Reducing Educational Disadvantage: a Strategic Approach in the Early - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Reducing Educational Disadvantage: a Strategic Approach in the Early Years

Penny Tassoni Author, Independent Education Consultant and Trainer

#EYSat50

The Background

Poverty has multiple, negative impacts on children’s outcomes leading to inequalities in health, cognitive development, psychosocial development and educational attainment. These inequalities are evident from preschool children through children during the school years, from entry into the labour market to resources for retirement, from mortality rates in later life, and often on to the next generation

Impacts of poverty on children and young people Morag C. Treanor

Social mobility?

Children who perform highly in ability tests in early childhood who are from low socio- economic backgrounds are repeatedly

• vertaken in ability tests carried out in later

childhood by children from higher socioeconomic backgrounds who had performed less well in the early years

Impacts of poverty on children and young people Morag

• C. Treanor

Lucky children have…

Strong relationships and time with

adults

Opportunities to interact Opportunities to share books Varied experiences/ adult directed

activities

Challenging play opportunities

Starting Points

 Most practitioners want to make an

active difference to children’s lives

 It is important to recognise children at risk

• f educational disadvantage early on

 Parents are a central part of this journey  Precise assessment is an important tool to

work more strategically

Relationships

 Secure key person relationships affect

children’s willingness to communicate and engage with new activities

 Good settling in systems are essential to

supporting children and their families

 It is also important to monitor the depth of

children’s relationship with key adults in the setting

The Power of Language

 Language changes the way that children

process and store information

 Language changes the way that children

play

 Good levels of language are associated

with learning to read

 Language is essential for writing  Lower levels of language are associated

with poor behaviour and difficulties in concentration

Why language matters…

 By 22 months – a child’s language development

can predict outcomes at age 26

 By ages 3-6 years - a child’s narrative skills are a

powerful predictor of literacy skill at 8-12 years

 By 4 years – the difference in the number of words

children from disadvantaged backgrounds hear is 19 million

 By 5 years – a child’s vocabulary will predict their

educational success and outcomes at age 30.

Early language: Facts and Stats, ICAN, August 2014

Interaction Matters?

Consider how many and the length

• f average interactions for children

in your setting

Monitor those children who are not

forthcoming and may not seek out interaction

Think about how you assess

developing language

Stories

What are the benefits of a 1:1 story? Could this become an essential

part of an educational programme?

Could you develop tracking systems

to support children’s progress?

Do you have sufficient high quality

books?

Experiences

 Different experiences build children’s

language and vocabulary

 They can enrich children’s play  What kind of experiences do you plan for

children? e.g. cooking, posting a letter, gardening

 Do you have a long term plan for such

experiences?

Rhymes

Rhymes support children’s

phonological awareness

How many rhymes will children in

your setting know when they leave?

How do you track these? How are they planned and shared

with parents?

Mathematical Games

 A range of games can help children’s

concepts and skills

 Is there a planned approach to ensure

that children are learning through games such as picture lotto, snap or pairs

 Are more challenging roll-a-dice games

introduced?