The early years are about to get a significant boost as a result of the government’s new plan to give every child the best start in life.

As part of this, the Department for Education has set a target for 75 per cent of children to achieve a good level of development at the end of Reception by 2028. This means that it’s more important than ever for schools to focus on mobilising the best available evidence to improve both quality and equity in early years.

Here are seven books that share powerful research and, crucially, offer practical steps for putting evidence into action.

1. The Intentional Teacher: Choosing the Best Strategies for Young Children’s Learning by Ann S. Epstein

In her book, Ann Epstein argues that teaching in the early years should be “intentional”, with teachers acting with “knowledge and purpose” to ensure that children “acquire the knowledge and skills they need to succeed in school and in life”.

As she explains, “intentional teaching does not happen by chance; it is planful, thoughtful and purposeful”.

She argues for a balanced approach to early years pedagogy, noting that “rarely does learning come about entirely through a child’s efforts or only from adult instruction”.

Of course, that presents us with a challenge: how can we develop “intentional” teachers across the early years workforce?

A recent paper by Dr Sandra Mathers is particularly helpful here. In it, she explains the importance of educators’ explicit understanding of the pedagogical strategies they use. For example, while it’s useful for an educator to have a range of approaches to support children’s communication, it’s their explicit understanding of why they might use a particular strategy that leads to children making better progress.

As Mathers concludes, “although there is value in knowing ‘how to do’, explicit knowledge of ‘how and why’ matters more”.

2. Curriculum, leadership and interaction quality rating scales (CLIQRS) by Iram Siraj and colleagues

The CLIQRS suite consists of a range of rating scales to help leaders and educators assess and improve the quality of early childhood education and care. While these were originally research tools, they’ve now been published in an accessible form for use in schools and early years settings.

It’s important to have an evidence-informed toolkit for assessing quality, because research suggests that unstructured evaluations and self-rating by teachers are both subject to significant bias and error.

For example, a recent study of teachers’ talk in early years classrooms in America, by Susan B. Neuman and colleagues, found that although “the quality of linguistically and cognitively challenging talk was strikingly low”, teachers in the study “overwhelmingly indicated their confidence in engaging children in language-rich activities”.

The scales are published as the following separate texts:

• The Sustained Shared Thinking and Emotional Well-being (SSTEW) Scale: Supporting Process Quality in Early Childhood by Iram Siraj, Denise Kingston and Edward Melhuish.
• The Early Childhood Quality Rating Scale: Emergent Curriculum (ECQRS-EC) by Kathy Sylva, Iram Siraj, Brenda Taggart and Denise Kingston.
• The Movement Environment Rating Scale (MOVERS): Supporting Physical Development and Movement Play in Early Childhood by Carol Archer and Iram Siraj.
• The Pedagogical Leadership in the Early Years (PLEY) Quality Rating Scale: Supporting Leadership for Learning in Centres and Classrooms by Denise Kingston and Iram Siraj.

3. How We Learn: Why Brains Learn Better Than Any Machine...for Now by Stanislas Dehaene

In this book, Stanislas Dehaene provides a brilliant and accessible account of how children learn, drawing on insights from neuroscience. For example, his discussion of executive function skills helps to explain both why children are such powerful learners and also why they seem to make “silly” mistakes.

As Dehaene points out, “much time is needed for the brain’s central executive to systematically select the appropriate strategies and inhibit the inadequate ones, all the while avoiding distraction”.

4. Take Action on Distraction: The Definitive Guide to Improving Attention and Focus in the Early Years and Key Stage One by Dr Gemma Goldenberg and Professor Sam Wass

You can read this book in a single sitting and come away with a short list of practical action points. However, the book’s easy style doesn’t compromise its fidelity to high-quality research evidence, and the authors are not afraid to highlight areas of uncertainty.

It’s a book that turns the insights of researchers like Dehaene into classroom-ready advice. I particularly like the discussion of how all children can benefit from reduced visual and auditory clutter, and increased opportunities for repetition and access to learning outdoors.

Goldenberg and Wass additionally make the point that some children also need tailored sensory and environmental adjustments. As they put it, “some flowers need different soil”.

5. Myths of Early Math by Douglas H. Clements and Julie Sarama

This journal article is a readable and insightful discussion of the widely held beliefs that can negatively affect young children’s mathematical learning.

Clements and Sarama sift the facts from the myths, brilliantly packing in references to more than 50 high-quality studies while maintaining a conversational tone.

Myth seven is a nice example. This explores the claim that “the best way to teach math is through ‘teachable moments’”. Clements and Sarama note that while “teachable moments, handled well, can be wondrous and satisfying”, they are “far from adequate” - and explain why.

6. Starting School: Young Children Learning Cultures by Liz Brooker

With the current focus on ”school readiness”, Brooker’s account of a group of children starting Reception in an English town feels particularly topical.

Brooker is wary of the tendency to blame parents when children struggle, and notes how well-intentioned approaches to level the playing field can sometimes seriously disadvantage working-class and ethnic-minority children.

I am particularly struck by Brooker’s discussion of the assumption held by the educators in the study that it is “natural” for children in the early years to choose what to do, to play and to be intrinsically motivated to explore. She argues that this assumption can pathologise children whose socialisation at home has taught them to stand back, observe and only join in when adults lead activities.

Brooker points to the necessity of an “open door” approach in which genuine two-way communication takes place. She argues that schools need to learn about the children and their families, and open their own minds to a broader range of learning cultures, while also being explicit with parents about their intentions and their teaching methods in the Reception year.

Otherwise, Brooker suggests, “the cultural capital acquired in the home may lose its value on the way to school”.

7. Reaching the Unseen Children: Practical Strategies for Closing Stubborn Attainment Gaps in Disadvantaged Groups by Jean Gross

Jean Gross’s book includes a strong focus on the early years and explains how a systematic school-wide approach can help schools to tackle inequality. It’s richly illustrated with case studies and real-life examples drawn from the work of highly effective schools in underserved communities.

This is a useful book if you’re thinking about how high-quality early education fits into a wider strategy for improving learning for every child. An updated edition will be published in September.

Final thoughts

Teaching in the early years is very much a team effort. While I love to read and reflect in private, my experience suggests that the best way to use the insights in these books is to make professional reading a communal activity. Sharing short extracts for discussion in teams, for example, helps to create a culture of professional learning and reflection.

With the current workforce challenges, it’s helpful to remember that high-quality professional development and a supportive culture may have more impact on teaching quality than the level of staff experience alone.

Julian Grenier CBE is co-editor of the forthcoming book Putting the EYFS curriculum into practice (2nd Edition)

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