The government published (alongside the 2004 Pre-Budget Report) a ten-year strategy for childcare, setting out its long-term vision of affordable, flexible, high-quality childcare for all parents who needed it. It also announced an increase in the entitlement to free nursery education for all children aged 3-4 to 15 hours a week for 38 weeks a year, reaching all children by 2010; and improvements to the childcare element of the working tax credit. Childcare campaigners welcomed the strategy, but raised questions about coverage and affordability.
Source: Choice for Parents, the Best Start for Children: A ten year strategy for childcare, HM Treasury (020 7270 4558) | Pre-Budget Report 2004: Opportunity for All - The strength to take the long-term decisions for Britain, Cm 6408, HM Treasury, TSO (0870 600 5522) | House of Commons Hansard, Debate 2 December 2004, columns 781-804, TSO | Press release 3 December 2004, Daycare Trust (020 7840 3350)
Links: Childcare strategy (pdf) | PBR report (pdf) | PBR report (pdf links) | Hansard | HMT press release | EOC press release | Daycare Trust press release | NCH press release | NDNA press release | NFPI press release | IFS press release (pdf) | PCS press release | Guardian report | Community Care report | Children Now report
Date: 2004-Dec
The government responded to a report by a committee of MPs on early years services.
Source: Treasury Minutes on the Thirty-fifth and Fortieth to Forty-third Reports from the Committee of Public Accounts 2003-2004, Cm 6416, HM Treasury, TSO (0870 600 5522)
Links: Response (pdf) | MPs report
Date: 2004-Dec
Researchers examined the impact of pre-school education on later child development. It was found that, at age 5, the average difference in child development between those who had attended pre-school and those without pre-school experience was 4-6 months. The research also showed that disadvantaged children could benefit significantly from good quality pre-school experiences, giving them a developmental boost at entry to primary school which continued to the end of key stage 1 (age 7).
Source: Kathy Sylva, Edward Melhuish, Pam Sammons, Iram Siraj-Blatchford and Brenda Taggart, The Effective Provision of Pre-School Education (EPPE) Project: Final report, Department for Education and Skills (0845 602 2260)
Links: Report (pdf) | Brief 1 (pdf) | Brief 2 (pdf) | DfES press release | PSA press release (pdf) | Children Now report | Guardian report (1) | Guardian report (2)
Date: 2004-Nov
The schools inspectorate announced (following consultation) that, from April 2005, nurseries would face no-notice inspections, a new grading scale, and the introduction of self-assessment - as part of moves to integrate the inspection of childcare and nursery education, schools, colleges and other post-16 training providers.
Source: The Future of Early Years Inspection: Results of the consultation, Office for Standards in Education (07002 637833)
Links: Report (pdf) | OFSTED press release | PSA press release (pdf)
Date: 2004-Nov
A think-tank paper reviewed research about what affected development in the early years, and examined the existing policy framework in the light of that research. It then made recommendations designed to improve social mobility and other desired outcomes in the early years and thereafter, including: extending paid parental leave to 12 months; offering a more flexible package of support to families with children under the age of 2 or 3; providing high-quality centre-based care for children aged 2, starting with the most disadvantaged; and providing a more integrated system of high-quality care and education for children aged 3-5.
Source: Jane Waldfogel, Social Mobility, Life Chances and the Early Years, CASEpaper 88, Centre for Analysis of Social Exclusion/London School of Economics (020 7955 6679)
Links: Paper (pdf)
Date: 2004-Nov
In January 2004, the total number of children in England aged 3 taking up nursery education places (either at maintained schools or free nursery education places in the private or voluntary sector or at independent schools) was 521,200, or 93 per cent of the relevant population.
Source: Provision for Children Under Five Years of Age in England: January 2004 (final), Statistical First Release 39/2004, Department for Education and Skills (0870 000 2288)
Links: SFR (pdf)
Date: 2004-Oct
Evaluation of a pilot scheme found that new assessment arrangements at age 7 (under which national curriculum tests were combined with continuous teacher assessment) were at least as robust as the existing system in which tests and teacher assessment were reported separately; and that most teachers reacted positively to the new arrangements. The government announced that the new system would be extended nationally to all primary schools for the academic year 2004-05.
Source: Diane Shorrocks-Taylor et al., Evaluation of the Trial Assessment Arrangements for Key Stage 1, Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (020 7509 5555) | Press release 15 September 2004, Department for Education and Skills (0870 000 2288)
Links: Report (pdf) | QCA press release | DfES press release | SHA press release | Guardian report
Date: 2004-Sep
A report by a committee of MPs said that there had been 'good progress' in increasing the supply of early education: but the government needed to tackle the risks to the viability of provision, and regional gaps in supply. The challenge was to spend the extra funds available for childcare and early years provision cost-effectively.
Source: Early Years: Progress in developing high quality childcare and early education accessible to all, Thirty-fifth Report (Session 2003-04), HC 444, House of Commons Public Accounts Select Committee, TSO (0870 600 5522)
Links: Report | CPAG press release | NDNA press release | Community Care report
Date: 2004-Sep
A report assessed the contribution of pre-schools to the overall strengthening of communities in areas of social and economic disadvantage. It concluded that, as well as providing high-quality services for children, pre-schools continued to have a strong emphasis on involving parents in the day-to-day running of the settings and supporting parents in their own learning and development. (Pre-schools are run by parents, alongside trained charity staff.)
Source: Veronica McGivney, The Impact of Pre-schools in the Community: A follow up study, Pre-school Learning Alliance (020 7278 9037)
Links: PSLA press release (pdf) | Definition of pre-schools
Date: 2004-Jul
A study argued that government childcare policies, combined with decades of under-investment in childcare services, were hampering reforms designed to integrate childcare and education in England and Scotland. The twin-track policies of targeted investment on disadvantaged areas and families, and stimulating a private childcare market for working parents, had maintained the division and fragmentation of services; while parents still paid, on average, six times more for a pre-school place than parents in Sweden.
Source: Bronwen Cohen, Peter Moss, Pat Petrie and Jennifer Wallace, A New Deal for Children?: Re-forming education and care in England, Scotland and Sweden, Policy Press, available from Marston Book Services (01235 465500)
Links: Summary | Policy Press press release (pdf)
Date: 2004-Jun
A report assessed the effectiveness of early years policies in Scotland.
Source: Fran Wasoff et al., A Baseline Study of Outcome Indicators for Early Years Policies in Scotland, Scottish Executive (web publication only)
Links: Report (pdf)
Date: 2004-Jun
Experimental statistics were published on the performance of children at age 4, at the end of the foundation stage in 2003. Girls were already outperforming boys.
Source: Foundation Stage Profile 2003: National results, Statistical First Release 25/2004, Department for Education and Skills (0870 000 2288)
Links: SFR (pdf) | Guardian report
Date: 2004-Jun
The proportion of children aged 3 in England taking up free nursery education places in the maintained, private, voluntary and independent sectors reached 93 per cent in January 2004, up from 87 per cent a year previously, according to provisional figures. (The government set a target that by April 2004 there would be a free place for every child aged 3 whose parents wanted one.)
Source: Provision for Children under Five Years of Age in England: January 2004 (Provisional), Statistical First Release 15/2004, Department for Education and Skills (0870 000 2288)
Links: SFR (pdf)
Date: 2004-May
A report summarised a series of surveys detailing the childcare and early years workforce in 2002-03. Separate surveys were conducted for eight different types of childcare and early years settings. Since 2001, the number of full daycare providers had increased by 28 per cent, while the number of playgroup providers had reduced by 15 per cent.
Source: 2002/03 Childcare and Early Years Workforce Survey, Department for Education and Skills (0845 602 2260)
Links: Report (pdf links)
Date: 2004-May
A schools inspectorate report reviewed whether the Foundation Stage curriculum successfully prepared children for Key Stage 1. It highlighted the problems schools found in assessing children at the end of their reception year. Some children struggled with the transition to formal education in Year 1.
Source: Transition from the Reception Year to Year 1: An evaluation by HMI, HMI 2221, Office for Standards in Education (07002 637833)
Links: Report (pdf) | OFSTED press release | NUT press release | Guardian report
Date: 2004-May
The government said that the September 2004 target to give a free part-time early education place to every child aged 3 had been met six months ahead of schedule.
Source: Press release 1 April 2004, Department for Education and Skills (0870 000 2288)
Links: DfES press release
Date: 2004-Apr
Researchers found that the proportion of children participating both in nursery education and in childcare in the previous week (in a survey conducted in England in 2001 and 2002) had increased significantly since 1997. There was a clear correlation between use of these services and both high household income and non-manual social class status.
Source: Alice Bell and Steven Finch, Sixth Survey of Parents of Three and Four Year Old Children and their Use of Early Years Services, Research Report 525, Department for Education and Skills (0845 602 2260)
Links: Report (pdf) | Brief (pdf)
Date: 2004-Apr
The government pledged (in the Budget) to create 1,700 children s centres by 2008, including one in all of the 20 per cent most disadvantaged wards in England, with a longer-term goal of a children s centre in every community. It also announced increased spending of 669 million on Sure Start, early years education and childcare by 2007-08, an annual rise of 17 per cent. Provision of free part-time early education places would be extended on a pilot basis to 6,000 children aged 2 living in disadvantaged areas. A new childcare voucher scheme, to be operated by employers from April 2005, would be extended to include care provided by nannies as well as registered childminders.
Source: Prudence for a Purpose: A Britain of stability and strength - Economic and Fiscal Strategy Report and Financial Statement and Budget Report, HC 301, HM Treasury, TSO (0870 600 5522) | House of Commons Hansard, Debate 17 March 2004, columns 321-336, TSO
Links: Report (pdf links) | HMT press releases | Budget speech | DfES press release | Daycare Trust press release | EOC press release | Guardian report (1) | Guardian report (2)
Date: 2004-Mar
A study explored teachers views of the effectiveness of the transition from Foundation Stage (ages 3-5) to Key Stage 1 (ages 5-7), and how it could be improved. Most respondents said that the transition was effective in their school.
Source: IFF Research, Transition from Foundation Stage to Key Stage 1, Department for Education and Skills (0845 602 2260)
Links: Report (Word file)
Date: 2004-Feb
