Priorities for a
meaningful review of
childcare and early
education policy
Dr Julian Grenier
Headteacher, Sheringham Nursery
School and Children’s Centre
@juliangrenier

Quality matters
At a range of time points, disadvantaged children gained
from high quality pre-school. It reduced the risk of anti-
social or worried behaviour and improved attainment. It was
particularly importance for children who had a less
stimulating home learning environment or who were from
families where parents had poor or no qualifications.

Quality matters
The Institute of Fiscal Studies (IFS) estimated that pre-
school attendance and attending a pre-school of high
quality lead to positive financial returns over life time
earnings to the individual, a household and the
Exchequer.

The attainment gap
‘The gap grows wider at every following stage of education: it more than doubles to
9.5 months by the end of primary school, and then more than doubles again, to
19.3 months, by the end of secondary school. This shows the importance of
intervening early and then of continuing to attend to the needs of disadvantaged
pupils.’
‘The gap begins in the early years and is already evident when children begin
school aged 5.

‘Once children fall behind, it is
hard for them to catch up and
they are likely to fall further
behind throughout school.’
Becky Francis, CEO, Education
Endowment Foundation

2
dimensions
of quality
structural quality
The ‘iron triangle’: workforce
training and professional
development, child-to-staff ratios
and group size
process quality
The practices which lead to
‘favourable outcomes for
children across the domains of
language and literacy,
mathematics, cognitive, socio-
emotional and physical
outcomes.’

What is childcare and
early education for?
• Childcare for working parents?
• Early Education for children?
• Promoting more equal life-chances?

• 30-hour funding: the
‘Matthew Effect’
• Nurseries in
disadvantaged areas have
the least funding. They
employ the lowest
qualified staff
• Early years provision
doesn’t always boost
children’s early learning

Systematic quality
improvement
• Cross-sector collaboration
• In Newham: the Mayor’s Early Years
Hub has brought together 7
maintained nursery schools with over
100 PVI settings, childminders and
nursery classes in schools
• Impact (before Covid-19) –
• Significantly improved quality
• More disadvantaged children
and children with SEND getting
a place

A reformed
funding system
• Comprehensive workforce reform – time to look again at the
2012 Nutbrown Review
• Graduate leadership requires a qualification and career
framework
• Public funding requires clear processes and defined
outcomes