Ofsted has published the final part in its series of Best start in life research reviews relating to early years education, this report focuses on what progress looks like for pre-school aged children in the 4 specific ares of learning – literacy, mathematics, understanding the world, and expressive arts and design.
The research is clear: early education is too important to be left to chance. A high-quality early years curriculum is particularly important as not all children get the same start in life – for example, due to differences in the level of help they receive at home.
Today’s report highlights how the 4 specific areas of learning give breadth and richness to the early years curriculum, and show how early learning is connected. Today’s report draws together all the findings from the research series and suggests the key indicators of an effective early years education include:
- interactions between children and adults that are high-quality, including both caring interactions and those promoting children’s thinking. Finding out what children know and can do is more useful than standing back and observing
- carefully considering what we teach our youngest children so that adults can make the best use of available time and ensure all children learn important knowledge, concepts and ideas
- helping children to learn new things by making links with things that they already know
- making sure that what children learn is sequenced appropriately for each area of learning. For example, in mathematics children need to build understanding of concepts in a clear hierarchy, but in other areas a different approach to sequencing might be better
- developing a child’s executive function, such as a child’s ability to hold information in their working memory and work with that information, is not left to chance. These skills are crucial and do not just develop of their own accord
- ensuring practitioners avoid making tasks too complicated, so that children’s working memory isn’t overwhelmed
- setting out activities that children might experience is not enough. Practitioners ensure that learning is not left to chance and that all children have the support and guidance they need
Today’s report builds on the findings of part 1 and part 2. The series of early years reviews aims to help practitioners raise the quality of early years education.
