Early years education
A major project looking at the sustainability of early childhood provision in the UK
'The more inclusion the better' - Catherine McLeod MBE on supporting the education of SEND children
“Even a tiny bit of training on practice-based skills can build confidence on how to work inclusively and it can make such a big difference to the knowledge practitioners have working with Special Educational Needs (SEN) children. We need to build a capacity in the mainstream so that children are...
The funding gap in early years education
Early years providers could be missing out on hundreds of pounds each year, data analysis shows. Research into current policies and free entitlement potentially show how much money settings are missing out on every year. Without sufficient funding, free early education is not sustainable and, providers will struggle to provide...
'The issue is not just the funding per hour but how the funding is structured' — Dr Sara Bonetti on funding inefficiency in early years
"Noone is denying that we need more money but, the mixed market does not help. Some are private providers and they have the goal of making a profit. It is very different for social enterprises. It is always that delicate thing about public money going into private hands. Yet, that...
'The big challenge is finding solutions that do not revolve around money' — Dr Verity Campbell-Barr on assessing the challenges of improving early education
"I feel like a broken record, but historical studies show that early childhood education and care offers value for money. I think it offers so much more value than those economic assessments could ever capture. However, it is a sector underfunded and providers are struggling." Dr Verity Campbell-Barr is an...