Occasional Paper 13 - What role do maintained nursery schools play in Early Years sector improvements?

The thing that really concerns me is that once MNSs have gone, that level of expertise and social service will also. It seems that there’s a sort of double quality to the MNS, which is constantly evolving, high level pedagogy and providing areas of expertise, like special needs, and so on. But also support for the family. There's very specific expertise that's going to go to waste… (Leader of a Maintained Nursery School

Just How Important Is Ethics Within Early Childhood Research and Professionalism

In our centre, which specialises in early childhood care in a UK Higher Education Institute, we have developed an approach to student research that ensures that it is purposeful, caring, sensitive and, above all, ethical. Recently a colleague challenged this by suggesting that ‘ethical practice’ was not, necessarily, synonymous with ‘good practice’ as it was something that was not even considered by Ofsted, the Government body which assesses the quality of educational provision in the UK. In this discussion piece, I explore the role that ethics plays in both Early Childhood research and professionalism and argue that the absence of a term from a Government policy is no indication of its value. I also raise the question of how we might prove a causal link between ethical approaches and quality practice

Can cultures really change?:The impact of Specialist Sports College status on an English High School

This research explores the development of a Specialist Sports College within a framework of educational justice. It asks whether the development of the Specialist School can really mean equality of opportunity for all children, when some schools will, as a result, receive considerably more funding than others. It also considers the contentious policy location of the Specialist Sports College, found somewhere between ideologies of health and fitness for all and the development of elite sportsmen and women of the future. By investigating the transformation of one school into a Specialist College using a Case Study approach, this research explores the concept of transforming a school’s culture, and questions the Government’s expectations within this concept arena. What are the micro, lived effects of the macro policy of the Specialist School?\ud By exploring the key themes that emerged through the data I conclude that transforming cultures is a far more complicated task than the Government perceive and also that the introduction of a single subject specialism may, in reality, lead to more division than unity. I also question whether PE can ever be a subject area that truly offers the possibility of success for all

Using Rhizomatic Thinking in Early Childhood Pedagogy to Avoid Making Other into Same

As early years educators many of us espouse a belief that all children are unique, but frequently enforce subtle barriers (often disguised as choice) to what we enable them to accomplish. Deleuze and Guattari’s (1987) philosophy of thought challenges these parameters and has the potential to strongly influence practice and personal beliefs. Applying their concept of rhizomatic thinking to encounters with children and colleagues can offer fresh insights, adding greater depth and multiplicity of meaning

A Test Of Educational Methods To Reduce Boating Disturbance To Harbor Seals

Environmental education can affect attitudes and behaviors, but determining the most effective methods for protecting wildlife requires research. This study examined the effect of two modes of environmental education, one passive and one active, on the behaviors of boaters toward harbor seals (Phoca vitulina) at Corkscrew Slough in Redwood City, California, an area where harbor seals haul out and pup. Thirty-one boaters viewed an interpretive sign (passive environmental mode) and 30 experienced a docent talk (active) both designed to educate boaters on protecting harbor seals; 31 boaters received no environmental information (the control), therefore were not exposed to the interpretive sign or the docent talk. I collected data on how these boaters responded to harbor seals in Corkscrew Slough and on the response of harbor seals to the boaters. Data were analyzed with ANOVA and Chi-square to assess differences between treatments. Boaters exposed to signs or docents stayed significantly further from the seals compared to boaters not exposed to any environmental education. However, neither the sign nor the docent reduced the length of time boaters spent traveling through the Slough compared to the control, nor was the number of boaters stopping to observe seals reduced. Harbor seals showed no difference in disturbance responses to boaters, no matter what the mode of education for the boaters. These results suggest signs and docents may change some boater behavior but that managers should not depend solely on these educational approaches to protect sensitive wildlif

Why is Research Still Invisible in Further Education?

This article takes as its starting point earlier research reported by Geoffrey Elliott in 1996. That study found that research was consistantly marginalised in the FE sector, and identified a number of structural factors that contributed to this ‘invisibility’. This new study draws upon a small sample of lecturers who belong to a Further and Higher Education Early Years Partnership. Through the participants’ voices and perspectives, the authors identify continuing dissonance and issues of research marginalisation. The discussion also highlights contemporary educational discourse, with its predominant focus upon measurable value at the expense of values, as a key factor in sustaining a culture that is antithetic to thoughtful reflection and research. The authors identify the development of a ‘collaborative centralised’ research community as critical to an alternative possibility for research in further education

Can Cultures Really Change? The Impact of Specialist Sports College Status on an English High School.

This research explores the development of a Specialist Sports College within a framework of educational justice. It asks whether the development of the Specialist School can really mean equality of opportunity for all children, when some schools will, as a result, receive considerably more funding than others. It also considers the contentious policy location of the Specialist Sports College, found somewhere between ideologies of health and fitness for all and the development of elite sportsmen and women of the future. By investigating the transformation of one school into a Specialist College using a Case Study approach, this research explores the concept of transforming a school’s culture, and questions the Government’s expectations within this concept arena. What are the micro, lived effects of the macro policy of the Specialist School? By exploring the key themes that emerged through the data I conclude that transforming cultures is a far more complicated task than the Government perceive and also that the introduction of a single subject specialism may, in reality, lead to more division than unity. I also question whether PE can ever be a subject area that truly offers the possibility of success for all

The role of emotions in building new knowledge and developing young children’s understanding

This article considers the role of emotions in the creation of new knowledge and the development of young children’s minds. Drawing on recent literature relating to emotions and emotional development and recent research into rhizomatic thinking, the authors argue that emotions are more important within cognitive development than is currently recognised. They challenge the traditional propensity for prioritising rationality and essentialism within the construction of new knowledge, claiming this merely promotes hegemonic, discursive and binary pedagogies within early education, leaving little room for originality, difference and diversity. The authors explore the possibility that these dominant discourses impoverish children's thinking and truncate their development. Furthermore, they suggest that emotions are political and strongly influential within issues pertaining to social justice and (in)equitable practice. They consider how the constant controlling, downplaying or disregarding of emotions can effectively impact on who is silenced and privileged within early years education. Having an awareness of the possible interplay between thinking, cognition, forming new knowledge and emotions, provides educators with opportunities to challenge and address issues of power and social justice within practice. The article encourages educators to (re)conceptualise children’s thinking and accommodate alternative readings and multiple pathways to sense and meaning drawn from children’s experiences

“What is left…?”: the implications of losing maintained nursery schools for vulnerable children and families in England

This TACTYC funded research highlights the role that Maintained Nursery Schools (MNS) play in supporting families within areas of extreme social deprivation in the UK. Data collected through survey and interview demonstrated the positive impact that these schools have upon disadvantaged children and their families, providing a breadth and depth of ongoing care, against a backdrop of ongoing fiscal cuts and uncertainty. Often this provision was in lieu of the reported minimisation of other social services support for struggling families. We argue in this paper that the loss of these state institutions could be highly detrimental to the families that they currently support

Evidencing the effects of maintained nursery schools' roles in Early Years sector improvements

This TACTYC funded research set out to examine the contribution of the Maintained Nursery School to Early Years Education and Care noting, especially, its contribution to generating improvements within and across the sector. It is set within the context of other recent reports about the past, present and future of the Maintained Nursery School (Bertram and Pascal, 2019; Early Education 2014, 2015, 2018; Paull and Popov, 2019). These reports demonstrate the capacity of the Maintained Nursery School to have transformative effects on educational opportunities and outcomes for the children and families that they serve. They also alert the reader to the significant challenges maintained nurseries face due to acute structural pressures that are beyond their control. This report accords with the findings of earlier reports and makes specific recommendations based upon the empirical, largely qualitative, data generated for this particular study