Researchers examined instruments for assessing emotional and social competence in primary school and early years settings. They found that instruments had initially tended to look at social incompetence, focusing on anti-social and problem behaviour, with the aim of identifying or screening for children with problems. Recent instruments were more likely to include positive attributes as well as problems, and to have been developed in the context of programmes to support development; their development was more likely to have involved parents and children and less likely to have involved psychometric tests.
Source: Sarah Stewart-Brown and Laurel Edmunds, Assessing Emotional and Social Competence in Primary School and Early Years Settings: Review of approaches, issues and instruments, Department for Education and Skills (0845 602 2260)
Links: Report (Word file) | Summary (pdf)
Date: 2003-Dec
The government announced a 20 million package to encourage employers to help fund childcare, expected to benefit 100,000 families. From April 2005 employers would be able to provide working mothers with 50 a week towards their childcare costs, free from tax and national insurance. It also gave a commitment to establish 1,000 children s centres by 2008, to provide integrated education, health and support services for children and their families; and the establishment of nursery and school-parent links in 500 communities, so that infants were introduced to early learning and books before compulsory education.
Source: Pre-Budget Report: The strength to take the long-term decisions for Britain - Seizing the opportunities of the global recovery, Cm 6042, HM Treasury, TSO (0870 600 5522) | House of Commons Hansard, Debate 10 December 2003, columns 1061-1086, TSO
Links: Report (pdf) | Hansard | DfES press release | Daycare Trust press release | EOC press release | KPMG press release | Guardian report
Date: 2003-Dec
The number of free nursery education places taken up by children aged 3 in the maintained, private, voluntary and independent sectors increased from 408,300 (68 places per 100 children) in January 2002 to 444,800 (77 per 100) in January 2003. (The government has set a target that by April 2004 there will be a free place for every child aged 3 whose parents want one.)
Source: Provision for Children under Five Years of Age in England: January 2003, Department for Education and Skills (web publication only)
Links: Report (pdf)
Date: 2003-Nov
A Europe-wide study concluded that pre-school education experience (compared to none) enhanced children's development, with disadvantaged children deriving particular advantages.
Source: Kathy Sylva et al., The Effective Provision of Pre-school Education (EPPE) Project: Findings from the pre-school period, Research Brief RBX15-03, Department for Education and Skills (0845 602 2260)
Links: Brief (pdf)
Date: 2003-Oct
A series of seminar papers reviewed cross-national evidence concerning early childhood education and childcare services for children aged from birth to 14 (16 for children with special educational needs). English-language countries tended to offer least paid maternity and parental leave; had limited school-based early years services (mostly one or two years and part time only); had mostly age-segregated services; had an approach to providing childcare services which emphasised markets, high private sector participation (including for-profit providers) and demand subsidy funding mechanisms; and had relatively high levels of low-trained and poorly paid childcare workers.
Source: Ann Mooney et al., Early Years and Childcare International Evidence Project: Summary, Department for Education and Skills (0845 602 2260)
Links: Report (pdf) | Introductory paper (pdf) | Child outcomes paper (pdf) | Funding and sustainability paper (pdf) | Quality paper (pdf) | Workforce paper (pdf)
Date: 2003-Oct
Research found that children aged 3-5 whose parents participated in their early education systematically achieved 5 percentage points more in language comprehension than those who didn t, while their scores on numbers were higher by over 7 percentage points. (A short-term longitudinal study investigated the effects of the Peers Early Education Partnership , a scheme aimed at increasing the educational achievement - especially literacy skills - of children from infancy to 5 years.)
Source: Maria Evangelou and Kathy Sylva, The Effects of the Peers Early Educational Partnership (PEEP) on Children s Developmental Progress, Research Report 489, Department for Education and Skills (0845 602 2260)
Links: Report (pdf) | Brief (pdf) | DfES press release
Date: 2003-Oct
Researchers carried out a 'state of the art review' of listening to, and consulting with, children under 5 years old. The focus of the review was on children s views and experiences of education and childcare. Only a minority of childcare audits were found to have focused on the views of children of this age: but some imaginative methods were being used by researchers, practitioners and consultants to listen to, and to consult, young children.
Source: Alison Clark, Susan McQuail and Peter Moss, Exploring the Field of Listening to and Consulting with Young Children, Research Report 445, Department for Education and Skills (0845 602 2260)
Links: Report (pdf) | Brief (pdf)
Date: 2003-Jul
A research review examined available literature on the development of children between birth and age 3. It was found that all areas of learning and development were intricately intertwined; that young children developed and learned holistically; and that their emotional and social development seemed to form the bedrock for development in other areas.
Source: Tricia David, Kathy Goouch, Sacha Powell and Lesley Abbott, Birth to Three Matters: Review of the literature, Research Report 444, Department for Education and Skills (0845 602 2260)
Links: Report (pdf) | Brief (pdf)
Date: 2003-Jul
In January 2003, according to provisional figures, the estimated number of children aged 3 and 4 attending private or voluntary providers or maintained or independent schools was found (based on extrapolations) to be equivalent to 102 per cent of the age-group population - compared to 96 per cent in January 2002.
Source: Provision for Children under Five Years of Age in England January 2003 (Provisional), Statistical First Release 15/2003, Department for Education and Skills, TSO (0870 600 5522)
Links: SFR (pdf) | DfES press release
Date: 2003-May
A report called for a new type of worker to staff the growing number of integrated services that combined education and care for children. It warned of an emerging crisis of care - caused by a combination of rising demand for both childcare and elder care, and a falling supply of workers (particularly the traditional pool of entrants, young women with low qualifications).
Source: Peter Moss, Beyond Caring: Case for reforming the childcare and early years workforce, Daycare Trust (020 7840 3350)
Links: Press release
Date: 2003-Apr
A report brought together key statistics, market trends and analysis relating to the children s nursery sector.
Source: Children's Nurseries - UK Market Sector Report 2003, Laing & Buisson (020 7833 9123)
Links: Press release | Summary (pdf) | Guardian report
Date: 2003-Apr
From April 2003, childminders offering free early education places to pre-school children were able to include their own children when claiming funding from local education authorities. (Accredited childminders were previously funded for early education work through the nursery education grant, regulated by the Nursery Education (England) Regulations 2000. In April 2003 this funding was transferred into education formula spending, with the result that the 2000 regulations no longer applied.)
Source: Press release 8.4.03, National Childminding Association of England and Wales (020 8464 6164)
Links: NCMA homepage
Date: 2003-Apr
A survey (carried out in 2002) found that, in the opinion of teachers, 50 per cent of children start school lacking skills that teachers believe are vital for an effective start to learning. Two thirds of teachers believe that standards in these crucial skills had declined in the previous five years.
Source: Young Children s Skills on Entry to Education, Basic Skills Agency (0870 600 2400)
Links: Report (pdf) | Guardian report
Date: 2003-Mar
Researchers found that good quality pre-school experiences support children s social and educational development; and that good quality provision can be found across all types of early years settings, with the best results delivered by integrated centres (that offer combined education and childcare) and nursery schools. The government said the research supported its proposed changes in childcare, early learning and family support services.
Source: Kathy Sylva, Edward Melhuish, Pam Sammons, Iram Siraj-Blatchford, Brenda Taggart and Karen Elliot, Measuring the Impact of Pre-School on Children's Social/Behavioural Development over the Pre-School Period, Technical Paper 8b, Institute of Education/University of London (020 7612 6050) | Press release 27.3.03, Department for Education and Skills (0870 000 2288)
Links: Summary (pdf) | DfES press release
Date: 2003-Mar
