Researchers examined children's perspectives on their experiences in a range of early years settings, and what these perspectives said about the effectiveness of the Early Years Foundation Stage.
Source: Ros Garrick et al., Children's Experiences of the Early Years Foundation Stage, Research Report RR071, Department for Education
Date: 2010-Dec
A study examined the roles and responsibilities of special educational needs co-ordinators in early years settings.
Source: Rachel Reynolds and Nicola Young, Supporting Special Educational Needs Coordinators (SENCOs) in Early Years Settings: Findings from research, Pre-school Learning Alliance
Links: Report
Date: 2010-Dec
The government announced that children's centres in deprived areas would no longer be obliged to offer full daycare (40 hours per week), or to hire staff with both qualified teacher and early years professional status. It also announced its intention to legislate so that disadvantaged children aged 2 received 15 hours of free early education per week, starting from 2013.
Source: Speech by Sarah Teather MP (Minister for Children and Families), 16 November 2010
Links: Text of speech | DE press release | ATL press release | Daycare Trust press release | NCMA press release | Children & Young People Now report (1) | Children & Young People Now report (2) | Children & Young People Now report (3) | Nursery World report | Working Mums Magazine report
Date: 2010-Nov
Researchers examined how the take-up of early years provision varied by different dimensions of disadvantage, and the main barriers experienced by disadvantaged families. Low knowledge of the availability and quality of local childcare providers appeared to constitute a particular barrier to the use of early years provision for highly disadvantaged families.
Source: Svetlana Speight, Ruth Smith and Eva Lloyd with Cathy Coshall, Towards Universal Early Years Provision: Analysis of take-up by disadvantaged families from recent annual childcare surveys, Research Report RR066, Department for Education
Links: Report | Brief | Children & Young People Now report
Date: 2010-Nov
The government responded to a report by a committee of MPs on funding for early years education. It said that a new single funding formula, which local authorities in England would be required to introduce by April 2011, would be a more transparent method of funding.
Source: The Early Years Single Funding Formula: Government Response to the Seventh Report from the Children, Schools and Families Committee, Session 2009-10, Second Special Report (Session 2010-11), HC 524, House of Commons Education Select Committee/TSO
Links: Response | MPs report | ATL press release
Date: 2010-Oct
Researchers examined the evidence base on the outcomes of programmes that taught young children in group settings before they began reception class at school. Of the 29 programmes reviewed, 6 showed strong evidence of academic effectiveness, and 5 had moderate evidence of effectiveness.
Source: Bette Chambers, Alan Cheung, Robert Slavin, Dewi Smith and Mary Laurenzano, Effective Early Childhood Education Programmes: A best-evidence synthesis, CfBT Education Trust
Links: Report | Case studies
Date: 2010-Sep
A study found that most practitioners were enthusiastic about the Early Years Foundation Stage framework: but it raised concerns about 'huge discrepancies' in the levels of support provided for nursery workers and childminders.
Source: Liz Brooker, Sue Rogers, Daisy Ellis, Elaine Hallett and Guy Roberts-Holmes, Practitioners' Experiences of the Early Years Foundation Stage, Research Report RR029, Department for Education
Links: Report | IOE press release | Children & Young People Now report
Date: 2010-Sep
A study examined the relationship between the quality of early years education and outcomes that might arise from attendance at it. The inability of providers to report cost data was the biggest problem in trying to conduct value-for-money comparisons.
Source: Rebecca Hopkin, Lucy Stokes and David Wilkinson, Quality, Outcomes and Costs in Early Years Education, National Institute for Economic and Social Research
Links: Report
Date: 2010-Jun
The government responded to a report by a committee of MPs on new funding arrangements for early years education and care.
Source: Government Response to the Children, Schools and Families Committee Report on Early Years Single Funding Formula, Cm 7871, Department for Children, Schools and Families/TSO
Links: Response | MPs report
Date: 2010-Apr
The government published a 'strategic vision' for the further transformation of maternity services and early years services. It gave a guarantee of a personal Sure Start contact for all expectant parents, and the right for parents to ask for free childcare to fit around work and other commitments.
Source: Maternity and Early Years: Making a Good Start to Family Life, Department of Health/Department for Children, Schools and Families/Prime Minister's Strategy Unit
Links: Report | Hansard | DCSF press release | NCT press release | RCOG press release
Date: 2010-Mar
A report by a committee of MPs said that new funding arrangements for early years education and care needed to be implemented in a way that ensured that state-run nursery schools did not lose out. The quality of education and care offered by maintained nursery schools set the standard for others to follow, and it would be 'disastrous' if such provision were to be lost as a result of the new funding structure.
Source: The Early Years Single Funding Formula, Seventh Report (Session 2009-10), HC 131, House of Commons Children, Schools and Families Select Committee/TSO
Links: Report | ATL press release | BBC report | Children & Young People Now report
Date: 2010-Mar
The inspectorate for education and children's services published a report highlighting the factors that contributed to good outcomes for children in need in a range of different types of early years and childcare settings – including support for children with disabilities, and speech and language problems.
Source: Children in Need in Childcare: A survey of good practice, HMI 080248, Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills
Links: Report | OFSTED press release | Children & Young People Now report
Date: 2010-Mar
An article examined policies and strategies employed to professionalize the early childhood workforce in England since 1997.
Source: Eva Lloyd and Elaine Hallet, 'Professionalising the early childhood workforce in England: work in progress or missed opportunity?', Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood, Volume 11 Number 1
Links: Abstract
Date: 2010-Mar
The government responded to a report by a committee of MPs on early literacy interventions.
Source: Evidence Check 1: Early Literacy Interventions – Government Response to the Committee's Second Report, Second Special Report (Session 2009-10), HC 385, House of Commons Science and Technology Select Committee/TSO
Links: Response | MPs report
Date: 2010-Mar
A study found that children growing up in the poorest one-fifth of families were already nearly a year (11.1 months) behind those children from middle-income families in vocabulary tests by the time they were aged 5. Good parenting and a supportive home environment emerged as the most important determinants of better test scores at age 5, accounting for one-half of the explained gap between low-income and middle-income children.
Source: Jane Waldfogel and Elizabeth Washbrook, Low Income and Early Cognitive Development in the UK, Sutton Trust
Links: Report | Summary | NASUWT press release | BBC report | Guardian report
Date: 2010-Feb
A new book documented the first five years of life of children in the Millennium Cohort Study (tracking almost 19,000 babies born in 2000 and 2001 in England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland). It looked at the children's lives and development as they grew and began formal education, and the implications for family policy and service planning in health and social services. Failure to reach key 'milestones' at 9 months was associated with learning and behaviour problems at age 5.
Source: Kirstine Hansen, Heather Joshi and Shirley Dex (eds.), Children of the 21st Century (Volume 2): The first five years, Policy Press
Links: Summary | IOE press release (1) | IOE press release (2) | IOE press release (3) | Guardian report (1) | Guardian report (2) | Telegraph report
Date: 2010-Feb
A think-tank report said that not enough money was spent on education initiatives in the early years (0-5 years of age). It set out recommendations in the areas of parenting and early years provision; behaviour and exclusion; special educational needs; and spreading evidence-based, preventative practice in schools. These were crucial to avoiding problems of disengagement from education at later ages.
Source: Sonia Sodha and Julia Margo, Ex Curricula, Demos
Links: Report | Guardian report (1) | Guardian report (2) | BBC report (1) | BBC report (2) | New Start report | Children & Young People Now report
Date: 2010-Feb
Information was published on attainment in 2009 for the Early Years Foundation Stage (at age 5) by different pupil characteristics – gender, ethnicity, eligibility for free school meals, special educational needs, and English as a first language. Girls outperformed boys in 11 of the 13 scales of the Foundation Stage profile. 55 per cent of pupils not eligible for free schools meals achieved a good level of development, compared with 34.5 per cent for pupils known to be eligible for free school meals.
Source: Early Years Foundation Stage Profile Attainment by Pupil Characteristics, in England 2008/09, Statistical First Release 03/2010, Department for Children, Schools and Families
Links: SFR | Liberal Democrats press release | BBC report | Guardian report | Children & Young People Now report
Date: 2010-Jan
