OFSTED COMMISSIONS CREC TO CONDUCT RESEARCH

In late 2012, CREC was commissioned by Ofsted to evaluate the available evidence (published within the past 10 years) on what Early Years interventions made a proven difference in closing the gap in educational attainment caused by socio-economic inequality. The authors looked at what had been proven to work not only in the UK but also internationally. The report was one of a number of background papers which fed into Ofsted’s ‘Unseen Children: Access & Achievement 20 Years on’ report which was launched by Sir Michael Wilshaw on 20th June 2013. In summary, and with regard to early years, Ofsted’s report stated that:

·         “High quality early years education and care has a big impact on outcomes for disadvantaged children” (p.38);

·         “Scarce resources should be targeted at increasing access to high quality early education for the most disadvantaged children (P.40)

·         “ parenting style and the home learning environment strongly influence children’s development and school readiness”(p.40); and

·         “ a well-trained and highly qualified early years workforce with access to ongoing professional development is vital in closing the achievement gap between children from poorer homes and their peers” (p. 43).

To access the reports, please visit our research page.