Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: http://bura.brunel.ac.uk/handle/2438/22964
Title: Policy actors in a hostile environment: the views of staff in maintained nursery schools in England
Authors: Bradbury, A
Hoskins, K
Fogarty, L
Keywords: nursery schools;early years;policy enactment;disadvantaged pupils;policy actors
Issue Date: 30-Jul-2021
Publisher: Routledge (Taylor & Francis Group)
Citation: Bradbury, A., Hoskins, K. and Fogarty, L. (2021) 'Policy actors in a hostile environment: the views of staff in maintained nursery schools in England', Education 3-13, 51 (1), pp. 171 - 185. doi: 10.1080/03004279.2021.1956561.
Abstract: Copyright © 2021 The Author(s). The nearly 400 maintained nursery schools in England are schools for children aged 2–4 years. They hold a unique position in offering state-funded provision for this age group, outside of a primary school environment, and are disproportionately located in areas of disadvantage [EE. 2020. Briefing Note: The Comprehensive Spending Review and Funding for Maintained Nursery Schools. Accessed 13 October 2020. https://early-education.org.uk/sites/default/files/Briefing%20note%20-%20CSR%20and%20maintained%20nursery%20schools%27%20funding.pdf]. While there have been policy-based attempts to reduce the impact of social deprivation on educational outcomes, we argue that education policy has created a hostile environment for nursery schools. This arises from the national strategies on funding, ‘free hours’ for parents, and staff qualifications, alongside social policy. Based on interview data with staff and leaders in four nursery schools, the paper explores the views of these teachers and discusses them as policy actors within a precarious environment, faced with possible closure. We explore their agency as they navigate this hostile terrain and their ways of maintaining their sense of professional pride and commitment to social justice.
URI: https://bura.brunel.ac.uk/handle/2438/22964
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/03004279.2021.1956561
ISSN: 0300-4279
Other Identifiers: ORCID iDs: Alice Bradbury https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3269-6199; Kate Hoskins https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6360-8898.
Appears in Collections:Dept of Education Research Papers

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