ATL

Early education and childcare

"Early childhood is the foundation on which children build the rest of their lives; it is not just a preparation for the next stage - it is vitally important in itself." (EYCG, 1992).

ATL exists to promote the cause of education, and to further the professional interests of all those who are directly involved in education. In the current climate, there is considerable overlap of provision between early education and childcare in schools and early years settings. As extended schools offer more childcare and youth provision, decisions made about the workforce, about school admissions and about the involvement of other professionals, parents and carers will have an impact across education provision from birth to 14 and beyond. Developments within early education and childcare services are likely, ultimately, to affect all of those who work with children and young people.

Children's pre-school years are key formative years. By the time children reach statutory school age (in the term after their fifth birthday), they may have attended a wide variety of settings of varying quality, and experienced very different home lives. In partnership with parents and carers, foundation stage teachers and support staff work with these children and their families, to support children's learning. Consistently high quality care and education in the earliest years is vital both for children's current well-being and their future learning and development. It is a good investment for the future, not only in economic terms but also in improving society for all.

"The best outcomes for children's development will be produced by policies that put children, young people and their families at their centre." (ATL 2003)

It is vital that policies for childcare and early education focus on the needs and interests of children, both in terms of their present needs and what they will need in order to live fulfilling lives in the future. Of course, services for young children must also take into account the needs and views of parents and carers, but where the needs of children and the changing patterns of employment conflict it is important that the needs of children take precedence.

What is high quality early education and childcare?

The needs and interests of children and their families are at the heart of high quality early education and childcare. A wide range of provision is necessary in order to meet the unique needs of children and their families. Individual settings and the overall provision of early education and childcare, within a partnership system, must be of the very best quality. Local provision needs to be stable and consistent so that children are not accessing an excessive range of settings during any one week.

High quality early education and childcare depends on four factors:

• well-qualified, knowledgeable and skilled staff who have access to continuing professional development

• well-resourced learning environments which are stimulating, exciting and safe, which promote children's imagination and curiosity and which acknowledge the importance of play

• routines and procedures which are centred around the child

• parents and carers who are valued as partners with a crucial role to play in their children's education and care.

Early years professionals

The greatest resource for children are the adults with whom they spend their day. High quality provision depends on professionals who are able to use their knowledge and skills to support children's care and education. Early years professionals need:

• high levels of knowledge and understanding about pedagogy, and about how best to support young children's learning

• a secure understanding of the early years curriculum

• informed, skilful strategies and practices to support individual children in their learning, including the development of sustained shared thinking

• a strong commitment to work with children, and an understanding of their home backgrounds

• effective management skills and the ability to supervise staff to ensure continuity, consistency and stability

• staff development opportunities that ensure continuity, stability and improving quality.

Learning environment

To enable high quality care and education, the learning environment must include:

• appropriate and well-maintained resources and equipment

• ratios and group sizes that allow adults to interact effectively with children

• facilities that are safe and clean, and that are accessible to parents and carers.

Routines and procedures

The needs of the children are paramount when organising daily routines and procedures. High quality provision depends on routines which promote learning, including social skills, rather than those adopted merely for the convenience of adults.

Parents and carers

Parents and carers hold essential information about their children, and have a crucial role to play in their children's education. In a high quality early years system, parents and carers have support to enable them to choose the provision which best meets the needs of their children and themselves. Parents and professionals work together in partnership, sharing knowledge of the child, respecting, valuing and supporting each other. Professionals recognise and respect the personal and emotional investment of parents in their children's well-being and development and their differing needs, while encouraging parental engagement in their children's learning.

How can a high quality system of early years education and childcare be developed and supported?

The development of consistently high quality early years provision depends on national and local support. ATL believes that the following are vital:

• policies and practices that encourage the development of integrated childcare and education

• partnership between early education, childcare and school professionals

• raising the professional status of the workforce

• the development of a national statutory quality framework

• increased, simplified and sustainable funding for providers.

Integrated services

Research shows that quality of provision is higher overall in settings that integrate care and education. Where possible, integrated provision should be offered on one site or on sites very close together. A combined inspection system with early years inspectors who are experts in the field of both care and education is vital to ensure consistency of quality in all aspects of early years provision and across all settings.

Partnership

Individual high quality settings are vital but not enough. Integrated services and partnership between childcare and early education professionals across a geographical area are key to developing a sustainable and consistently high quality system. These partnerships must also support joint training and development opportunities for all early education, childcare and school professionals.

Early years professionals

High quality provision is dependent on the professionals who work within it. In order to raise the professional status of staff, policies are needed to support and encourage increased levels of qualification, high quality professional development and increased pay with national pay scales, alongside properly developed career pathways in the early years. All foundation stage classes in schools must be taught by a qualified teacher.

Quality framework

High quality provision means consistency of approach to childcare and early education across all settings. All before- and after-school and play-scheme provision should work towards a national quality assurance award and be subject to inspection as with other settings. The Birth to Three Matters Framework and Curriculum Guidance for the Foundation Stage or any further framework and guidance developed (eg the new quality framework proposed in the Government's 10-year strategy for childcare), should be statutory.

Funding

High quality early years provision must be properly and consistently funded across the maintained and non-maintained sectors, including primary schools. Recruiting and retaining high quality staff, resourcing stimulating learning environments and providing opportunities for continual updating of professional skills and knowledge is expensive and cannot be paid for by parental contribution alone. It is often in the most deprived areas that the need for funding is greatest. Research shows that money spent in a child's early years saves money in the longer term.

What support do parents and carers need?

ATL believes that there are two distinct factors to consider in developing support for parents: support for parents to make informed choices; and partnership between parents and professionals in supporting children's education and care. Parents' needs change as children grow, and this support should be sustained through children's earliest years to the time at which they start school, and beyond.

Parenting should be valued and respected as an important role in its own right, as it is essential to the development of a stable society. Parents should be able to make choices based on their own needs, and those of their children, and government should do more to support parents who wish to care for their own young children rather than seeking paid employment outside the home. Extending paid parental leave to 12 months with high levels of financial support provides meaningful choice to all families, and recognises that children's early well-being is best supported by one-to-one care. However, research shows that one-to-one care is the best provision for children up to two years old. Childminders have a significant part to play in offering a quality service to children and families, especially for those children under two. Parents will continue to need to access childcare once their children are at school.

Many parents appreciate support networks, parent and toddler groups, community nursery nurses and Sure Start outreach workers, to provide help and encouragement in developing parenting skills and strategies. This support needs to be practical and accessible, and all parents should be encouraged to access it and, where appropriate, supported in making effective use of it. Where parents use informal carers, including relatives, to provide childcare, there should be an embedded expectation that these informal carers will access the range of support available for parents.

Parents and early education, childcare and school professionals should also be supported to develop strong working partnerships. This is essential to ensure consistency of provision and smooth transfer for children between settings. Settings need to recognise that partnerships can be challenging, requiring positive and collaborative attitudes from all and, in some circumstances, additional support and encouragement for parents.

Packs need to be available for nurseries and schools, offering practical advice and help. A form of standardisation may be beneficial to ensure that the same quality of information is available to parents in different areas.

What does ATL believe the early years workforce should look like?

• The early years workforce should include all those who provide early education and childcare for children from birth at least to the end of the foundation stage.

• The early years profession should be a graduate profession and qualified teachers must be at the heart of development of the profession. There must be clear career pathways and national pay scales.

• The early years workforce should be fully inclusive, and more must be done to ensure the involvement of men and people from black and minority ethnic backgrounds.

• All who work in the early education and childcare profession should have initial and continuing training in child development and learning, child protection and fostering positive partnerships with parents.

• Qualified early years teachers have a crucial part to play in the achievement and maintenance of quality in early years settings as part of an integrated team, in particular through providing curriculum leadership, continuing professional development for the staff in those settings, and working directly with children and parents. They should have the same status as subject specialists.

• Early years consultants and advisory teachers also have an important role to play, particularly in identifying and supporting staff training. They should also have an inspectoral role, although not in the authority in which they advise.

ATL believes that development of the early years profession must take place within the context of changes to the children's workforce, as well as the teaching profession. The teaching profession must be fully involved and have ownership of the outcomes if we are to raise quality and consistency in all early years provision. These changes will be far reaching, and cannot be rushed.

In the interim, while a new early years profession is developing, qualified early years teachers have a vital role to play, as part of an integrated team in all early years settings, in developing and supporting high quality provision. All early years settings should have a qualified and experienced teacher on the permanent staff, and schools should ensure that there is a qualified teacher for each foundation stage class.

If you would like further information or to comment on this briefing paper please do so by contacting ATL.

Appendix

ATL recommends the development, in collaboration with parents, of parenting support packages which should include:

• information about children's development and learning, and advice on how to play an active role in their children's education, in particular through informal home learning activities

• opportunities, on a daily basis to engage with their children in their learning activities, and to become involved in the life of the school or setting, recognising the pressures that parents are under which influence their choice to take up these opportunities

• information, guidance and support about locally available childcare, nursery and school provision, and about recognising quality in these services

• clear and comprehensive information about the provision each school and setting offers.
  

References

1. Abbott, L et al (2002) Birth to three matters, DfES

2. ATL (2003) Response to the Treasury review of childcare

3. EYCG (1992) First Things First, Early Years Curriculum Group

4. QCA/DfES (2000) Curriculum Guidance for the Foundation Stage, DfES

5. Sylva, K et al (2004) The Effective Provision of Pre-School Education (EPPE) Project: Final Report, DfES