Educational provision for four‐year‐olds

Abstract This paper presents an evaluation of provision for 4‐year‐olds in educational settings specifically designed for this age group, namely nursery schools (including one school in a nursery centre), nursery classes and early‐reception classes. All the establishments were located in inner London boroughs. The aims of the study were first, to examine the organization, planning and curriculum on offer in these settings; second, to investigate staff views on the needs of 4‐year‐olds; third, to explore parents’ perceptions of their children's education and fourth, to examine links between the different types of pre‐school provision and infant school departments. The nursery schools, nursery classes and early‐reception classes differed in their physical layout and organization. However, they all had a high ratio of specially trained adults (teachers and nursery nurses) to children, whose aims and objectives were broadly similar. The majority of the classes had a wide range of provision. The nursery classe...