South West Norfolk MP Elizabeth Truss (Image: ©Archant Photographic 2009)
Norfolk MP Elizabeth Truss has hit out at nurseries which fail to teach young children manners.
The childcare minister said too many nurseries were filled with toddlers 'running around with no sense of purpose' and compared it to the French system where children are expected to say hello when an adult enters the room.
The mother-of-two sparked criticism on social media site Twitter after the Daily Mail interview in which she said: 'What you notice in French nurseries is just how calm they are. All of their classes are structured and led by teachers. It's a requirement.
'They learn to socialise with each other, pay attention to the teacher and develop good manners, which is not the case in too many nurseries in Britain.'
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