Does kind of pre‐school matter?

Summary

The research described here contributes to the debate about the value of early childhood education in that it shows how the behaviour of working‐class children in the reception class can be influenced by their pre‐school experiences.

Systematic observations as well as the Boehm Test of Basic Concepts and the Adjustment to School Scale were used to compare two groups of working‐class children, half of whom had attended a nursery class provided by the local education authority, and half who were playgroup ‘graduates’. Children were observed in their first term in reception class and again six months later so that a total of 120 hours of the behaviour of 90 children was documented. Information was collected about children's activities and the cognitive challenge they gained from them. Their social participation, conversations and reactions to difficulty were recorded. The findings show the greater gains made by the nursery children in several important areas and have implications for the future development of pre‐school provision.