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.
But the planned changes to childcare ratios in More Great Childcare are likely to reduce rather than improve the quality of children’s experiences, and early years settings must receive adequate funding for two-year-old places to ensure that they can work effectively with children and families.
Staff who work directly with children also need to have training and experience specific to the needs of two-year-olds.
Dr Jane Payler, chair, TACTYC: Association for the Professional Development of Early Years Educators
Impact of outdoor learning must be measured
It is heartening to read that outdoor activities, along with art, drama and visits to museums, are increasingly being offered to children to complement their academic work and boost their wellbeing (‘Excellent adventures’).
It needs to be clear that it is possible to measure the impact these activities have on soft skills such as self-esteem and resilience, through the use of tools such as our Well-being measure. Many schools and charities working with young people are already using such approaches to offer hard evidence of what they are achieving, for evaluation purposes and future funding bids.
In addition to demonstrating impact, this information can also be used as a power tool for identifying what interventions work and how any extra-curricular programmes can be improved. It is great news that so many schools are offering these types of activities to their students, but we will get even more out of them if they measure what they achieve.
Catherine Boulton, Wellbeing measure business development manager, New Philanthropy Capital
