EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Introduction
The Effective Provision of Pre-school Education (EPPE) project investigated the effects of pre-
school education and care on children’s development for children aged 3-7 years old. The
EPPE team collected a wide range of information on 3,000 children who were recruited at age 3+
and studied longitudinally until the end of Key Stage 1. Data were collected on children’s
developmental profiles (at ages 3, 4/5, 6 and 7 years), background characteristics related to their
parents, the child’s home learning environment, and the pre-school settings children attended.
Settings (141) were drawn from a range of providers (local authority day nurseries, integrated1
centres, playgroups, private day nurseries, nursery schools and nursery classes). A sample of
‘home’ children, (who had no or minimal pre-school experience) were recruited to the study at
entry to school for comparison with the pre-school group. In addition to investigating the effects
of pre-school provision, EPPE explored the characteristics of effective practice (and the
pedagogy which underpins it) through twelve intensive case studies of settings where children
had positive outcomes. This research report summarises the empirical work published in eleven
Technical Papers (See Appendix D). Those interested in statistical methods or detailed findings
should consult the Technical Papers because only the main findings and implications for policy
and practice appear in this report.
The Aims of EPPE
EPPE explored five questions:
What is the impact of pre-school on children’s intellectual and social/behavioural development?
Are some pre-schools more effective than others in promoting children’s development?
What are the characteristics of an effective pre-school setting?
What is the impact of the home and childcare history on children’s development?
Do the effects of pre-school continue through Key Stage 1 (ages 6 and 7 years)?
Methodology
EPPE used the following sources of information: standardised child assessments taken over
time, child social/behavioural profiles completed by pre-school and primary staff, parental
interviews, interviews with pre-school centre staff, quality rating scales and case study
observations and interviews. The case studies included detailed documentation of naturalistic
observations of staff pedagogy, and systematic structured target child observations of children’s
learning. Information was also gathered and analysed using interviews with parents, staff and
managers and through intensive and wide ranging documentary analysis and a literature review
of pedagogy in the early years.
Many sources of data have been used in statistical analyses to explore the ‘value added’ by pre-
school after taking account of a range of child, parent and home background factors. EPPE
used multi-level modelling to establish the contribution to children’s development by the pre-
school settings they attended. EPPE studied a range of different types of pre-schools and 3,000
children from differing social backgrounds across England. An important element in the study
has been to ensure that fair comparison can be made between individual settings and types of
provision. Similarly, the study has taken into account the contribution to children’s development
of background factors such as birth weight, gender, parental qualification/occupations and the
home learning environment. The pre-school effects reported in this paper are therefore ‘net’ of
child and family factors. Only by taking account of background influences can fair comparison be
made across settings.
EPPE researchers first assessed children at three to four years old when they joined the study.
Assessments were undertaken to create a profile of each child’s intellectual and
social/behavioural development (their attainment) using standardised instruments along with
reports from the pre-school worker who knew the child best. Children were assessed again at
1 ‘Integrated’ settings fully combine education and care and are referred to as ‘combined’ centres in some
EPPE Technical Papers.