and adult-child interactions. In interpreting the findings on type of provision, it is important to
acknowledge the very different resourcing levels typical of different types of provision, which
have implications for staffing, training and facilities. The maintained sector differs quite markedly
in this respect from voluntary provision, particularly playgroups which, in the past, have had little
access to resources in England and often few staff with higher levels of relevant qualifications.
Ratios and staff qualification
Adult child ratios can be measured in several ways. Statutory minimum levels vary by type of
provision. However many settings operate with more generous ratios than those statutorily
required. Observed ratios (with and without volunteers) were used to provide indicators of
staffing levels normally experienced by children aged 3-5 years in individual centres. Statutory,
reported (by centre managers) and observed ratios were all tested for links with children’s
cognitive progress. More generous adult/child ratios showed a significant link with one aspect of
children’s cognitive progress, early numbers concepts. Quality, qualifications and type of
provision are themselves associated. Ratios tended to be poorer (i.e. higher ratios with more
children per adult) in some forms of provision that had more highly qualified staff and higher
observed ratings for quality (measured by ECERS-E), although the correlation is fairly low
(r=0.21). The exception is integrated centres that have higher quality scores but low ratios.
Centre managers’ qualifications and the proportion of staff hours at different qualification levels
also show significant variation between centres and by type of provision. Centre managers’
qualifications are significantly associated with the observed quality profiles of centres. Centres
where managers reported they had Level 5 qualifications (e.g. trained teachers7) exhibited higher
quality. Findings from the associated Researching Effective Pedagogy in the Early Years study
(REPEY see Siraj-Blatchford et al, 2002) also indicate that the observed behaviour of other staff
is positively influenced by the presence of a member of staff with Level 5 qualifications.
The multilevel analyses of children’s progress found a significant positive relationship between
the percentage of Level 5 staff hours and young children’s progress in pre-reading. This
suggests a link between more highly qualified (i.e. qualified teacher) staff and better child
outcomes in pre-reading, although this link may operate indirectly through an impact on centre
quality. Given the complex inter-relationships between ratios, staff qualifications, quality and
type of provision, plus the extent of variation between individual centres of the same type, these
influences on children’s outcomes may be confounded (although the significant relationship
between Level 5 staff hours and young children’s progress in pre-reading indicates that staff
qualifications are important in this complex of influences). It may be more relevant for policy
makers and practitioners to consider the impacts of packages of provision, rather than to try to
separate the impact of particular features in isolation.
Children who had no pre-school centre experience
Data were collected for a group of ‘home’ children with no or only minimal pre-school centre
experience. Comparisons of the home sample with children who had attended a pre-school
centre showed that both the characteristics and attainments of home children vary significantly
from those who had been in pre-school. It is not possible to conclude with certainty that the much
lower attainments of the ‘home’ group are directly due to lack of pre-school experience.8
Nonetheless, the statistical analyses strongly suggest that pre-schooling provides a significant
cognitive boost.
Contextualised multilevel analyses of attainments at entry to primary school that explored the
impact of child, parent and home environment factors illustrate that, even when these are
controlled, home children’s cognitive attainments are poorer than those of children who attended
any of the six types of provision studied. The results also support the link between a longer
duration of pre-schooling and higher cognitive attainments, in comparison with the ‘home’ group
7 For further details of classifications, see EPPE Technical Paper 5.
8 A controlled experiment (which would not be feasible on either ethical or practical grounds) would be needed to draw
firm conclusion.
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