Published today, the report – the first of a series of reviews on early years education from the inspectorate – stresses the importance of early education for children born in Covid-19 lockdown to give them the best start in life following the pandemic.
Its purpose is to support practitioners to raise the quality of early years education, drawing upon a range of published research to consider how early years practitioners deliver high-quality provision for children from birth to age four. The review considers the early years curriculum and pedagogy, along with staffing in the sector.
The ‘Best start in life part 1: setting the scene’ highlights the value of play and teaching and the importance of developing children’s communication skills. It says that ‘practitioners need to think carefully about what content to prioritise’ to make sure they ‘catch up’ after the pandemic.
While the report does not prescribe how to teach a high-quality early years curriculum, it does suggest that ‘high-quality early years curriculum and pedagogy may have the following features:
- The curriculum considers what all children should learn. It prioritises communication and offers plenty of opportunity for disadvantaged children, or those who speak English as an additional language, to learn and practise speaking and listening.
- Adults think carefully about what children already know and can do when deciding what to teach first.
- Children with gaps in their knowledge get the additional teaching they need so that they can access the same curriculum as their peers.
- Practitioners consider children’s interests when choosing activities. They also expand children’s interests so they make progress in all areas of learning.
- Children’s play is valued and used to teach many aspects of the curriculum. Learning through play is enhanced by skilful adult intervention.
- Practitioners introduce children to new knowledge through explicit teaching and follow this up with practice through play.
'Early years practitioners have worked hard to teach children things they’ve missed and to embed that knowledge through play.'
Amanda Spielman, His Majesty’s Chief Inspector, said, ‘Every child deserves a good early education. Their first few years equip children with the building blocks they need to succeed in childhood and beyond.
‘Many children in nurseries or childcare began life during the pandemic and have had to catch up with communication and social skills. Early years practitioners have worked hard to teach children things they’ve missed and to embed that knowledge through play. I hope our review helps them – and highlights the vital work that they do introducing children to education.’
Ofsted says that subsequent reviews, to be published at a later date, will explore the EYFS seven areas of learning.
The Early Years Alliance welcomed Ofsted’s ‘increased focus on the early years sector’, but stressed that for the research to have any ‘lasting impact’, Government must put in place a long-term plan for the sector, which includes ‘realistic funding’.
Chief executive Neil Leitch said, ‘As Ofsted has acknowledged, ensuring that children catch up after the pandemic is currently a key challenge for the early years. And, early educators are doing their best to achieve this, but when faced with mounting workloads, a recruitment and retention crisis and years of underfunding, it is becoming an impossible task.
‘So, while we welcome the fact that, in this report, Ofsted has highlighted how valuable play and teaching in the early years is, for their review conclusions to have any lasting impact the Government must support this with a long-term plan for the sector that includes realistic funding.
‘We urge the Government to take swift action to address this, rather than solely focusing on deregulation policies that will only act as a catalyst for the sector’s challenges rather than a solution.’
The Ofsted report is available here