The Effective Provision of Pre-School Education (EPPE) Project: Findings from Pre-school to end of Key Stage1

TLDR

The EPPE project focuses on modifiable aspects of pre‑school quality, quantity, and home learning environments, which are more amenable to policy change than static factors like SES, and it is recognized for advancing evidence‑based early‑years policy. EPPE aimed to influence the debate on young children’s education and care by targeting issues that could meaningfully improve children’s and families’ lives. The study employed a mixed‑method research design to investigate these priority issues. The study found that high‑quality pre‑school provision positively affects children’s intellectual and social‑behavioural development through Key Stage 1, reduces social exclusion, improves outcomes beyond family influences, and that both quality and quantity of pre‑school, as well as the home learning environment, significantly contribute to these gains, with variations across centres and robust evidence supporting policy implications.

Abstract

Summary This study has demonstrated the positive effects ofhigh quality pre-school provision on children’sintellectual and social behavioural developmentup to the end of Key Stage 1 in primary school.The EPPE research indicates that pre-school canplay an important part in combating socialexclusion and promoting inclusion by offeringdisadvantaged children, in particular, a betterstart to primary school. The findings indicate pre-school has a positive impact on children’sprogress over and above important familyinfluences. The quality of the pre-school settingexperience as well as the quantity (more monthsbut not necessarily more hours/day) are bothinfluential. The results show that individual pre-school centresvary in their effectiveness in promoting intellectualprogress over the pre-school period, and indicatethat better outcomes are associated with certainforms of provision. Likewise, the research pointsto the separate and significant influence of thehome learning environment. These aspects(quality and quantity of pre-school and homelearning environment) can be seen as moresusceptible to change through policy andpractitioner initiatives than other child or familycharacteristics, such as SES. The EPPE project has become well known for itscontribution to ‘evidence based policy’ in earlyyears education and care. Its findings are robustbecause they are based on sound and innovativeearch methods. The implications for policy ofthe EPPE project have been spelled out clearlyand are being discussed – and acted upon – atnational and local level. EPPE set out to contributeto the debate about the education and care ofyoung children; the EPPE mixed-method researchdesign targeted issues that could ‘make adifference’ to the lives of young children and theirfamilies.