The name is absent

mean age 4 years 9 months) but reduces for mathematics attainment over Years 1 and 2. For
pre-reading the effects are more modest, but the impact shows less decline across Key Stage
1.¹⁶ For social behavioural outcomes such as Peer sociability and Self regulation, the effect
sizes are strong at entry to primary school but no longer significant by the end of Year 2. It
appears that the pre-school impact is more long lasting for attainment in reading and
mathematics than in social behaviour.

2. Diversity of provision

There are significant differences between individual pre-school settings in their impact on
children. Some settings are more effective than others in promoting positive child outcomes.

Examples of more and of less effective centres can be found in all types of provision. Overall
however, there were indications that children tend to make better intellectual progress in fully
integrated centres and nursery schools, but poorer progress in Local Authority day nurseries.

3. Duration and age of entry

The duration of attendance is important with every month of pre-school experience after age 2
years linked to better intellectual development and improved independence, concentration and
sociability.

4. Quality of provision

The observed quality of pre-school centres is related to better intellectual/cognitive and
social/behavioural development in children.

Good quality can be found across all types of early years settings. However quality was higher
overall in integrated settings, nursery schools and nursery classes.

Settings that have staff with higher qualifications, especially with a good proportion of trained
teachers on the staff, show higher quality and their children make more progress and better
social/behavioural gains.

5. Pre-school practices on the ground

Where settings view educational and social development as complementary and equal in
importance, children make better all round progress.

Effective pedagogy includes structured interactions between staff and children, traditionally
associated with the term “teaching”, the provision of instructive learning environments and
‘sustained shared thinking’ to extend children’s learning.

Full time attendance led to no better gains for children than part-time provision.

Children who had extensive group care under the age of two, were associated with slightly
higher levels of anti-social behaviour at 3 and 5 years of age.

6. Vulnerable children

Disadvantaged children and boys in particular can benefit significantly from good quality pre-
school experiences.

Where disadvantaged children attended centres that included children from mixed social
backgrounds they showed further benefit than if they attended centres containing predominantly
disadvantaged children.

¹⁶ The method of calculating effect sizes is described in more details in Technical Papers 8a & 8b. In
papers 9 and 11 further information is given in relation to duration of attendance. It should be noted that
the average time in pre-school was around 22 months (sd 11 months) and the majority attended part time
rather than full time. For comparison children had attended primary school full time for between 2-3 years
by the end of Key Stage 1.

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