MEMORANDUM FROM DR GILLIAN PUGH OBE, CHIEF
EXECUTIVE, CORAM FAMILY (EY 67)
1. INTRODUCTION
1. I welcome the opportunity to give oral
evidence to the Select Committee on 29 March. This short written
submission summarises some of the issues that I would like to
draw to the Committee's attention.
2. Since the last major Committee enquiry
into early education (published in 1989) there has been considerable
progress in many of the areas of concern identified by that Committee,
and by a huge number of national reports published during the
1990s:
— the programme of expansion in nursery
education started under the last government has been accelerated
by the current government;
— the National Childcare Strategy is
bringing additional resources to day care services and to before
and after school schemes and holiday provision;
— the network of "early excellence"
centres is pioneering new ways of integrating services for young
children and families at local level;
— the Sure Start scheme is bringing
additional resources to community based work with families and
children under three;
— a substantial piece of work on the
early years curriculum has recently been completed by the Qualifications
and Curriculum Authority;
— at local level, the Early Years Development
and Childcare Partnerships are helping to plan a more co-ordinated
approach to service provision;
— increased child benefit and the working
families tax credit is providing more financial support for families
with young children who are on low incomes.
3. All of this development is to be welcomed,
but there is still work to be done if we are to give our youngest
children the start in life that they deserve.
4. Amongst the concerns noted in the paragraphs
that follow are:
— the need to see the years nought
to six as the first stage of education, not three to six;
— the continuing need for increases
in provision, particularly for children under three, and for all
day provision;
— the need to turn short term initiatives
into long term commitment;
— the need for additional resources
for the training of early years educators;
— the continuing need for "joined
up thinking and working" at both central and local government
level.
2. WHAT SHOULD
WE TEACH
YOUNG CHILDREN
AND HOW
SHOULD WE
TEACH IT?
5. In the early years in particular, it
is more appropriate to start with how children learn rather than
with how or what we should teach. The Rumbold report (DES 1990)
argued that the context of learning (where children learn) and
the process of learning (how young children learn, the way in
which children acquire the disposition to learn or are turned
on to and tuned into learning) are as important as what they learn.
Much of the debate about young children's learning over the past
decade since the publication of this important report, has centred
on attempts by those who work with young children and who understand
how they learn, to convey this understanding to those responsible
nationally for policy and for guidance—in the Department
of Education, OFSTED, the Teacher Training Agency (TTA) and the
Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA). Until recently,
the lack of early years experience in all of these organisations
has been a real block to progress.
6. The Foundation Stage curriculum guidance,
prepared by a working party of the QCA (of which I am a member)
and now in final draft form, provides a clear and unambiguous
statement of the principles which should underpin both learning
and teaching. A copy of these is attached (Annex 1). The two key
points are:
(i) that effective early education requires
a relevant curriculum, one that builds on what children can already
do and which includes opportunities for children to engage in
activities planned by adults as well as those they plan or initiate
themselves. Children are innately curious and eager to learn.
They learn best through play, through talk and through direct
experience; and they learn when they feel confident and secure.
Early learning experiences should encourage in children a positive
attitude and disposition towards learning, and the confidence
to work on their own and with others to solve problems and make
choices;
(ii) that effective early education requires
practitioners who understand how young children learn and develop;
who can observe children and respond appropriately, planning for
children's learning, both as individuals and in groups; who can
create a stimulating and well organised learning environment;
and who can work in partnership with parents.
Children under three
7. The QCA guidance, and indeed the focus
of this inquiry, is into the education of children aged three
to five. As noted in the introduction, I believe that the first
phase of education should extend downwards to birth, and that
there should be continuity between the years before and after
three. Children are learning from birth or even earlier. We know
from research into early brain development how important the first
three years of life are, in terms of the speed at which the brain
is developing and its susceptibility to environmental influences.
Research has also pointed to the key role of parents as their
children's first educators, and the importance of the home as
a learning environment. The Sure Start programme was set up in
acknowledgement of the importance of these years and in response
to a lack of support for parents and very young children. In recent
discussions with Ministers about the progress of Sure Start, it
has become clear that there is little understanding nationally
of what constitutes good practice in working with very young children,
whether in nurseries, or at home with parents or childminders.
8. It is important that in discussions about
young children's learning and development, there should be continuity
between under and over threes, and that the important role of
parents is both acknowledged and supported.
3. STAFFING AND
QUALIFICATIONS
9. There is a clear link between the quality
of early years provision and the quality of the teachers and other
early years educators working with them. All major reports over
the last 10 years have pointed to five main problems:
— Lack of qualifications amongst those
working with children under five in the private and voluntary
sectors;
— The inappropriateness of the content
of teaching training for nursery and infant teachers, with a neglect
of child development;
— The high proportion of teachers in
reception classes in schools who are not trained to work with
such young children;
— Lack of funding for training, whether
through the NVQ route or teacher training;
— Lack of interface between the developing
Early Years National Training organisation (responsible for accrediting
NVQ related qualifications taken by playgroup leaders, nursery
nurses, childminders etc) and the TTA's rule in training teachers.
10. Effective early education requires a
well qualified workforce, all of whom should be appropriately
trained. All early years settings should employ or have regular
access to early years teachers. Teaching young children is a skilled
and demanding job. As the RSA report (1994) argued, early years
teachers require a breadth of knowledge, understanding and experience
which is not required of those training to teach older children.
I welcome the recent acceptance by the TTA that early years is
a specialism compared to subject specialisms, and that early childhood
studies degrees are an appropriate basis for a PGCE.
11. The development of interdisciplinary
degrees such as the BA in Early Childhood Studies in about 30
universities is one of the success stories of the last decade,
and provides the most relevant preparation for working with young
children. It is however difficult for mature students and part-time
students to access courses, due to lack of funding. The courses
do however need to maintain academic rigour and allow specialism
within them.
12. The majority of early years practitioners
are not teachers, and although many are very experienced, lack
of funding means that not all are sufficiently well qualified.
As recommended by the ECEF and the recent review of playgroups
(1999) all managers of nurseries or playgroups should be qualified
to graduate level or equivalent, and all practitioners to NVQ
level 3.
13. Four further points should be made:
— the importance of access to in-service
training and continuous staff development as a right of all early
years practitioners. Schools have five days a year for staff training,
many private and voluntary sector groups have little or no in-service
training;
— the many differentials in pay and
conditions between the various staff working with young children,
and the generally low levels of pay across the sector. This is
a professional job which does not, at present, command a professional
salary;
— the severe shortage of trained nursery
teachers, due to a combination of increasing job opportunities
and cut backs over many years in training;
— the length of time it is taking for
good NNEBs and other degree level applicants to access teacher
training through the work-based route.
14. In summary, and drawing on our recent
publication (Abbott and Pugh 1998), the key issues in relation
to training are:
(i) the need for closer co-operation between
the Early Years NTO and the Teacher Training Agency, in order
to create a coherent training framework for all work with young
children.
(ii) national targets for training so that:
— all teachers are early years specialists;
— all heads of centres, nurseries and playgroups
are graduate level or equivalent;
— all other early childhood workers are
NVQ level 3 or equivalent.
(iii) all training should be adequately funded,
and in particular there should be grants for mature and part-time
students, and better support for those following NVQs;
(iv) early childhood studies degrees should
be further developed, as the ideal basis for qualifications in
work with young children;
(v) there should be a specific emphasis on
attracting men and students from minority ethnic groups into early
years work;
(vi) all early childhood workers should have
access to continuous professional development as of right and
all centres should have at least five days closure a year for
whole staff training;
(vii) a national working party should be
established to examine and resolve the current differentials in
pay and conditions of early years workers.
4. ASSESSMENT
OF TEACHING
AND LEARNING
15. The recent decision to combine the two
separate inspection systems is welcome. However, there is some
concern at the current lack of relevant early years experience
within OFSTED, a situation which will become more serious as the
new combined service is set up; and concern too at the current
discrepancies between section 122 nursery inspections in non-school
settings and Section 10 school inspections.
16. It is worth noting that the emphasis
in the UK on inspection is rather stronger than in many other
European countries. A great deal more could be achieved through
building on the current potential for self-appraisal and self-evaluation
within early years services, linked into action plans and supported
by early years advisors.
5. AGE OF
FORMAL SCHOOLING
17. The experience of most other countries
in the world is that formal schooling begins at six or even seven,
and I have argued above for birth to six to be seen as the first
stage of education, and with formal schooling starting at six.
The introduction of the new Foundation Stage should make it easier
for a more coherent approach to the education of children aged
three to five, with Key Stage 1 of the National Curriculum starting
at age six.
6. COHERENCE,
CO -ORDINATION
AND CONTINUITY
18. I would like finally to bring to the
Committee's attention the lack of continuity experienced by many
children before they start in main stream school. A continuing
short-fall in provision, and the existence of so many different
kinds of provision, means that even in the course of one day too
many children find themselves attending different groups or nurseries
in the morning and the afternoon, and perhaps then going on to
a childminder before going home in the evening.
19. Early excellence centres, such as the
one in Camden provided by the Thomas Coram Early Childhood Centre
and the Coram Parents Centre, can provide care and education from
8.30 am to 5.30 pm all the year round for all the children in
a local neighbourhood, paid for by a mixture of nursery education
grant (paid for by the LEA) plus parental fees or social services
support, depending on individual means. Not only are children
provided for, but there is education and support too for parents—access
to informal support, to training opportunities, to parenting education,
to groups and courses and to workshops on young children's learning—funded
by a Single Regeneration Budget grant. Through support from the
health authority and social services, families also have access
to health visitors, clinical psychologists, speech therapists
and social workers.
20. This must surely be the service of the
future. But to achieve it requires a great deal of "joined
up" working between local authorities, health authorities
and voluntary organisations, and additional mainstream funding
to support the crucial work with parents. It is providing very
difficult to find continuation funding as the SRB grant begins
to run out, and the same questions will arise when Sure Start
schemes reach the end of their allotted funding.
REFERENCES
Abbott L and Pugh G (1998) Training to work
in the early years: developing the climbing frame, Open University
Press.
Ball C (1994) Start Right: the importance of early learning
Royal Society of Arts.
Department of Education and Science (1990) Starting with
Quality: report of the committee of inquiry into the quality of
educational experience offered to three and four year olds
(Rumbold report), HMSO.
Department for Education and Employment (1999) Tomorrow's
Children: the review of pre-schools and playgroups and the Government's
response DfEE publications.
Dr Gillian Pugh, OBE
March 2000
ANNEX
Source: Foundation Stage Curriculum Guidance
final draft, QCA (in press).
PRINCIPLES FOR
EARLY YEARS
EDUCATION
These principles are drawn from, and are evident
in, good and effective practice in early years settings.
Effective education requires both a relevant
curriculum and practitioners who understand and are able to implement
the curriculum requirements.
Effective education requires practitioners who
understand that children develop rapidly during the early years
physically, intellectually, emotionally and socially. They are
entitled to provision which supports and extends knowledge, understanding,
skills and confidence, and helps them to overcome any disadvantage.
Practitioners should ensure that all children
feel included, secure and valued. They must build positive relationships
with parents in order to work effectively with them and their
children.
Early years experience should build on what
children already know and can do. It should also encourage a positive
attitude and disposition to learn and aim to prevent early failure.
No child should be excluded or disadvantaged
because of his or her race, culture or religion, home language,
family background, special educational needs, disability, gender
or ability.
Parents and practitioners should work together
in an atmosphere of mutual respect, within which children can
have security and confidence.
To be effective, an early years curriculum should
be carefully structured. In that structure, there should be three
strands:
— provision for the different starting
points from which children develop their learning, building on
what they can already do;
— relevant and appropriate content
which matches the different levels of young children's needs;
and
— planned and purposeful activity which
provides opportunities for teaching and learning both indoors
and outdoors.
There should be opportunities for children to
engage in activities planned by adults, and also those which they
plan or initiate themselves. Children do not make a distinction
between "play" and "work" and neither should
practitioners. Children need time to become engrossed, work in
depth and complete activities.
Practitioners must be able to observe and respond
appropriately to children, informed by a knowledge of how children
develop and learn and a clear understanding of where they go next.
Well planned, purposeful activity and appropriate
intervention by practitioners will engage children in the learning
process and help them make progress in their learning.
For children to have rich and stimulating experiences,
the learning environment should be well planned and well organised.
It provides the structure for teaching within which children explore,
experiment, plan and make decisions for themselves, thus enabling
them to learn, develop and make good progress.
Above all, effective learning and development
for young children requires high quality care and education by
practitioners.
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