30 August 2007
ECU comments on the article in The
Independent on 29 August 2007 (The Big Question: Is early-years
education the best way to prepare children for
school?)
Sue Owen, ECU Director, cautioned
against concluding that government initiatives to extend and
improve early years services had been a waste of time and
money. She said:
“As the authors of the report point out, they
were not in a position to look at all the variables affecting
children’s performance. The more extensive EPPE (Effective
Provision of Pre School Education) research showed significant
differences between children who had attended high quality early
years settings and those who hadn’t and many of the government’s
initiatives relating to quality improvement and workforce
qualifications are based on those findings. These are initiatives
to improve the quality of early years settings and staff, not until
those have bedded in will we expect to see significant changes for
children’s outcomes. Studies such as this are valuable but we need
to look more closely at the measures being used and find out what
they are really telling us rather than being panicked into changing
the horses mid-stream.”
One aspect which EPPE found made a
particularly important difference for children was the involvement
of their parents in their early learning activities and this is an
aspect which the National Children’s Bureau has been engaged in.
The Parents, Early Years and Learning project (PEAL) provides
training for early years staff in supporting parents and it is
being rolled out this year through over 100 free training events
nationwide. For more information on the training visit http://www.peal.org.uk/ or call 020
7843 6100
-Ends-
Notes for editors:
- PEAL aims to increase levels of educational achievement for
children living in disadvantaged areas, increase knowledge and
confidence for parents in how to enhance their children’s learning
and increase knowledge, skills and qualifications for early years
practitioners enabling them to work closer with parents and
children. For more information visit http://www.peal.org.uk/ or call 020
7843 6100
- ECU works to encourage discussion and debate with those who are
involved with children from birth to eight. For more information
visit http://www.earlychildhood.org.uk/
or call 020 7843 6064
- NCB promotes the voices, interests and well-being of all
children and young people across every aspect of their lives. As an
umbrella body for the children’s sector in England and Northern
Ireland, we provide essential information on policy, research and
best practice for our members and other partners. For further
information visit http://www.ncb.org.uk/ or call 020
7843 6000
For further information on this
release contact:
Paulina Filippou, Communications Officer,
PEAL Project, Early Childhood Unit
Tel: 020
7843
1169
Email: pfilippou@ncb.org.uk