Impact of early nursery education on other child care provision

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WRITTEN QUESTION FOR THE PRESIDENT OF THE EDUCATION, SPORT AND CULTURE COMMITTEE BY DEPUTY R.G. LE HERISSIER OF ST. SAVIOUR

ANSWER TO BE TABLED ON 6th JULY 2004

Question

Would the President state what impact the provision, by the Committee, of early nursery education is having upon other child care provision? What policies are in place to ensure that the total availability of such provision is not seriously jeopardised?

Answer

1. R a nge ofchild care provision

T h e re is a complex and interconnected range of provision for child care in Jersey, as illustrated by the

following graph which profiles the number of places within States' provided schools (nursery classes) and the various classifications of registered providers.

N u r sery classes in provided schools offer full and part time places for children aged 3+.  They are staffed

by a qualified nursery teacher and nursery officers.  Wrap-round care after school and during the holidays is an option that is being piloted at Janvrin School from September 2004 in partnership with Centrepoint Trust.

P r o file of Nursery Classes and Registered Childcare in Jersey

1200 Grouville St.

1000 9% PSlat.yLg[b]r5ow%urepnsce 5% St.4O%uenSMta.r4t%in Trinity

Pe5te%r

Day

St. ClemNenutrseries

3%

ESC Nursery Classes (based on FTE)

Playcare St.

Joh3n% Play Schemes

800 St. Mary

Family Day Care 2%

St. Brelade

60012%

400

St. St. Helier

Sav1io5u%r 33% 200

Figure * Population by Parish

Christmas and Easter.

P l a ygroups - o ff e r s essional care for a period of no more than five hours. Children attend

playgroup between the ages of two and five years. Playgroups may refer to themselves as nurseries, nursery schools, kindergartens or playgroups. Some groups follow school times of opening whereas others are open all year round.

P la y care - p ro v i d e s for children from school entry up to the age of twelve years to meet the needs

of working parents before and after school and during the school holidays. Playcare may occur in a variety of settings, such as school premises, day nurseries, children's centres, community centres or church halls. The hours of opening vary in accordance with the type of service offered. This may be breakfast club, a before and after school facility, a school holiday club or a combination of these services. Some playcare services include a homework club.

P la y Schemes - p ro v ide playcare during the Easter and Summer school holidays for children age 5 to

11+ years. They are based in schools across the Island and can accommodate up to 480 children. Parents pay a means tested fee for their children to attend with approximately 10% of children offered places at no cost.

  T h e c h il d r e n a r e o f fe r e d a wide range of activities including sports, art and craft, visits

to the beaches, parks and quiet activities and games.

F a m ily Day Care - o ffers care to children in the family day carer's own home.

  A   m a x i m u m   o f 6 c h il d ren under the age of 14 may be cared for at any one time of

which no more than three may be under the age of five years.

2. T r ends in child careprovision

W h i le various interpretations may be drawn from the data, certain significant trends are apparent:

1. t h e g rowth in nursery places in provided schoolsgivescontinued effect to the former Education Committee's policy[1], agreedinOctober 1989, to provide nursery classes at eachof its provided

primary schools.  Nursery classes are now provided or planned at the following schools:

    N o   o f  p l a ce s                             O   p  e  n  e  d    

B e l R o y a l   3 0 2 0 0 2   F i rs t T  o w er   4 0 1 9 9 6   G  ra n d s V  aux   3 0 1 9 8 5   G  ro u v i ll e   3 0 2 0 0 0   J a n v ri n   3 0 ( f ro m   S e p t 2 0 0 4 ) L a M o y e   3 0 2 0 0 3   d ' A u v e r g ne   3 0 ( f ro m   S e p t 2 0 0 5 ) L e S q u e z   3 0 1 9 9 8  

M  o n t N i c olle   3 0 2 0 0 3   P l a t D o u e t   3 0 1 9 9 8  

R o u g e B o uillon   3 0   1 9 8 5   S t . C l e m e nt   3 0 ( f ro m   S e p t 2 0 0 6 ) S t . J o h n   3 0 1 9 9 7  

S t . L a w r e nce   3 0   1 9 9 1   S t . M ar k   2 5 1 9 8 9   S t . M ar t in   3 0 1 9 9 2   S t . S a v io u r   3 0 1 9 9 3       5 1 0      

2. t h e m ajority of these nursery classes have been developedin conjunction withtheredevelopmentor refurbishment of primary schools through theCommittee's capital developmentprogramme;
3. t h e i ncrease in the numberof places availableintheCommittee's nursery classeshas been matched by a proportionate increase in the numberof places available inDay Nurseries, the majority which are privately provided. Others are operated by not for profit organisations or, in the cases of Avranche and Westmount Nurseries, supportedby the Parish ofSt. Helier;
4. t h e re has, following a period of consistent growthuptothemid1990's, been a subsequent decline in the numberofPlaygroups,whichis unlikely to be attributable to the increased numberofplaces available in States' nursery classes, although itmaybe effected by the increased numberof places in day nurseries as a consequence of the variety of provision made by that sector;
5. f o ll o wing anincreasein the numberof registered places available from 1989-1995, the availability of Family Daycareplaceshas remained stable, although demand for theseplaces reduced significantly in 2003;
6. t h e number of Playcare places has increased significantly in the last four years, following the requirement to register, while, following a peakin 1997, the numberof places in Play Schemeshas declined.

2. I t can beargued that, due to thecomplexityof provision, it is difficult to isolate one factor, such as the impact of the Committee's provision for nursery education, on other particular forms of provision. However, it is reasonable toassume that the increase in thenumberof places for children aged 3½ in the Committee's nursery classes from 30 places in 1985 to 510placesin2003 has had an impacton the nature and distribution of otherprovision, particularly at a time whendemographicalchangeis also impacting on the numberof children for whomplacement is sought.
   3. R e view of the Committee'sinvestment in Early Yearsprovision

1. The Committee is concerned to ensure high quality early years' provision, not least because of the beneficial impactwhich this hasonindividuals' throughout their lifetimes (seeAppendix). The Committee considers it to be essential that the needs of the child in terms of personal, social and educational development is held to beparamount although meeting the needsof parents andother carers mustalsobe given careful consideration.
2. T heEducation, Sport and Culture Committee actsas the political sponsor for the Jersey ChildCare Trust. The Trust,whichwas established in1997,following the adoption by the States of a proposition bythe Education Committee (P.244/1996)[2],is charged to co-ordinate, promote and facilitate expansionofchild

care provision in the Island. The achievements of the Trust towards realising its purpose and, in particular, [3]

the ambitious programme which was approved by the States in October 2001 , have been charted in its annual reports and a recently published report on progress towards the achievement of aims and objectives detailed in its Strategic Plan.

3. However, the Education, Sport and Culture Committee, recognising the complexity of early years provision, its significanceand cost, has initiated a comprehensive review of its investment in this area. The terms ofreferencefor the review are:

"To undertake a mid-term review of the Jersey Child Care Trust Five Year Strategy, and the funding, responsibilities and purposes of the Trust in relation to the overall strategy for early years and childcare in Jersey and to make recommendations to the Education, Sport and Culture Committee with regard to:

the need for an overall strategy based on integrated working to support children and families; creating clarity and focus regarding the roles and responsibilities of different departments and organisations in developing the strategy and achieving its aims."

4. The review is well advanced and it is planned that the Committee will receive the report and its recommendationson 20th July. On that date, it will alsobepresentedto the Partnership Group forEarly Years Care andEducation,which includes representatives from Private Sector providers, Departments for EmploymentandSocialSecurity, and Education, Sport and Culture and parents' representatives nominated by Jersey Child Care Trust.
5. T heCommitteeconsidered it to be essential that the review be undertaken byan independent practitioner and it isbeing led byJenny Spratt, who is responsible for nursery educationandcare in Peterborough, whichis recognised for excellence in early years' provision through its status as a "BeaconAuthority". We are confident that the report will offer clearadvice to the Committee inorder that it mightconsiderand determine its futurepolicyin respect of this importantarea of activity.

Appendix

The Effective Provision of Pre-School Education (EPPE) Project*

The Institute of Education, University of London, University of Oxford and Birbeck College, University of London have recently completed the first major European Longitudal study of a national sample of young children's  intellectual,  social  and  behavioural  development  between  the  ages  of  3  and  7.  In  addition  to investigating  the  effects  of  pre-school  provision  on  young  children's  development  EPPE  explores  the characteristics  of  effective  practice  and  has  demonstrated  the  positive  effects  of  high  quality  provision  on children's development.

Key findings

Impact of attending a pre-school centre:

1. P re -school experience, compared to none,enhanceschildren'sdevelopment.
2. T h e  duration  of  attendance is  important with  an  earlier  start being  related  to  better  intellectual development and improvedindependence, concentration and sociability.
3. F u ll time attendance led to no better gains for children than part-timeprovision.
4. D i sadvantaged children in particular can benefit significantly from good quality pre-schoolexperiences, especially if they attend centres that caterfor a mixture ofchildren from different social backgrounds

The quality and practices in pre-school centres:

1. T h e quality ofpre-school centres is directly related to better intellectual/cognitive and social/behavioural development in children.
2. G o od quality can befoundacross all typesofearlyyears settings.  However quality washigher overall in integrated settings, nursery schools and nursery classes.
3. S e ttings which have staff with higher qualifications, especially with goodproportionof trained teachers on the staff, show higher quality and theirchildrenmakemoreprogress.

W  h e re settings view educational and social development as complementary and equal in importance,

children make better all round progress.

4. E f fective pedagogyincludes interaction traditionally associated with the term "teacher", the provisionof instructive learning environments and sustained shared thinking' to extend children's learning.

* T h e full text of the EPPE Report is available from the States of Jersey Department for Education, Sport and Culture – contact Mrs. Y. Thebault 509426.

[1]

 Pre-school Education: Future Strategy 1989

[2]

 Report of the Working party on Child Care

[3]

 Jersey Childcare Trust: Five Year Strategic Plan