A Framework For Early Years Education And Learning

Registration and Inspection1.11DHSSPS have devised minimum standards which stipulate the minimum level ofservice to be provided in order to be registered with a Health and Social CareTrust (HSCT) and meet DHSSPS inspection standards. Voluntary and privateproviders who wish to offer funded pre-school places must be registered with theHSCT. They are also subject to inspection by the HSCT inspectors and theEducation and Training Inspectorate (ETI). Statutory nursery schools andnursery units in primary schools are inspected by the ETI.Pre-School Education - Funding1.12Over 40million funding to the 97 Department of Education grant-aided nurseryschools and 222 nursery units attached to primary schools is allocated via theCommon Funding Formula under the Local Management of Schools (LMS)arrangements. A further 15.7 million is allocated to voluntary and private preschool providers outside of the formula arrangements and this is administered bythe local Pre-School Education Advisory Groups (PEAGs) in each of the fiveEducation and Library Boards. In the 2011/12 school year there were 381voluntary and private pre-school centres in the Pre-School Education Programmeoffering funded places.Duration of Session Time1.13In statutory nursery schools and nursery units within primary schools there areboth part-time and full-time funded places available for children. Part-time preschool education in the statutory sector is defined in legislation as between 2hours 30 minutes and 4 hours 30 minutes duration per day; full-time provision isof at least 4 hours 30 minutes duration. While not defined in legislation, theDepartment requires the provision to be normally available 5 days a week for 38weeks of the academic year. In the voluntary sector all funded places availablewithin the Pre-School Education Programme are part-time, normally at least 2.5hours per day, 5 days per week for 38 weeks of the academic year.Prepared, Supported and Encouraged to Learn7

Staffing and Staff to Child Ratios1.14Nursery schools and nursery units within primary schools are grant-aided schoolsand are staffed by qualified teachers and nursery assistants; the ratio of staff tochildren is currently 1:13 as set out in the Department’s (DE) guidance. Involuntary/private settings in receipt of Department of Education funded pre-schoolplaces, at least half the staff must hold a relevant qualification in education orchild care, and are expected to work towards ensuring that all staff have relevantqualifications. In addition, all funded voluntary/private pre-school settings arerequired to access support from a qualified teacher or early years specialist toassist with raising standards of provision. Voluntary/private settings are requiredunder the terms of the registration to maintain a minimum staff:child ratio of 1:8which is set out in the Children (NI) Order 1995.Reception1.15A reception class is currently defined in legislation as suitable to the requirementsof children aged 4. Children who have reached their fourth birthday after the cutoff point for compulsory school starting age may be able to join a reception classif available. Reception pupils are taught by qualified teachers and this is often incomposite classes with year 1 pupils. An aim of the Pre-School EducationExpansion Programme was the replacement of existing reception provision withsuitable alternative provision. Reception classes do not always provide anappropriate pre-school environment for children, and the Department has notapproved new reception provision since 1998. Numbers in reception provisionhave fallen from 2,575 children in 1997 to 449 in 2011/12 (as of 31 October2011).Foundation Stage1.16The Foundation Stage represents the beginning of the compulsory stage ofeducation for children in primary school. Children who have attained the age of 4on or before 1st July will start primary school at the beginning of the SeptemberPrepared, Supported and Encouraged to Learn8

that year. Foundation Stage applies to children in year 1 and year 2 of primaryschool and is delivered by qualified teachers, often supported by classroomassistants. In 2011/12 there were 23,599 children in year 1 and 22,538 childrenattending year 2 in primary schools.1.17The Foundation Stage aims to provide a smoother transition from the pre-schoolphase. It recognises that young children come to school from a variety ofdifferent backgrounds, having had a range of diverse learning experiences athome and, for most, some form of pre-school education. It is designed to build onchildren’s earlier learning experiences by providing an appropriate learningprogramme to develop their dispositions to learn and to provide them with theskills and competencies they will need to succeed in school and in later life.1.18 The Foundation Stage curriculum provides an environment which best suits theneeds of young children. It uses play as a context for learning recognising thatstimulation through play is an important factor in the social, emotional andeducational development of the child. As children progress through theFoundation Stage, they are introduced to more formal learning, particularly thedevelopment of literacy and numeracy skills at a pace that takes account of theirage and level of development.Parental Engagement1.19Parental engagement is a key principle of the Department’s School ImprovementPolicy ‘Every School a Good School’ (ESaGS). The Department supports anumber of programmes to engage with parents through the extended and fullservice schools and best practice in pre-school, as well as through Sure Startprogrammes. The Department’s initiative ‘Get involved, because educationworks’ aims to get more parents involved in their child’s education, and providespractical examples to help parents read, count, play and talk to their children.Prepared, Supported and Encouraged to Learn9

Current and Future Context2.1The Department of Education policy ‘Investing in Early Learning’ dates back to1998. In 2004 DE consulted on the future of pre-school education as part of itsreview of pre-school arrangements and reported in 2006 on the outcome. In 2012the Department published the Review of Pre-School Admissions Arrangementswhich provides a framework to improve the operation of the pre-schoolprogramme and supports the Department in its aim of making a place available toevery child whose family wants it. A longitudinal study of the effects of pre-schooleducation, Effective Pre-School Provision (EPPNI) provides evidence that highquality pre-school education makes a difference to the cognitive andsocial/behavioural development of children.2.2There has been no significant revision of the policy context for Sure Start since2006, although the Developmental Programme for 2-3 Year Olds was developedsince then. The policy position for reception was set out in ‘Investing in EarlyLearning’ which stated that no new reception provision in primary schools wouldbe funded from September 1999. The 2004 Review of Pre-School and the 2012Review of Pre-School Admissions Arrangements also recommended thatreception should be removed. The Foundation Stage was introduced as part of awider revision of the curriculum introduced in the 2007/08 school year.Wider Education Policy2.3There is a substantial suite of wider education policies that impact on the deliveryof early years or to which early years could contribute, including, Every School aGood School, Review of Irish-Medium Education, Count Read Succeed, Literacyand Numeracy, Extended Schools, Area Planning, Community Relations Equalityand Diversity and Review of Special Educational Needs and Inclusion.2.4Our education system is going through a major period of change. The changefrom the present structures to ESA will offer a changed context to take forwardearly years education and learning and will present significant opportunities toPrepared, Supported and Encouraged to Learn10

improve outcomes for all young people in education and to ensure equality ofaccess to quality early years education provision.Inspection Findings2.5In the 2010-2012 Education and Training Chief Inspector’s Report, 76% of thepre-school settings inspected were evaluated as good or better. The strengthsreported include: most children experience a good or better pre-school education; the overall effectiveness of the voluntary and private sector continues toimprove; achievements and standards are good or better in 80% of the pre-schoolsettings inspected; in the good to outstanding settings, staff communicate well with a range ofother organisations to support the learning and care of the children and todisseminate better practice; and in the best practice, settings involve parents well in their children’s learningand development.2.6The Chief Inspector reported that in going forward there was a need to: further develop the continuity and progression of children’s learning across allstages; continue to develop staff skills to provide a high quality pre-school programme;and improve the quality of leadership and management in 30% of the settingsinspected.2.7More detail on inspection findings is set out in Appendix 2. Overall the findingsfrom inspection are positive, but there is still progress to be made in leadershipand management and in ensuring continuity in children’s early education andlearning experiences. The ETI have also carried out one evaluation of theDevelopmental Programme for 2 to 3 Year Olds in Sure Start settings.Prepared, Supported and Encouraged to Learn11

Wider Executive Policy2.8The education service is being shaped by a number of wider Executive policiesand early years education and learning services assist in the delivery of a rangeof outcomes for children and families such as those set out in the Programme forGovernment 2011-2015, Children and Young People’s 10 Year Plan, Play andLeisure Policy, Child Poverty, Cohesion Sharing and Integration, and emergingthemes and outcomes in the forthcoming child care policy as well as the newDelivering Social Change Framework.Consultation and Engagement2.9On 25 June 2010 the former Education Minister Caitríona Ruane, launched theconsultation process of the draft Early Years (0-6) Strategy. The draft strategyproposed a vision, aims and objectives that would link the range of education andhealth early years’ services for children with the new Foundation Stage in the firstyears of primary school.2.10The proposed actions in the draft strategy were not well received by the majorityof respondents. A number of fundamental issues were raised which led to theconclusion that there was a pressing need to set out a clear way forward for earlyyears education and learning.2.11On 2 July 2012 the Minister for Education John O’Dowd launched the summaryreport of responses to the consultation on the Early Years (0-6) Strategy. Thesummary is available at:http://www.deni.gov.uk/response to early years consultation.pdf.2.12The Department established an Early Years Stakeholder Group; the membershipof this Group is set out in Appendix 3. The group has met on ten occasions fromOctober 2010 to November 2012.Prepared, Supported and Encouraged to Learn12

Rationale for New Approach3.1There is no one government department with overall responsibility for every earlyyears service that children and their families need. The Department of Educationis responsible and accountable for the early years education and learningservices provided to children and their families across a range of programmes.Health services required by children and families in early years, as well as socialservices and welfare are the responsibility of other departments such as DHSSPSand DSD. OFMDFM is developing proposals for a child care strategy andco-ordinating work on child poverty.3.2Aspects of early years policy have been realigned between DE and DHSSPS.Childminding and day care policy reverted back to DHSSPS in 2011, andDHSSPS lead on ‘Families Matter - the Regional Family and Parenting Strategy’.The starting position for revisiting the draft strategy is therefore very different. Inrecognition of the need to work more collaboratively in the interests of childrenand families the new approach will be outward looking. The need for health,parenting, education and social services to work together is clear, and this will bereflected in the drive for a more coherent government approach through theDelivering Social Change framework.3.3The sustained economic downturn since 2008 has had a significant impact on theresources available to the Executive and has resulted in a reduction in a numberof departmental budgets including education. After a period of growth ininvestment in public services, the difficult economic climate has resulted inconstrained public expenditure forecasts for the years ahead, in both capital andresource budgets. Education, as a result of the cuts to the Block Grant by theBritish Government, faces unprecedented financial challenges over the next threeyears in terms of a gap of around 215million in resource funding between theanticipated spending requirements and the available budget for 2014-15.3.4The Minister’s priorities for education are focused on raising standards andnarrowing the gap in achievement levels. A suite of education policies, whichreflect these priorities, are in place and this revised framework will set early yearsPrepared, Supported and Encouraged to Learn13

education and learning services within that overall approach, where theimportance of delivering high quality education services for children before and inthe first years of compulsory education is recognised.3.5Alongside the decrease in available resources, increasing expectations, anincreasing birth rate and changes in demography are placing significant additionaldemands on early years education and learning services. Parents increasinglyexpect to be able to access early years education and learning services at timesand in ways that suit them. Where possible the Department aims to meet parentaland societal expectations for early years education through policy, legislation andfunding which enables a range of providers to deliver programmes aimed atdelivering improved outcomes for children. Early years education is an importantphase of education and for many children, and their families, the first experienceof the education environment. It is not, however, day care.3.6There are a number of challenges across the range of early years educationservices which need to be addressed to strengthen the position of early yearseducation and its contribution to improved outcomes.3.7The Department also aims to deliver on the Programme for GovernmentCommitment for pre-school places, but there continues to be challenges in terms ofadmission processes, demand and supply and capacity. Pre-school provision is animportant educational opportunity. There needs to be a sustained approach toraising standards in provision to ensure that the educational offer is of a consistentlyhigh quality. There is also a need to respond to the increasing number of pre-schoolchildren presenting with special educational needs and other additional needs.3.8The Programme for Government identifies as a priority the delivery of high qualitypublic services and gives a clear commitment to the establishment of a newEducation and Skills Authority (ESA) in 2013. Through the creation of ESA thework of teachers and school leaders and those working in early years and youthsettings will be supported by a modern, efficient and professional education bodyfocused on the quality of education and the needs of our young people. Earlyyears education and learning will be a key priority for ESA.Prepared, Supported and Encouraged to Learn14

Revised Proposals4.1In a statement to the Assembly in July 2012 the Minister for Education set out theresults of the consultation on the draft Early Years (0-6) Strategy and indicatedthe approach he intended to adopt to progress work on early years. While theMinister acknowledged widespread agreement around the need for increasedearly years intervention and support, he recognised the lack of consensus aroundhow this might be achieved.4.2The Minister announced that he would proceed with a two strand approach toearly years. The first strand would be the development of a revised strategy witha clear focus on early years education and learning, focused on what theDepartment of Education can do to ensure young children are prepared,supported and encouraged to learn. This will complete a suite of educationalpolicies which will drive educational reform, raise standards overall and close thegap between the highest and lowest achievers. In parallel with the developmentof an early years education and learning strategy, the Minister announced that hewould be engaging with Ministerial colleagues to explore the potential forenhanced co-operation around early intervention, and that the new DeliveringSocial Change (DSC) framework could offer a vehicle to target additional supportto those who need it most.4.3The revised framework will provide a clear policy focus for the Department andESA, where the investment in early years is directly linked to supporting highquality services, across a range of providers, to deliver better outcomes.Prepared, Supported and Encouraged to Learn15

Vision and Goals4.4In support of the DE vision “every young person achieving to his or her fullpotential at each stage of his or her development” the revised framework willreflect the two overarching goals for education: Raising standards for all Closing the performance gap, increasing access and equalityThere are three enabling goals to achieve the overarching goals. They are: Developing the education workforce Improving the learning environment Transforming the governance and management of educationOverall Policy Aim for Early Years Education and Learning4.5Setting an overarching policy for early years education and learning, aligned tothe overall education priorities will provide a clear framework for all early yearseducation and learning provision. It also clarifies the scope of early yearseducation and learning services which are under the remit of the Department ofEducation and makes the necessary links with the services under the remit ofother departments and agencies, particularly DHSSPS. The overall policy aim forLearning to Learn – A Framework for Early Years Education and Learning is:All children have opportunities to achieve their potential through highquality early years education and learning experiences.Policy Objectives4.6In support of the policy aim, the policy objectives are to: provide equitable access to high quality early years education andlearning services;Prepared, Supported and Encouraged to Learn16

support personal, social and emotional development, promotepositive learning dispositions and enhance language, cognitive andphysical development in young child

1.5 The Department of Education invests over 200million in early years education and learning services. Funding allocated in 2012/13 is summarised in Table 1. Table 1 - Funding for Early Years Education and Learning Services Provision m Nursery Schools 18.3 Nursery Classes within Primary Schools 21.7