Improving quality of the Childcare Workforce Kathy Sylva University of Oxford Social mobility and life chances Oxford

This presentation will explore Impact of pre-school Effects of quality of pre-school provision on children Staff qualifications and their effect on childrens learning

Effective Provision of Pre-School Education E P P E Kathy Sylva University of Oxford Edward Melhuish Birkbeck, University of London Pam Sammons Institute of Education, University of London Iram Siraj-Blatchford Institute of Education, University of London Brenda Taggart Institute of Education, University of London Karen Elliot Institute of Education, University of London ,

Questions explored in the EPPE research What is the impact of pre-school on young childrens intellectual and social/behavioural development? Are some pre-schools more effective than others? Can pre-school experience reduce social inequalities? What is the effect of workforce qualifications on childrens development?

Six local authorities 141 Pre-school centres randomly selected within the authorities to include: nursery classes playgroups private day nurseries day care centres run by local authority nursery schools fully integrated centres Approx 2,800 children from 141 centres and 300+ home children Sample

25 nursery classes 590 children 34 playgroups 610 children 31 private day nurseries 520 children 20 nursery schools 520 children 7 integrated centres 190 children 24 local authority day care nurseries 430 children home 310 children Pre-school Provision (3+yrs) Reception Year 1 Year 2 (5 yrs) (6 yrs) (7 yrs) Baseline Assessment N= 3,000+ Exit Assessments N= 1500 Age 6 Assessments N = 3,000+ Age 7 Assessments N= 3,000+ Plan of Study

Cognition British Ability Scales Language British Ability Scales Social and behavioural development Cooperation/conformity, peer sociability, anti- social or upset behaviour. Child Assessments at entry to the study (age 3.0 years to 4 years 3 months)

Cognition British Ability Scales Language British Ability Scales Numeracy Early number skills Literacy skills Letter recognition, phonological awareness Social/behavioural development Cooperation, peer sociability, independence/concentration, anti-social or upset behaviour. Child Assessments at entry to school (age 4+ to 5+ years)

Child assessments over time Family background information Interviews with staff Quality rating scales Case studies of effective centres Sources of data

Multilevel models established the extent to which the pre-school centre influenced childrens progress. Childrens progress was assessed controlling for prior attainment at age 3+. Child, parent, & home learning environment factors were included in the analyses. Child Measures controlled for: gender ethnicity number of siblings Measuring Value Added Family Measures controlled for: eligibility to FSM mothers highest level of qualification highest social class

Home Learning Environment Measures frequency reading to child frequency of library visits frequency child paints/draws at home frequency parent teaches letters/numbers frequency parent teaches the alphabet frequency parent teaches songs, nursery rhymes, etc Other Measures length of time in months spent in pre-school Measuring Value Added continued

Integrated centres and nursery schools are best for cognitive outcomes. Integrated centres, nursery schools and nursery classes are best for social outcomes. Does type of pre-school experience matter?

The impact of quality How EPPE measures quality Early Childhood Environment Rating Scale (ECERS-R total + subscales) ECERS-E (total + subscales) Caregivers Interaction Scale (4 subscales, e.g., punitiveness, detachment)

ECERS-E subscales by manager qualification

% staff time at different levels (unqualified, level 2, level 3 & 4 and level 5*) was tested in models. For cognitive progress, % staff contact time at level 5 was positive significant for outcome (pre-reading). For social behavioural development: % staff contact time at level 5 was positive significant for Co-operation & Conformity and also significantly associated with reductions in Anti-social / Worried behaviour * Level 5 = degree level teacher (QTS) Staff qualifications and childrens learning

After taking into account the impact of child, family, home environment characteristics…at the end of year 1 children from high quality pre-schools had higher reading attainment children from pre-school centres with high ECERS-R subscale scores showed fewer Conduct problems qualified teachers made a difference in childrens academic and social outcomes

A take-home message? Children who stayed at home were more likely to be identified as at risk at the beginning of school than children who had attended some type of pre-school. A pre-school of high quality can help children move out of cognitive risk by the start of primary school. This positive impact remains evident at least until the end of Year 2. The higher the staff qualifications, especially QTS, the more developmental progress children make in the pre-school period.

For further information on EPPE Sammons, P., Sylva, K., Melhuish, E., Siraj-Blatchford, I., Taggart, B & Elliot, K. (2002). Technical Paper 8a: Measuring the Impact of Pre-School on Childrens Cognitive Progress over the Pre-School Period. Institute of Education, London. Sammons, P., Sylva, K., Melhuish, E., Siraj-Blatchford, I., Taggart, B & Elliot, K. (2003). Technical Paper 8b: Measuring the Impact of Pre-School on Childrens Social/behavioural Development over the Pre-School Period. Institute of Education, London. Sammons, P., Smees, R., Taggart, B., Sylva, K., Melhuish, E., Siraj-Blatchford, I., Elliot, K. (2004). EYTSEN Technical Report No.2. Institute of Education, London. Sammons, P., Taggart, B., Smees, R., Sylva, K., Melhuish, E., Siraj-Blatchford, I., & Elliot, K. (2003). The Early Years Transition and Special Educational Needs (EYTSEN) Project. DfES Research Report 431. Sylva, K., Melhuish, E., Sammons, P., & Siraj-Blatchford, I. (2004). Effective Pre- school Education. DfES Research Report. visit the EPPE website:

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