The recent research paper presented at the EARLI conference (in Budapest on 30 August) has called into question the effectiveness of the UK Government's investment in early years provision. Dr Christine Merrell and colleagues reported a study of assessments conducted on six cohorts of children (2001-2006) at school entry. The PIPS tests (Curriculum, Evaluation and Management Centre, University of Durham) were individually administered by the reception class teacher and focused on emerging literacy and numeracy skills, including writing, vocabulary, phonological awareness, letter recognition, word/sentence reading, and early number skills.
The Durham team begin their paper with a review of the major Government initiatives of and it is within this highly political context that they present their findings and interpret them as evidence of government failure. Journalists were quick to suggest that the large increase in spending did not lead to improvements in children's development, since the Merrell findings show no gains in literacy and numeracy attainment across the six-year period.
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