Nursery World - How pre-schools give added value

All pre-school settings make a positive impact on the intellectual and social development of a child, but some make more impact than others, a leading childcare researcher told delegates at an early years conference in Edinburgh. Around 150 early years and childcare professionals from all over Scotland attended the HMIe conference Realising Potential at Heriot Watt University on 21 May, where they were addressed by Professor Kathy Sylva of Oxford University, who leads the Government-funded EPPE (Effective Provision of Pre-school Education) project.

Around 150 early years and childcare professionals from all over Scotland attended the HMIe conference Realising Potential at Heriot Watt University on 21 May, where they were addressed by Professor Kathy Sylva of Oxford University, who leads the Government-funded EPPE (Effective Provision of Pre-school Education) project.

She told them, 'It is worth investing a lot of money in pre-school.

Children's academic achievements are higher and there are fewer behavioural problems. And the positive impact of this initial boost remains evident after two years at school.'

Professor Sylva said the EPPE findings showed that, after taking into account factors including gender, ethnicity, social class, number of siblings, and the language spoken at home, the settings that added most value for a child were integrated settings and nursery schools. The qualifications of the setting's manager were also paramount.

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