Review: Early Years Policy and Practice: A Critical Alliance

A history of early years policy formation

This book brings together all the policy and history relating to education and early years. It includes how acts came about, where changes have been made and how this has impacted on children in the education system.

Different practice across the world is referred to and it compares the UK’s placing in relation to certain aspects of the early years, for example salaries and differentials in welfare, with nations across the globe.

The publication reflects on the different legislative and policy changes and the different frameworks that have evolved up to the present Early Years Foundation Stage and the review by Dame Clare Tickell.

I found the history relating to the timeline of early years very interesting and informative. The pulling together of different research and theories from key experts in early years made this book interesting and consolidated why certain aspects have changed in the way they have. I particularly liked the sections on open and play spaces, safeguarding and how these have changed over the last few decades. The research relating to children playing in open spaces was very interesting.

However, the publication referred to UK policy on several occasions and while English policy and frameworks featured heavily, there were no references made to the frameworks used in Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland. This would make it less useful to those working in early years in these countries. The publication was heavy-reading at some points due to the nature of the subject, so may not suit all readers, and in places some of the writing felt like the author had certain political views, which didn’t feel appropriate in this medium.
 
The publication would be a useful tool for practitioners developing their professional qualifications, especially if this requires a research element.

The book clearly shows the early years timeline, the importance of what we do with the children in our care and how far early years and the education system has progressed in the last century.

This would form a great foundation for those starting to learn the history of early ?years and how policy and practice have forged the path taken by early years practitioners before them. It also reflects on key issues that have been solved and some, such as qualifications and salaries of early years professionals, that still require solutions.

It is a key resource for those researching the timeline of policy and practice in early years care and education.

Jo Baranek, lead early years adviser, National Day Nurseries Association

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