Alternatively, the recent Field and Allen reports argue strongly for the social benefits of early education and childcare - reducing poverty, and intervening early to prevent vulnerable children from creating social problems in the future.
By both measures, we are in danger of feeling seriously let down. After spending billions on the free entitlement to early education at three and four, children's progress at seven has been flat-lining for the last four years. The national evaluation of the pilot phase to provide free places for two-year-olds showed no benefit overall to the children. Neither of these findings should really be a surprise - we already know the EYFS does not link very well to Key Stage 1, for example. But it is becoming increasingly easy, in a time of austerity, for critics to argue that there is no evidence that spending money on the early years is making a significant difference.
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