What is a Quality Early Education by Professor Iram Siraj

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What is a quality early education? Why is it important and how can we measure it? Evidence from research. By Professor Iram Siraj  

The Effective Provision of Pre-school Education (EPPE) study was funded in England over 20 years ago to study whether the expansion of publically funded pre-school education was a good use of tax payers’ money. The study lasted 17 years following pre-schoolers till they left school and joined employment or further education. In answering the question, the researchers discovered that not all pre-school education is of the same value and that quality of both the pre-school (what teachers do) and the home environment (what parents do) really does matter. Professor Siraj will present the findings in relation to preschool practices and home learning environments which have a lasting impact on children’s learning outcomes and well-being. This research contributed to England going from millions to billions of funding per annum to secure the best future for our children. We are still on our journey as the early years has been neglected for decades in favour of primary and secondary education.