The Role of Pre-school and Primary Education in Protection Against Developmental Risk

1. The Role of Pre-school and Primary Education in Protection Against Developmental Risk The Longview Conference: Escape from Disadvantage 3 October 2008 Kathy Sylva and James Hall Department of Education, University of Oxford

2. Presentation Outline Education, protection, and risks in the EPPE study Main effects of social class Main effects of children’s education Effects of education vary by social class An in-depth exploration into variations in the effects of educational quality on children at risk

3. The Effective Pre-school and Primary Education (EPPE) research team: Principal Investigators: Kathy Sylva Department of Education, University of Oxford Edward Melhuish Birkbeck, University of London Pam Sammons University of Nottingham Iram Siraj-Blatchford Institute of Education, University of London Brenda Taggart Institute of Education, University of London Researchers: Stephen Hunt Institute of Education, University of London (Sofka Barreau Department of Education,University of Oxford) Helena Jelicic Institute of Education, University of London Olga Cara Institute of Education, University of London Rebecca Smees Institute of Education, University of London Wesley Welcomme Institute of Education, University of London A Longitudinal Study Funded by the DCSF An ESRC/TLRP Project

4. 1. Education, protection, and risks in the EPPE study • A longitudinal study funded by the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF): • Effective Provision of Preschool Education Project (EPPE) 1997-2003 • Effective Preschool and Primary Education Project (EPPE 3-11) 2003-2007 • Effective Preschool, Primary and Secondary Education Project (EPPSE 3-14) 2007-2011 • These studies focus on the progress and development of 3,000 children from entering preschool to the end of Key Stage Three (3 to 14 years of age)

5. Design of EPPE: 6 LAs & 3,000 children Pre-school Provision (3+ yrs) Yr 1 Yr 2 Reception Yr 5 Yr 6 25 nursery classes 590 children Key Stage 1 600 Schools Key Stage 2 1000 Schools 34 playgroups 610 children 31 private day nurseries 520 children 20 nursery schools 520 children 24 local authority day care nurseries 430 children 7 integrated centres 190 children home 310 children

6. Assessments

7. Developmental risks and protection • Many measures of disadvantage were found to pose a risk to development. • e.g. SES, ethnicity, Home Learning Environment • Various aspects of education were found to mitigate the impacts of these risks. • i.e. confer protection

8. 2. Main effects of social class

9. Net effects of Mothers’ Qualificationson Reading at age 10

10. Multiple Disadvantage & Attainment in Reading and Maths at age 10

11. 3. Main effects of education

12. ECERS-R Harms, Clifford, and Cryer (1998) Space and Furnishings Personal Care Routines Language Reasoning Activities Interaction Programme Structure Parents and Staff ECERS-E Sylva, Siraj-Blatchford, and Taggart (2006) Language Mathematics Science and Environment Diversity Assessing the quality of pre-school

13. The impact of pre-school quality (ECERS-E) on English and Mathematics at age 11

14. The impact of pre-school quality (ECERS-R and ECERS-E) on anti-social behaviour at age 11

15. 4. Effects of education vary by social class

16. Effects of Social Class on Reading and Writing at age 7 READING at key stage 1, social class and pre-school experience WRITING at key stage 1, social class and pre-school experience

17. Net effects of pre-school on reading at 5 - 7 years (by SES group)

18. Effects of educational quality vary by social class At Year 6 (age 10) for social behaviours: • The quality of the curricular provision of pre-schools had a larger effect for those children who: • Had Special Educational Needs (SEN) • (Outcomes: Self-regulation, pro-social behaviour, hyperactivity, anti-social behaviour) • Scored highly on the Index of Multiple Disadvantage • (Outcomes: Hyperactivity, anti-social behaviour)

19. 5. An in-depth exploration into variations in quality effects ESRC CASE study examining: • Developmental Risks • Developmental Resilience • Whether pre-school quality could act to Protect development Conceptualised a ‘Family level risk’ that included measures that are indicative of “disadvantage”

20. The Analyses (Structural Equation Models) Hypothesised Protection ( direct effects of Pre-school Quality q uality ) (forming) Abilities/Behaviour at 14 Observed Family level Risk Risks entry to reception (~58m) (effects of risks post pre - school (effects of risks prior t o pre-school Abilities/Behaviour at entry to preschool (~37m) Key: Correlation Observed variable Regression Unobserved variable Moderated Regression (Risk x Protection)

21. Familial risks forming a family level ‘combined risk’ *p < .05 **p < .01 ***p < .001(Significant risks only; 10 of 14) a: Unstandardardized factor loadings set to 1 so there is no returned significance

22. Impacts of Combined Family Risk to Development *p < .05 **p < .01 ***p < .001

23. Identifying protection against risks such as disadvantage

24. Significant protectors against family level ‘combined risk’/disadvantage: At entry to reception class: • General Cognitive Ability • Quality of Curricular Provision (ECERS-E; 0.03**) • Global/Overall Quality (ECERS-R; 0.03***) • Average Childcare qualifications of staff (over time; 0.02*) • Number of caregiving staff (over time; 0.01*) • Self Regulation • None • Anti-Social Behaviour • Positive Staff-Child relationship (CIS; over time; -0.03*) *p < .05 **p < .01 ***p < .001

25. For further Information about EPPE visit the EPPE website atwww.ioe.ac.uk/projects/eppeor Tel (+44) 2076 126 219 Brenda Taggart Research Co-ordinator (b.taggart@ioe.ac.uk) or the DfES website at: www.dfes.gov.uk/research Visit the FELL research group at: http://www.education.ox.ac.uk/research/resgroup/fell