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Improving Quality of Services in the Early Years Sector (in Surrey, England). Mary MacKenzie. Surrey, England. One of 42 English counties Situated south of London P opulation 1.1 million 272,400 children 0-19 years 9.9% live in poverty In “pockets of disadvantage”. What is quality?.
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Improving Quality of Services in the Early Years Sector (in Surrey, England) Mary MacKenzie
Surrey, England • One of 42 English counties • Situated south of London • Population 1.1 million • 272,400 children 0-19 years • 9.9% live in poverty • In “pockets of disadvantage”
What is quality? Quality measures are designed to serve different purposes: • Regulation • Research • Improving practice
The EPPE Project • EPPE Project (the Effective Provision of Pre-school Education) • Carried out between 1997 and 2003 • First major European study of young children’s development between ages 3 and 7 years • Children tracked to find out how different sorts of pre-school education care would affect their development
Findings of EPPE Project • Attending pre-school enhances all round development in children • High quality pre-schooling is related to better intellectual and social/behavioural development • Settings with higher qualified staff have higher quality scores and children progress more • Quality of home learning environment is vital
“Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world” Nelson Mandela
How is quality measured in England • Ofsted (Office for Standards in Education) • Environmental Rating Scales (ECERS-R, ECERS-E and ITERS-R) • Quality Assurance/Improvement schemes
National Quality Improvement Network (NQIN) • NQIN supports providers to improve outcomes for young children • Informs national policy on quality improvement • All quality improvement frameworks are based around the ten Quality Improvement principles
“A rich child often sits on a poor parent’s lap” - Danish proverb
Recent research findings: Quality and Inequality – Nuffield Foundation (2014) • Government maintained schools in disadvantaged areas offer quality for 3-4 year olds comparable with those schools serving the more advantaged (using ECERS and ITERS) • Quality was lower in settings in deprived areas within private, voluntary and independent sector • Evident in quality of interactions, support for learning, language and literacy and diversity • Settings with a graduate member of staff scored more highly on all quality measures
“Hot off the press……” • Latest EPPE (or EPPSE 3-16 as now entitled) report launched 9 September 2014 • Entitled “Students Educational and Developmental Outcomes at Age 16” • Found pre-school attendance predicted higher total GCSE scores • Quality of pre-school predicted both total GCSE scores and English and Maths grades • Attending quality pre-school predicted greater likelihood of following an academic pathway
Quality Improvement in Surrey • Adopted and adapted quality kitemark in 2006 • Called it the Surrey Quality Assurance Scheme • Started with a pilot scheme of 20 settings • Each setting mentor supported
Quality Improvement in Surrey • Settings chose to participate • Needed to have a good or outstanding Ofsted outcome • It was free! • Settings did not receive any financial reimbursement for participating
How the scheme worked • Focused on Every Child Matters • 5 modules in a question and answer format with prompts to assist practitioners • Evidence produced to uphold the answers • Development Plan for identifying areas of improvement • Mentor supported
Benefits from QIA • Ofsted ratings improved • 59% of QIA participants went from a Good to an Outstanding outcome whereas the national average was 13% • Self evaluation became part of practice for all staff • It covers all areas of practice in a controlled way • It develops an ethos of on going reflective practice
Pitfalls and lessons learnt • Too labour intensive and paper heavy • At first settings did not involve all staff • Time was a big issue • Sometimes staff felt it was being done to them rather than it being their scheme • Tended to be an affirmation of good practice rather than a reflective tool
Revised scheme • Business, leadership, management, practice and provision are at its heart • Written with the help of practitioners who had been involved in earlier versions • Concentrated on simplicity and ease of use • Range of assessment tools including Environmental Rating Scales
Lessons learnt in our team • Being reflective in our approach • Focusing on the process rather than the end product • Acted on actions arising from interim and final evaluations with participants • From their suggestions we adapted the scheme and method of working • Have focused on quality improvement rather than an affirmation of general practice
Challenges we face • Maintaining the good quality of practice in settings which have completed the scheme • Focusing on settings in disadvantaged areas • Targeting settings which have received a Requires Improvement or Satisfactory Ofsted outcome • Different priorities from the Department of Education
Benefits of an extensive quality improvement program We offer a range of tools for settings to use in conjunction with targeted support from Early Years staff • Quality Improvement Program • Safeguarding and Welfare Requirements audit • Environmental Rating Scales audits • Wonder Years program (Baby room project) • Free entitlement for two year olds audit • Early language audits
References • Sylva,K., Meluish, E., Sammons, P., Siraj-Blatchford, I and Taggart, B (2010) Early childhood matters: Evidence from the Effective Pre-school and Primary Education project. London: Routledge. • Department for Education (2012) Statutory framework for the early years foundation stage. Setting the standard for learning, development and care for children from birth to five • Field, F., (2010) The Foundation Years: preventing poor children becoming poor adults. The Report of the Independent Review on Poverty and Life Chances. • Harms, T., Cryer, D and Clifford, R.M. (2003) Early Childhood Environmental Rating Scale: Revised Edition. New York, NY: • Mathers, S. Singler, R. & Karemaker A. (2012) Improving quality in the early years: a comparison of perspectives and measures. London Oxford: university of Oxford and Daycare Trust. • Nutbrown, C., (2012) Review of Early Education and Childcare Qualifications: Interim Report . London. Department for Education DfE.
Thank you. Any Questions?