Quality_in_Early_Years

Key Issues and Contemporary debates in early childhood Thursday 28th October 2010 Introduction Driving forward the quality of education is high on the priorities of both British and Scottish Governments (SG) and this is equally true of early years’ provision. Effective, high quality early years provisions are high on the political agenda and as a result quality assurance is a key feature of all provisions. There is a continual debate however, surrounding the definition of quality and the procedures which need to be in place to best achieve it. Quality The quality of provision in early years’ settings has increased over the years, so too has the awareness and debate surrounding what constitutes quality. Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Education (HMIe) (2009) points out the quality of education within early years remains to be effective which is then mirrored in the experiences of primary one. SG asked the Organisation of Economic Co-operation Department to investigate the quality of education frameworks within Scotland. Their report highlights the significance of early years within the education system; this innovation arose from the standards in Scotland’s Act 2000 giving local authorities the responsibility to provide pre-school provision for all three and four year olds (OECD, 2007). Early years’ environments are dynamic and vitally important and this requires effective quality at all levels. Among administrators and politicians there is a shared belief that efficient and high quality early childhood care and education is essential. To ensure Scotland’s early years’ settings are delivering a quality, effective service that meets the needs of all children and their families, HMIe and Care Commission (CC) carry out rigorous inspections identifying key strengths, indicating where improvement is needed and proposing recommendations for improvement. HMIe work in parallel with CC and alongside effective self evaluation ensure that the focus is on improvement. HMIe (online) states inspections are a fundamental principle to assure learners, parents and the public about the quality of care and education provided by pre-school settings. I believe, in order to maintain and enhance quality in early years, it is vital for all learning environments to be inspected regularly and robustly. This will be discussed further on. Early years are the most crucial development years with regard to childhood development. Therefore care and education in today’s society must provide quality in order to enhance learning opportunities for young children. The discussion will move to focus on the factors surrounding quality. What is quality' How do we measure quality' How do we ensure quality' Quality in early years Quality matters a lot. Throughout the world there have been numerous developments within government manifestoes, agendas and curriculum programmes which challenges our understanding of what constitutes ‘high quality’ within an early years setting. Early intervention is high on SG agenda in order to improve the quality of lives for all Scottish children. SG are committed to ensuring all children have the best start in life and believe children should have as many opportunities as possible steering them in the right direction which in turn will decrease the need for intervention later in life (Scottish Government, 2008). As part of SG commitment to ensure quality and equity the Getting it right for every child (GIRFEC) agenda was introduced in 2008. GIRFEC aim is to improve outcomes and the overall wellbeing of all children and young people within Scotland. GIRFEC is policy driven, aligned with the public service reform agenda and reflects the the principals of early years and early intervention and the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the child (UNCRC), to ensure all children are given the best scope to enhance their life opportunities. In order to achieve these principles all children should be Safe, Healthy, Active, Nurtured, Achieving, Respected, Responsible and Included (Scottish Government, 2008). Few would disagree that it is vital to consider the child as a whole and the environment which supports their development when considering quality in an early years setting. This strengthens the argument that quality is relevant, and is based on principles. The importance of quality depends on practitioner’s beliefs and values about children’s developments and also their knowledge of delivering learning programmes. Cable and Miller (2008) discuss the factors behind quality and the driving forces, emphasising the importance for practitioners to have a clear understanding of quality frameworks. Practitioners should understand and demonstrate quality practice with relevant theoretical knowledge in order to deliver effective care and education. This draws me to look at the level of professionalism within early years and the question, are quality early years settings effective because of highly skilled practitioners' Early year’s workforce Professionalism in early years within Scotland has been high on the policy agenda for some time. At policy level professionalism is generally concerned with the level of training and qualifications required to work within early years. SG (2007) recognises the intricate roles early years practitioners carry out daily and the significance of raising the standards within the workforce in order for children to receive quality care and education, which will lead to more positive outcomes later in life. A quality early years’ experience requires practitioners who are highly trained and skilled at delivering effective learning programmes for all children, and able to work with a range of diverse families. However there is not a universal agreement that ‘skilled practitioners’ are essential for early years’ provision, as Hevey and Curtis (1999, cited in Miller and Cable, 2008) points out the role of an early years’ worker is misunderstood by public attitudes and is seen as a substitute mothering role. SG does recognise how important the earliest years are and the need for early intervention, placing quality at the core of early years services (Scottish Government, 2008). There is an extensive amount of evidence highlighting how quality early years’ settings can enhance children’s developments. The Effective Provision of Pre-school Education (EPPE) (2004) reports nurseries where practitioners hold high qualifications are key to the delivery of an effective quality service and their children will progress further. HMIe (2009) reported early years’ settings in Scotland where leadership was ‘weak’ also found gaps in the quality of learning experiences provided to children. Therefore in response to the National Review of the Early Years’ and Childcare Workforce the SG aim is to strengthen leadership, ensure all settings are led by leaders who are qualified at SCQF level 9 and to create learning opportunities for others working within early years (Scottish Executive, 2006). The connection between leadership and quality provision is also vital for early years’ settings. O’Sullivan (2009) describes leadership as someone who understands the process of a child’s developments and will consider the main principles of how to deliver effective learning and teaching in order for children to develop. Effective leadership is an essential factor in delivering quality provision in early years. In review of the above question there is ample evidence to support the premise a well qualified workforce does add to the quality of service delivered within an early years’ setting. At this point it is essential to consider how quality is maintained within an early years’ setting as it is also connected to local and national government frameworks and inspections. Focus will now move to the purpose of inspection and how these inform settings about the quality of learning being delivered. Quality assurance – HMIe and CC The UNCRC illustrates the importance of safeguarding children’s rights, ensuring their health and wellbeing needs are met and to broaden their opportunities, which in turn will allow them to reach their full potential (Unicef, online). SG aims to demonstrate the principles of UNCRC throughout their policies and legislations and ensure all children are protected and receive quality care and education were necessary (Scottish government, online). Scottish nurseries are inspected by HMIe and CC which in turn contributes to the SG aim to improve public services. SG are continuously looking at ways to improve the quality of early years’ settings and recognise the significance of providing a curriculum of quality effective learning programmes to meet the needs of all children. Practitioners working within early years will embed the principles from the National Care Standards (NCS) and Child at the Centre 2 (CATC2) to ensure all children receive a quality experience. Both of these documents provide a framework to ensure quality provision and give staff a benchmark from which they can measure their success. The documents are connected and are used throughout the inspection process by HMIe and CC. HMIe (2008) states one of the key aims of inspection is to encourage practitioners to generate improvements in children’s education. In order for practitioners to further develop the quality of children’s learning experiences it is vital they participate in a process of self evaluation which assesses and improves their service with a focus on contexts of early education to improve the lives of Scotland’s children (HMIe, 2007). Therefore early years’ settings must ensure they carry out regular and rigorous self evaluation which will enable them to assess their strengths and weakness and plan targets to enhance the quality of service they are providing. It is imperative for practitioners within the setting, to participate in their own system of reflective self evaluation as this informs practitioners of their own strengths and weaknesses and enables them to highlight their own learning developments and concentrate on areas of practice which require improvement. Williams (2002) suggests reflective practice enables our everyday intuition to engage with a ‘professional approach’, connecting the professional knowledge along with emotional qualities. Thus practitioners who reflect on their practice are competent in creating a quality productive learning environment which is fundamental to effective early years’ provision. Implementing effective processes of self evaluation will inform the setting about the quality of learning and achievements and how the overall service is being provided. Conclusion Quality should be an on going process in which discussion, debate and development take centre roles. In the demanding complex world of early years ‘ticking the box’ no longer ‘fits the bill’ when ensuring quality provision within this profession. Quality early years’ work relies on the development of effective and respectful partnerships. This is a profession were the quality of the results can be directly connected to the quality of the practitioners working within this field. The way forward for early years in Scotland is to continue to place quality learning within quality provision at the core of its policies and practices. All practitioners working within early years should work towards continuous professional development (CPD), gaining accreditations and qualifications where appropriate, which in turn would lead to high quality early childhood education. Quality learning is the key to improved outcomes for all children. It is vital intervention is made at the earliest stage in order for children to receive the best start in their learning. The importance of high quality in the earliest years will also lead to better outcomes for children as they progress through school and to later social advantages in adulthood. Word count: 1807 References Craft, A. and Paige-Smith, A. (2008) ‘Reflective Practice’ in L. Miller and C. Cable (eds) Professionalism In The Early Years. London: Hodder Education, pp. 87 – 97. HMIe. (2009) A report by HMIe on inspection and review 2005 – 2008 at http://www.hmie.gov.uk/documents/publications/ise09.pdf (last accessed 20.10.10 HMIe. 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