How understanding high-quality professional development transforms early years education

As educators, we all want to make the changes which will have the most impact. However, it is complex and challenging to find high-quality professional development that helps us to put evidence into action.

Yet these challenges also present us with a huge opportunity. With the right tools and strategies, we can use professional development to make a real difference.

To learn more about these challenges, and how we might move forward, the EEF has recently published a practice review which draws on the experiences of around 500 early years leaders and setting managers, using an online survey together with in-depth interviews.

Many of the interviewees commented that there are a number of programmes available which are not evidence-based, and that many short courses of variable quality are advertised to the sector. The report’s analysis of professional development programmesA programme is a package of support, including professional development, that helps early years educators to improve particular areas of practice and children’s outcomes. finds that fewer than 20% of their websites mention evaluations. As a result, leaders and managers may be trying to make decisions without adequate information to guide their thinking.

Additional challenges include:

• Capacity issues, including finding cover for staff (58% of survey respondents)
• Participants lacking time to take part (56% of survey respondents)
• Maintaining staff to child ratios (43% of survey respondents).
• Access to programmes is particularly difficult for childminders (who struggle to attend during their working day), midday or afterschool club supervisors, staff in small settings, and staff in underserved regions

Some of the characteristics of effective programmes, based on the findings from the practice review, are:

• A focus on recognised need: this improves staff engagement as the purpose of the training and its potential impact are clear and important
• Evidence-based: this means the training is more likely to support improvement in children’s outcomes, improving staff engagement.
• Time and opportunities for discussion and sharing ideas: this is especially highly valued by childminders.
• Practical ideas supported by structures for implementation: action plans and formal follow-ups (e.g. setting visits to see good practice, mentoring and modelling good practice, regularly reviewing progress, and providing structured opportunities for reflection).
• Duration: long-term programmes (at least a school term in length) are seen as more effective than one-off sessions. They provide more opportunities for reflection and embedding of practice.

The report gives us much to reflect on and also prompts some practical actions that can be taken now to help establish high equality professional development in your setting.

Resources to draw on include:

1. The EEF’s Guide to Effective Professional Development in the Early Years explains the importance of focussing on the ‘mechanisms’. When choosing a programme for staff, check that mechanisms from all four groups are present, that the programme is evidence-based, and that its content is drawn from trusted sources.
2. The EEF Guide to the Early Years Pupil Premium explains the importance of professional development in ensuring that the EYPP makes a difference to children who are socio-economically disadvantaged.
3. The 45% uplift to the EYPP provides a welcome, additional source of funds to pay for high-quality PD.

To support your next steps, explore the EEF’s resources and talk with colleagues about how you can prioritise evidence-based professional development. You might find our Professional Development Conversation Cycle useful for guiding your discussion.

Find out more: Mapping professional development and support programmes in the early years sector