Nursery World - Interview - Professor Kathy Sylva

Professor Kathy Sylva, Department of Education, University of Oxford is one of the leaders of the evaluation of children's centres in England, with NatCen and Frontier Economics.

What will the evaluation cover?

We started work on the study before the election, looking at support for all parents, but the coalition Government wanted us to put more emphasis on the most vulnerable families, evidence-based practice and a clearer focus on school readiness. The study will investigate the impact of services on children and families. For example, has a child's vocabulary improved as a result of centre services? It's not just about asking whether services have got better, but if measured outcomes for children and parents got better.

What will children's centres taking part need to do?

We are writing this summer to 850 phase 1 and 2 centres to ask them to participate through a web-based survey or by phone. We ask about the services on offer and the families that use them. We know how hard pressed centres are and we want to make it as easy as possible for them to take part, so will fit in with them. It is an opportunity for children's centres to contribute their good practice to policy development and show us how they do it.

Register now to continue reading

Thank you for visiting Nursery World and making use of our archive of more than 35,000 expert features, subject guides, case studies and policy updates. Why not register today and enjoy the following great benefits:

What's included