A team of researchers from the Institute of Education have been investigating the academic and social-behavioural development of approximately 3,000 children from the age of three since 1997.
The final report of the Key Stage 3 phase of the Effective Provision of Pre-School, Primary and Secondary Education Project (EPPSE) to be published at the end of next month will summarise and draw together all the findings from pre-school to the age of 14.
Meanwhile, the latest reports from the study evaluate children's attainment and progress in Key Stage 3 in English, maths and science, between ages 11 and 14.
The researchers found that pre-school quality and effectiveness continued to predict students' academic attainment in Year 9, even after background characteristics were taken into account.
The report says, 'The early experience of high-quality pre-school predicted better outcomes for maths and science at age 14, but not for English. Pre-school effectiveness had a continuing effect on English (for pre-schools effective in promoting pre-reading skills), maths and science (for those effective in promoting early number concepts). However, these effects were weaker than at younger ages.'
Brenda Taggart, one of the team's principal investigators, said that the research showed the 'continuing influence of pre-school on children's cognitive outcomes and also for social-behavioural outcomes'.
She added, 'High quality matters for outcomes and the effectiveness of the pre-school.
'The quality of pre-school was still having an influence on maths and science outcomes at the age of 14.'
She said that the fact that the quality of pre-school still showed an effect was 'remarkable', when the length of time children had been at school was considered.
'The impact of pre-school for maths is quite strong. What pre-schools do with maths is particularly important,' she said.
She attributed this to the way that parents tend to focus on supporting their children with reading, which means that what children do in nursery with maths is important for maths performance at school.
'The institutional effects are stronger for maths. There is a lot more going on at home with reading than with maths.'
To a lesser effect, this was also found with science.
But 'the quality of pre-school is not significant for English,' said Ms Taggart.
'The importance for English at the age of 14 was the effectiveness of pre-school in promoting pre-reading skills.'
Pre-schools that promoted children's pre-reading skills continued to make a difference to children's English attainment at the age of 14.
'How effective a pre-school was in promoting pre-reading skills had an effect on their English score at teacher assessment at Key Stage 3.'
For example, developing children's phonological awareness, rhyme, songs, poems and listening skills at pre-school are all an 'appropriate way of approaching pre-reading skills,' Ms Taggart said.
She added, 'The research also found that the home-learning environment for pre-school children is a strong predictor in attainment for three core subjects and still has an influence on academic outcomes at 14.'
A second report from the project includes findings on the importance of pre-school for children's social-behavioural outcomes in Year 9.
This concludes, 'Higher quality pre-school experiences still showed some longer term social-behavioural benefits at age 14. However, pre-school experience on its own cannot overcome disadvantage, although it may help to ameliorate its impact, particularly if children attend high-quality pre-school.'
- For further information go to http://eppe.ioe.ac.uk
