The last few years have seen an almost unprecedented amount of examination reform - certainly the biggest upheaval in a generation.

At the same time, concerns about the mental health of children have rocketed.

So, is there a link? Early years’ education damages children's health and wellbeing The debate about the impact of early years’ education rages on.

The architect of much of the post-2010 school reform was the then Secretary of State for Education, Michael Gove.

As many educationalists argued that small children should be allowed to learn through play, Gove pushed through the notion of 'school readiness' - being prepared for formal education from a very early age. Critics argue that very few countries have a school starting age as low as it is in England.

Indeed, several countries where children only start formal lessons at the age of six or seven can boast far better academic performance further down the line. Many are concerned that current early years education policies are actually damaging children's health and wellbeing.

Few would disagree that early childhood is a crucial stage of a child's development in its own right - but the current government's apparent belief that this period should simply be seen as preparation for school has been far from popular. Tests and targets dominate primary and secondary education Of course, once children have got into the swing of things in primary school they are soon on a relentless treadmill of tests and targets that carries on right up to Year 11 (and beyond). The pressure this causes has been a constant source of debate over the last couple of years.

Increasing numbers of parents have taken the bold step of 'removing' their children from SATs exams.

There is certainly a large groundswell of opinion that believes children should simply have more time to 'be children'. There are more concerns than ever before about the mental health of our secondary school children.

The new GCSE examination system, with most subjects having 100% terminal assessment and two exams, means that students are seldom out of the examination hall practising and preparing for the end of year exams. Now everything is down to exams, many schools are going overboard with a programme of mock exams and pre-mock exams.

The pressure is relentless.

For many, the school day has been extended to accommodate a continuous diet of catch-up lessons and revision sessions.

On top of that, many students are being overloaded with homework. Many youngsters have shown signs of cracking under the pressure.

Tales of students walking around schools, like ghosts or zombies, with all the life and energy sucked out of them, abound.

Of course, such stories are hyperbolic - but they do paint a worrying picture. Is education to blame? Is today’s education to blame for damaging childhood? Yes, it definitely is.

However, it would be wrong to lay all the blame at the door of education.

There are many other factors that also impact greatly.

Social media, digital devices and video games are just three key massive issues that pose many challenges for our society.

They all bring many benefits, of course, but there is a clear argument to suggest that all are having a negative and damaging effect on childhood too.