Nursery World - UN calls for state early education

Early childhood care and education must play an increasing role in reducing educational disadvantage and social exclusion, according to a Unicef report which places the UK seventh in an international league table of education achievement. The Unicef education report says that most early years provision in the world's richest industrial nations is privately financed, and calls for 'significant public investment' in the UK.

The Unicef education report says that most early years provision in the world's richest industrial nations is privately financed, and calls for 'significant public investment' in the UK.

The League Table of Educational Disadvantage in Rich Nations ranks the UK seventh, better than all other European countries except Finland and Austria. South Korea and Japan top the league, with Canada faring better than the United States and Germany languishing in the bottom half of the table. The table was created by combining data from five separate tests in reading, literacy, maths and science.

The report finds no clear correlation between national expenditure per pupil and educational achievement, or between the average number of pupils per teacher. However, there is a strong relationship between success in school and 'the occupation, education and economic status of the children's parents, whichever country they live in'.

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