While the Effective Provision of Pre-School Education (EPPE) project now conclusively demonstrates that children who enjoy access to nursery education achieve better results at school by the age of seven, it also highlights that the quality of provision is key.
There is a wealth of information relating to quality contained in the EPPE report, and some of it may surprise practitioners. As Professor Kathy Sylva, head of the research team, points out, 'They may be surprised to know that "best practice" included many examples of teacher-planned play which had clear objectives for the learning of intellectual skills.
Children in settings where they made the most all-round progress engaged in fully chosen play about half the time and in teacher-planned or led activities for the rest of it.'
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