Fathers and education
Supporting father-inclusive early years settings and primary schools
Why change is needed
Fathers’ impact on their children’s learning and development is significant, so there is a clear need to support their involvement at home and within education settings, alongside mothers. Opportunities to engage with fathers are all too often missed, however; this tends to leave them marginalised – especially in disadvantaged families, where their positive input can bring the greatest benefit.
What needs to happen
We need early years services and schools to actively reach out to fathers, challenging and supporting them to help their children learn and develop. This requires leadership and gender-sensitive thinking from organisations which understand fathers’ significance to their children and value gender diversity within their own workforces.
Practitioners need the knowledge, skills and experience to innovate, be reflective and build father-inclusion into their everyday practice.
Key actions
We were Co-investigators on the ESRC-funded PIECE (Paternal Involvement and its Impact on Children’s Education) study, led by Dr Helen Norman at Leeds University Business School, which strengthened the evidence base about the impact of fathers’ involvement in early childcare on their children’s attainment at school. We launched the final report and resources for practitioners and families in 2023
Our MITEY (Men In The Early Years) campaign advocates for greater gender diversity in the UK early years education sector, and provides evidence-based resources.
We submit evidence to consultations and enquiries, for example the Raising the Nation Play Commission (2024)
We offer training for schools and early years providers to equip them with the knowledge and tools to run FRED (Fathers Reading Every Day). We're running a four-year trial in Lambeth (funded by Mercers) to test the programme's impact over the short and medium term
We sat on the Fawcett Society’s Commission on Gender Stereotypes in Early Childhood, whose report Unlimited Potential was published in 2020
We’re members of the Early Education and Childcare Coalition – a cross-sector collaboration working for an early education and childcare sector that delivers for children, parents, the workforce, and the economy
How you can help
Commission us to deliver a webinar or training at your workplace
Make a donation to support our ongoing policy work