Sure Start graduates: predictors of attainment on starting school.

BACKGROUND

We report the analysis of the services used and the outcomes for children who used four Sure Start programmes prior to starting school in 2003.

METHODS

A cohort study compared the intervention group both to classmates who lived in the areas covered by Sure Start but did not access it, and to a random sample of children in the same Local Education Authority who did not have access because they lived outside these areas. The impact of service use variables on various outcomes for users was explored using multiple linear regression analysis.

RESULTS

No differences were found in school attainment between users and non-users on average. However, in one of the four areas, users' outcomes were consistently worse. By contrast, in one area, they appeared to be marginally superior on non-academic developmental scores. When we controlled for between-area differences, we also found an association between high use of Sure Start and personal and social development scores.

IMPLICATIONS

Much of the variation in outcomes remains to be explained. Tentative findings suggest stronger associations between Sure Start use and better non-academic developmental outcomes. These findings add to our understanding of the impact of focused, high-quality pre-school provision. Methodological issues raised include rater bias, recruitment bias and a need to measure both frequency and type of service use.