Nursery World - Do graduates and ratings really make no difference?

Following a study claiming that graduate staff and Ofsted Outstandings have little impact on children’s outcomes, a group of early years academics take issue with its methods

Comparing evidence

By Kathy Sylva (pictured), Pam Sammons, Iram Siraj, Brenda Taggart, Sandra Mathers, Edward Melhuish – University of Oxford Department of Education, and University College London Institute of Education

In February, the London School of Economics (LSE) published an investigation into the effects of pre-school on children’s development (Quality in Early Years Settings and Children’s School Achievement). It contradicts many studies that show pre-school quality and early experiences have significant positive effects on outcomes, and has been seized on by the media and those seeking to keep down staffing costs.

Like many, we were surprised by its counter-intuitive conclusions. We have identified serious limitations in conceptualisation and research design/methods, which mean the paper’s conclusions and apparent policy implications should be treated with extreme caution. This said, we welcome opportunities to highlight the ways that variation in methods may lead to differences in ‘conclusions’.

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