WENDY SCOTT, early years consultant
'For me, the most disappointing event of 2009 was the Government's cynical rejection of the findings of the Cambridge Review of Primary Education. This revealed that their claim of relying on evidence-based practice is false, since they discredited the most serious and best-researched thinking about the primary curriculum for 40 years, and thus blocked the debate about pedagogy that should inform policy. It is very disturbing to find that the weight of evidence and thoughtful recommendations were rejected out of hand - and indeed, that the so-called independent Rose Review, with its very limited remit, has been used to eclipse the work of Professor Alexander and his Cambridge team. Their review will remain a powerful source of inspiration, however.
'It is hard to be optimistic about the coming year, since Conservative politicians, too, have revealed a shocking ignorance of the implications for practice of a growing body of research and empirical evidence. Current financial circumstances will inevitably lead to cuts in funding, and there is a great risk that we will lose many recent gains made in provision and staff training. I hope all of us working in the field will continue to fight for children and families, especially the most vulnerable. My dream is that sense and vision will prevail, so that we build on our powerful heritage.'
EMMA GRAHAM, Nursery World Nursery Manager of the Year 2009 and owner of Busy Bears Children's Day Nursery, Durham
'2009 has been a great year for us and one of the things that has contributed to this was the Early Years Capital Grant (EYCG). It was a fantastic opportunity for all PVIs to improve the quality of their setting without having to damage their cashflow in the present economic climate.
'For us, it was the range of projects you could apply for under the EYCG that made it so appealing. If you were a truly reflective practice, you already had a wish list that would allow you to meet more closely the needs of the EYFS, and the grant gave us the chance to purchase the things we only dreamed of having for our children and families.
'In 2010, I would like to see more support for successful settings. Previously, the worse your setting, the more support you received from your local early years team, but that approach is changing. In fact, we are being "developed" even though we are one of the strongest nurseries in the area. It's good to think that because we are good at what we do, we are not falling under the radar of support, as excellence is never fully achieved without continued change.'
JENNIE LINDON, child psychologist and early years consultant
'On the up side, I am encouraged by examples of thoughtful practice in many settings around what is really meant by child- initiated experiences. On the down side, I am discouraged by pretend consultations and reviews from the Government, such as Jim Rose's purported revisiting of two disputed early learning goals. This Government claims to be committed to evidence-based policy. But too often it is a case of evidence-we-want-to-hear-based policy.'
SALLY GODDARD BLYTHE, director of the Institute for Neuro-Physiological Psychology, Chester
'One of the greatest challenges to equality of opportunity in education is variation in individual developmental readiness for the tasks ahead. It is my hope that in the future, pre-school education will focus primarily on developing children's physical readiness, that there will be greater flexibility in time of school entry, taking a child's physical readiness into account, and that greater attention will be paid to the physical bases for learning throughout the educational process.'
ELIZABETH CARRUTHERS, head, Redcliffe Children's Centre and Nursery School, Bristol
'My hope for 2010 - and I fear it is only a dream - is that play is better understood right across the early years sector, especially in schools. This can only happen if head teachers are not overburdened with bureaucratic paper exercises and get a chance to breathe and focus on what really matters to children.'
MARTIN PACE, owner of Reflections Nursery, Worthing, winner of the Nursery World UK Nursery of the Year Award 2009
'Our hopes and dreams for 2010 are to continue our programme of supporting children's creativity, indoors and outdoors. We are adding a second atelierista (artist working with children) and continuing our work on the outdoor spaces. We hope to extend our forest school programme, too.'
PURNIMA TANUKU, chief executive, National Day Nurseries Association
'We have been concerned about the potential delay to the EYSFF, which will make the road to achieving fairer and more equitable funding longer. The sector has had high hopes from the formula, and we urge the ring-fencing of early years funding to ensure that more money reaches providers. Our biggest dream for 2010 is that issues with the free entitlement are resolved, which is an even more pressing issue in the light of the move to a 15-hour offer.'
PHOEBE DOYLE, early years teacher and currently full-time mother, Nottinghamshire
'The Cambridge Primary Review recommended extending the Foundation Stage curriculum to age six. This is not a new idea, and many schools are already bringing to Year 1 teaching approaches traditionally more associated with Foundation settings. In my view, this is a giant leap in the right direction and these Foundation settings will come to be seen as examples of good practice and sources of inspiration. It also serves to give Foundation settings the credibility they deserve.'
JUNE O'SULLIVAN, chief executive, London Early Years Foundation (formerly Westminster's Children's Society)
'I welcomed the messages that quality counts even more for poor children, but was disappointed that Ofsted found such quality was still not happening in many settings in poor neighbourhoods. Finding new ways to narrow the gap and develop initiatives about social justice must be considered even more critical as we enter 2010.
'I was disappointed that 3.9 million children remain in poverty. This makes me all the more determined to test our social enterprise model as a nursery option for those wanting to provide the best service.'
CLARE BUSH, manager, Rowhedge Under-fives, near Colchester
'2009 has been a really positive year for our "pack up and down" setting, which operates from a village hall. We've revamped our office (broom cupboard), started doing Learning Journey scrapbooks, which are much more user-friendly for all, and have continued to embrace and enjoy the freedom of the EYFS.
'Our hope for 2010 is to have our own building, which is starting to look like a possibility, and my dream, if that happens, is for the evolution of a mini Pen Green Centre - having been inspired by Margy Whalley at a recent conference! My fear is that Labour will be voted out and that everything will change again!'
MICHAEL FREESTON, director of quality improvement, Pre-school Learning Alliance
'2009 has had its fair share of developments for early years providers, but it has mostly been a year of preparing for the raft of changes coming in 2010: the extension of the flexible free entitlement, wholesale changes to the sector's qualification structure and further work being done to prepare for the now delayed single funding formula. It is essential that national policymakers and local authorities work closely with practitioners to implement these changes in ways that ensure the services are strengthened and not undermined.'
MAUREEN HIGSON, assistant college curriculum manager
'I am dismayed about the new Level 3 course due to be introduced in September 2010 and replace the CACHE Diploma. The new course and its proposed 150 placement hours, compared with the existing 750, will prevent any valuable and meaningful training taking place and fail to give students experience in a range of settings and with a range of age groups.
'Instead of increasing skills, my colleagues and I feel that it will create a workforce with little knowledge of child development, theories of play and learning, safeguarding, legislation relating to the sector and with no opportunity to put their brief knowledge into practice until they gain employment.
It seems incredible that the CWDC plans to replace a well respected, widely acknowledged qualification, studied for over two years and which has given many students access into university, with a one-year Level 3 qualification with reduced UCAS points. Let's hope there is still time for a rethink in 2010.'
TINA BRUCE, visiting professor of Early Childhood Studies at Roehampton University, Surrey
'We are the only developed country in the world without an education department in government, which means we are in danger of schooling children rather than educating them. Schools should be places where children are nurtured and educated, rather than narrowly schooled. Maintained nursery schools are places of education in the deepest sense, and many have transformed into children's centres. They are about play, community, parents and children, interdisciplinary approaches, outdoor gardens and quality of first-hand experiences, to mention only the tip of the iceberg. We must not lose these, or we will kill the goose that lays the golden egg. They really are about a world-class education system.'
