ABSTRACT
This chapter provides a framework from which to evaluate any research into preschool education; indeed, many of the points apply to any evaluation of educational initiatives. It considers the implications of the longitudinal research on the effectiveness of preschool education, Effective Pre-school and Primary Education project (EPPE), funded by the Department for Education and Skills (DfES) from 1997. The evidence from the 1970s and 1980s shows how varied was the provision of preschool services across the country as well as how little cooperation there was between services or coordination of services. Some local authorities gave priority within their budgets to building nursery schools or opening nursery classes attached to primary schools, often in more deprived areas. The similarities and differences in preschool provision across the United Kingdom and in the Republic of Ireland are compared and contrasted in Early Childhood Education and Care: policy and practice. In the United Kingdom, there have been many government initiatives in early education.
