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Links and some more details to the lecture:
Brenda Taggart: Effective Preschool and Primary Education (EPPE)
School of Early Childhood and Primary Education, Institute of Education, University of London

<= click to the EPPE site

Brenda Taggart hold a lecture on January 11th 2005 about the "Effective Preschool and Primary Education Project (EPPE).
The first major study in the United Kingdom to focus specifically on the effectiveness of early years education 1997-2003.
A longitudinal study funded by the UK's Department of Education and Skills (DfES)."

The "Effective Provision of Pre-School Education (EPPE) Project" lastet from 1997 till 2003. The following "Effective Pre-School and Primary Education 3-11 (EPPE 3-11) Project" will last until 2008. The EPPE studies focus on the progress and development of 3,000 children from entering pre-school to the end of Key Stage Two in primary school (from age 3 to 11 years old). EPPE 3-11 builds on the original EPPE study.

The EPPE study (1997-2003) is the first major study in the United Kingdom to focus specifically on the effectiveness of early years education. The EPPE project is a large scale, longitudinal study of the progress and development of 3,000 children in various types of pre-school education. The study is intended to explore the characteristics of different kinds of early years provision and will examine children's development in pre-school education, influences on their later adjustment and progress in infant school up to the National Assessment at age 7 (end of Key Stage1). It will help to identify the aspects of pre-school provision which have a positive impact on children's attainment, progress and development, and so provide guidance on good practice.

EPPE links to latest findings - Press Briefing 20051125:Latest Findings (short); EPPE Project: Final Report (long); Findings from pre-school to the end of Key Stage 1; Findings from the early primary years

The original EPPE study has influenced policy and practice in pre-school education and care at:
- National level : through evidence given at Parliamentary Select Committees, Ministerial briefings and Treasury Reviews.
- Regional level: through work with Local Education Authorities (LEAs) who are re-configuring their services and with Early Years Development and Childcare Partnerships (EYDCP)
- Practitioner level: through a focus on practical pedagogy .

The EPPE 3-11 study (2003-2008) provides a five year extension to Europe's largest longitudinal investigation into the effects of pre-school education on children's developmental outcomes at the start of primary school: the Effective Provision of Pre-School Education (EPPE, 1997-2003) study. In EPPE, more than 3000 children were assessed at the start of pre-school (around the age of 3), their developmental progress was monitored until they entered school, and then for a further three years until the end of Key Stage 1 (5-7). The study applied an ‘educational effectiveness' design to establish the factors related to children's progress, followed by intensive case studies to ‘un-pack' effective practices. The EPPE 3-11 follows the same cohort of children to the end of Key Stage 2 (7-11). EPPE and EPPE 3-11, represent a major investment into early educational effectiveness research by the Department for Education and Skills.

Key Findings: For the first time, research has definitively shown that those children who enjoy access to nursery education before school age demonstrate better attainment at school at the age of seven. Specifically, children with experience of pre-school education demonstrate significantly higher attainment in KS1 tests in Mathematics and English compared with children who have no experience of pre-school education.
Moreover, starting early – from the age of two upwards – together with higher quality provision, improves children’s intellectual development at entry to school and up until the end of KS1. The research also shows that disadvantaged children can benefit significantly from good quality pre-school experiences, giving them a developmental boost at entry to primary school which continues to the end of KS1.
Other key findings include: Learning at home with parents during the early years (e.g. singing songs and nursery rhymes, reading to the child and visiting the library regularly) makes a positive difference to children’s social and intellectual development at age seven; Pre-school attendance reduces the risk of SEN (Special Educational Needs) from 1 in 3 to 1 in 5.

The EPPE Research Team are:
Professor Kathy Sylva – University of Oxford
Professor Ted Melhuish – Birkbeck, University of London
Professor Iram Siraj-Blatchford (Principal Investigator: EPPE (3-11) project) - School of Early Childhood and Primary Education, Institute of Education, University of London
Professor Pam Sammons – School of Curriculum, Pedagogy and Assessment, Institute of Education, University of London
Brenda Taggart (EPPE Coordinator and Principal Investigator) - School of Early Childhood and Primary Education, Institute of Education, University of London

Enquiries about the EPPE project or the EPPE 3-11 project should be directed in the first instance to:
Brenda Taggart.
The EPPE Research Co-ordinator. 
Room 416.
The Institute of Education.
University of London.
20 Bedford Way.
London WC1H OAL.
Telephone No. 00 44 (0) 207 612 6219.
Fax : 00 44 (0) 207 612 6230.
Email : b.taggart@ioe.ac.uk

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© H. Metzen (Status: 20080108)