Professor Kathy Sylva OBE speaks to Engagement and Partnerships Lead Joe Bullough about research which she was co-investigator for, which points to the benefits of coaching as part of Early Years' Continuing Professional Development (CPD).
The 'Expert and Mentors' programme, which was funded by the Department for Education's £180 million Early Years' Recovery initiative, provided on-site coaching for up to six hours per term to Early Years' settings, with a focus on improving the way the setting supported personal, social, and emotional development (PSED) and communication and language skills. The evaluation, involving 400 settings, showed significant positive impacts on practitioners' confidence and skill in both PSED and (to a lesser degree, though still significant gains) in communication and language. However, it did not find any effect on retention of staff, which was a secondary focus of the investigation. Qualitative findings also highlighted the transformative impact of coaching for practitioners and managers—but, interestingly, also pointed to the most significant benefits for coaches and experts involved. The research finds on-site coaching as a tried and tested, low-cost method to "lift" practice, as part of an effective CPD programme. However, it also makes the case for further longitudinal work, linked to learning outcomes, to make more comprehensive assessments of the longer-term impact of such programmes on children's actual development.
A Digest (plain language summary) of this research can be viewed and downloaded here:https://www.education.ox.ac.uk/oxford-education-deanery/digest/the-benefits-of-coaching-as-part-of-early-years-continuing-professional-development-cpd/
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Read the full report, which this episdode and digest are based on: Ecorys UK and Sylva, K., (2025) Evaluation of the Early Years Experts and Mentors programme, UK Government: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/67e42d3ad052ace7e89776c1/Evaluation_of_the_Early_Years_Experts_and_Mentors_programme.pdf
Speaker Bios
Professor Kathy Sylva OBE
Professor Kathy Sylva is Honorary Research Fellow and Professor Emeritus of Educational Psychology at the Department of Education, University of Oxford. She has conducted large-scale studies on the effects of early education and care on children’s development and has led several RCTs to evaluate parenting interventions. She has been specialist adviser to Parliamentary Select Committees and currently advises Ofsted, and the Education Endowment Foundation. Kathy is a Fellow of the British Academy, the Academy of Social Sciences, the British Psychological Society, and recipient of the British Educational Research Association’s Nisbett Award in 2014. She received an OBE for services to children and families in 2008 and has honorary doctorates from the Open University, Oxford Brookes, the University of Gothenburg and the University of Jvyaskyla.
https://www.education.ox.ac.uk/person/kathy-sylva/
Joe Bullough
Joe Bullough is the Engagement and Partnerships Lead at the Department of Education, University of Oxford. He leads school partnerships under the Oxford Internship Scheme (PGCE), and, with the co-directors, drives the development of the Oxford Education Deanery —a platform for exchange between school teachers in practice and researchers at Oxford. He also provides advisory support to the directors on wider partnership matters. Prior to his role at the Department of Education, Joe managed partnerships and engagement for the Research on Improving Systems of Education (RISE) Programme—a £40 million, UK Aid-funded progamme focused on improving learning outcomes and education systems around the world. Prior to that, he worked for UNESCO’s Asia-Pacific Regional Bureau for Education, and the Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organisation (SEAMEO).
https://www.education.ox.ac.uk/person/joseph-bullough/
