20 Forever Surrey / anniversary issue


Arts and Society ‘Outstanding’ nurseries have little effect on children


Attending a nursery with highly-qualified staff or an ‘outstanding’ Ofsted rating has limited benefit for children’s educational achievement, according to Surrey research.


The report found that free part-time nursery places for three-year-olds enabled some children to do better in assessments at the end of reception, but that the overall educational benefits are small and do not last.


Co-author Dr Jo Blanden said: “Some nurseries are helping children to do better than others, but this is not related to staff qualifications or Ofsted ratings. It is extremely important to discover the factors that lead to a high quality nursery experience so we can maximise children’s chances to benefit developmentally from attending nursery.”


Listen to Dr Blanden speaking on BBC Radio 4 Woman’s Hour (27 minutes in): http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b04m3jct


Vision for tomorrow’s economy


A new edition of Prosperity Without Growth, the landmark book by sustainability expert Professor Tim Jackson, has been published. In it, Professor Jackson discusses discusses how the economy of tomorrow could be built in ways which protect employment, enable social investment, reduce inequality and deliver ecological and financial stability.


Prosperity Without Growth caused widespread controversy when it was first published in 2009. Outlining a vision for lasting prosperity


on a finite planet, it openly questioned the most highly-prized goal of politicians and economists alike: the continued pursuit of exponential economic growth.


Professor Jackson said: “In 2009 it was regarded as a radical narrative whispered by a marginal fringe. Today it’s an essential vision for social progress in a post-crisis world. Fulfilling that vision, in my view, is simply the most urgent task of our times.”


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