This data is formed of a combination of interviews used to gain practitioners' perspectives on the understanding of quality and success in early year settings. A mixture of biographical questionnaires, semi-structured interviews, focus groups and observations were used across 18 settings (4 schools, 3 private day nurseries and 11 Children's Centres). Perspectives were sought from a range of 165 practitioners, including heads of schools and centres, nursery nurses, teachers and assistants. A total of 66 interview transcripts were obtained discussing the understanding of 'quality' and 'success' in their context, the expression of such understandings in the daily experiences of the children and the implications of these understandings in professional development planning. Observations were conducted on 70 children but were not included for reasons of ethics and confidentiality promised to the participants verbally. There is increasing recognition of the importance of high quality staff in early years settings in the light of the government’s efforts to reform services for young children and their families through the Children Act 2004. Indeed, staff qualified to higher levels have been identified as a significant factor in the provision of high quality services. However, earlier research suggests that practitioners may be confused about what constitutes quality in the care and education of young children, and this confusion may be exacerbated by the wide range of stakeholders in the new children’s services. This research aims to examine practitioners’ understandings of quality and success in the context of their particular settings, the effects of these understandings on the children with whom they work and the implications for training and professional development. To gain insights into practitioners’ perspectives, interviews and observations will be carried out in 18 settings (nursery classes, schools, private day nurseries and children’s centres) in two London Boroughs and two shire counties, selected on the basis of ‘good’ Ofsted reports. This research will also contribute to a wider debate about the development of practitioners’ professional knowledge.

In-depth semi-structured face-to-face interviews, focus groups and biographical questionnaires used for 165 nursery nurses, teachers, assistants and heads/managers working in 11 Children's Centres, 4 schools and 3 nurseries. Observations were also used for 70 children across these locations. This was a cross-sectional (one-time) study that used purposive selection/case study sampling.