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.
The EPPE project, which began in 1996, is looking at children's development in England over a period of time, assessing them at age three, at entry to primary school and at the end of Years One and Two, to determine the value added by the early years setting they attend.
Jacqui Roberts, chief executive of the Care Commission, and Graham Donaldson, HM senior chief inspector, told the conference about the advantages of having their two organisations work together as a result of the Regulation of Care Act 2001.
Referring to an in-depth study of 18-month-olds, Ms Roberts said, 'We found concern about outcomes where there is learning without care and where there is care without learning.'
HM Inspector Peter McNaught reported on the progress of the new integrated inspections and said a positive start had been made. A survey of heads of pre-school centres had found that the vast majority thought inspections were helpful, particularly the feedback and the final report.
He said inspectors were monitoring their work through quality assurance systems, joint Care Commission and HMIe self-evaluation exercises and dialogue with pre-school practitioners.
Delegates also attended workshops on issues including healthy eating, involving parents in their children's learning, learning through ICT; planning for learning, outdoor and indoor play, citizenship, developing children's language and managing change and improvement.
