The latest results from the longitudinal Study of Early Education and Development (SEED), which is following 5,000 children up to the age of seven, reveal that attending high-quality nursery classes, nursery schools or playgroups between ages two and four was associated with better results in Key Stage 1 Maths, Science and combined English and Maths during school Year 2 (age seven).
The amount of time spent in early education and care (ECEC) had no impact on children’s academic outcomes apart for those from the most disadvantaged families.
According to findings from the Government-funded research, published by the Department for Education (DfE), children from the 40 per cent most disadvantaged families who attended early childhood education and care (ECEC) for at least 10 hours a week before age two, increasing to at least 20 hours per week between age two and the start of school, had better outcomes on Key Stage 1 reading, writing and science, as well as the phonics check.
However, the authors - Professor Edward Melhuish from the University of Oxford and Nord University in Norway, and Julian Gardiner of the University of Oxford - note that as 'there has been a levelling up in the ECEC experiences of children across the socio-economic spectrum', any effects of differences upon child development are likely to be reduced.
According to the pair, there is near universal use of early education, compared with the last century, and an increase in overall quality, ‘so children’s ECEC experiences across the population are now more equivalent'. They say this means that 'The situation for children now is substantially better than it was at the end of the twentieth century.’
The latest SEED report measures children’s outcome in terms of academic attainment in school Year 1 (age six) and Year 2 (age seven), assessed using the Phonics Screening check in Year 1 and the Key Stage 1 assessments that take place in Year 2.
It explores whether children’s attainment is associated with the amount of time a child spends in ECEC, the quality of settings and the age at which children attended ECEC for at least 10 hours a week.
The quality of early years education and care (ECEC) was measured through observations carried out in 1,000 settings attended by a ‘subsample’ of children in the study.
The study also looks at the impact of the early years home environment and the quality of parent/child relationships at ages two to four on educational outcomes.
It finds that ‘warm’ child-parent relationships had a beneficial impact on academic outcomes, while more ‘permissive parenting’, leading to less structured environments for children, was associated with poorer outcomes.
According to the report, ‘There were benefits for children from a household with higher socio-economic status, higher income and a household where someone was working.’
It states, ‘The largest influence on all the child outcomes analysed was mother’s education. Father’s education was also a significant influence on certain child outcomes, even once mother’s education was controlled for.’
The study’s authors have also published a report exploring how effective quality scales including ECERS-R, ECERS-E and SSTEW are at predicting children’s cognitive and self-regulation development.
'We want to see the DfE simplify childcare support for families'
The National Day Nurseries Association (NDNA) said given the findings of the study on the impact of childcare on the most disadvantaged children, it was concerned about the falling take-up of funded two-year-old places.
Chief executive Purnima Tanuku said, 'This longitudinal study reaffirms the wealth of research on just how important the early years are for children’s development and their lifelong learning. We know that investing early in our children’s early education has the biggest impact on their overall life chances.
'The sector has done a huge amount of work to improve the quality of provision for children and we welcome the recognition of that in this study. It is also clear that the children who have the most to gain from access to formal early education are those from disadvantaged families. That is why the falling take-up of funded two-year old places is the most concerning development in recent years.
'We want to see the Department for Education and other Government departments simplifying the childcare support available for families so that they are aware of their entitlements and more children can benefit from accessing the high-quality learning environments that nurseries can provide. This report underlines the importance of getting policy right in early years, that means proper funding, a workforce strategy and a simpler system for parents and providers.'
- The SEED study on outcomes up to age seven is available here
