While it was disheartening to read the reported outcomes of the two-year-old offer pilot, it comes as no surprise to find that results were best where children were placed in higher quality settings (‘Childcare at two fails to improve outcomes, reports DfE study’).
The largest gains for children in high-quality settings were in communication, language and literacy, which all play an underpinning role in children’s continued learning. As in the original evaluation of the pilot, these gains apply only in high-quality settings, with medium-quality settings failing to make a difference for children.
We urge the government to ensure that all two-year-olds attend only high-quality settings with well-qualified staff dedicated to working with them on a one-to-four ratio.
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