Early Years provision based on children’s needs in England

A new report in England has been released in relation to the impact of expanding Early Years provision based on need rather than parental employment status. Currently, there is an entitlement of 30 hours of free Early Years provision per week, however this is available to eligible working parents only. The BRIDGE Project was a two-year project funded by the Westminster Foundation and delivered by the London Institute of Early Years (LIEY) within the London Early Years Foundation (LEYF) and delivered across four Westminster nurseries. These nurseries provided an expanded offer to 12 children with additional needs and their families with:

• • 30 hours per week of high-quality early education (during term time)
  • a free nutritious daily lunch
  • additional staff capacity in each nursery to support observation, assessment,  intervention and family

The project provided more than just an increase in hours of provision, providing targeted, relational and pedagogical intervention. We provide an overview of the project’s Final Evaluation Report.

Participants

The focus of the project was children with emerging or identified Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) as well as children with complex family circumstances. This included poverty, parental mental health difficulties, bereavement, refugee status, domestic abuse and language barriers. It was a targeted effort to include children who “stand to benefit most from sustained, high quality early education, yet are often excluded from the current 30-hour entitlement”.

Benefits for children

The project achieved the following for children:

• • Sense of belonging and relationships-Daily attendance meant that children felt safe attending the setting and helped them develop a sense of belonging. It helped children to develop strong relationships with the staff as well as other children, ensuring positive nursery experiences.
  • Inclusive practice- The expanded offer ensured that children were able to take part in a wide range of activities and were less likely to become isolated during play. The additional staff also meant that the setting was in a position to offer places to children with complex needs.
  • Improved language and communication skills-Targeted interventions and one-to-one efforts meant children were better supported to overcome communication challenges.
  • Improved confidence and independence-The extra hours of provision helped children to settle into Early Years, develop a stronger sense of belonging and engage more meaningfully in Early Years.
  • Improved health and wellbeing- The provision of a lunch daily made a significant difference for some children, with the settings creating targeted plans to help children to tackle challenges they had around food.
  • Sense of community and sharing-Parents noted their children became more confident at making friends not just in the Early Years setting but also in other environments such as playgrounds.

Educators involved in the programme emphasised that both of the following elements were essential in achieving the above outcomes for children:

• • Children spending more time at the setting, attending every day and having a hot lunch in a communal environment
  • The availability of additional staff to provide one-to-one tailored support based on careful observation and assessment

Benefits for educators

Supporting the delivery of high-quality educators

The project supported staff in the following ways:

• • By improving the quality of child observation and assessment
  • By developing deeper SEND knowledge and awareness including tools available to support children with SEND
  • By supporting ongoing professional development

Relationships with parents

As a result of the project, relationships between educators and parents were strengthened and more pedagogical conversations could be had. Educators reported major improvements in “confidence, clarity and depth in their conversations” with the parents of children participating in the project. The provision of extra staff allowed more time for meaningful communication with parents and more detailed feedback on the children’s progress.

Reduced stress and job satisfaction

The provision of additional staff significantly reduced stress levels and job satisfaction. Educators felt less overwhelmed and better able to do their job with the time to refine observation, research suitable interventions and have pedagogical discussions with parents.

Benefit for families

The project had the following significant impacts on families:

• •  increased ability to support children’s learning and development at home
  • their understanding of their child’s health and nutrition
  • parental wellbeing
  • parental employability and financial situation

Recommendations

1. 1. Rebalance Early Years funding towards equity and quality
   2. Extend 30-hour entitlements to children with additional needs
   3. Invest in additional staffing to support early identification and intervention
   4. Strengthen workforce development for SEND and inclusive practice
   5. Recognise family partnership as core Early Years practice
   6. Include nutritious meals as part of funded Early Years
   7. Align Early Years policy with pathways into employment
   8. Use targeted Early Years as a tool to break cycles of disadvantage
   9. Pilot and scale targeted SEND-focused models

Conclusion

The Bridge project and its accompanying report serve as a reminder of the severe importance of ensuring all children have access to high quality Early Years and the long list of positive outcomes that Early Years has for children. This is particularly important for children from backgrounds targeted in the project. Governments must ensure that no child is excluded and further disadvantages as a result of policy decisions. Early Childhood Ireland will continue to monitor the implementation of Equal Start and its impact on targeted groups from disadvantaged backgrounds in Ireland.

You can read the full report here. If you have any questions or queries about our work, please contact [email protected].