Dr Sara Bonetti is an independent researcher with 20 years of experience advocating on behalf of children and families within government, non-profit and research institutions. She is also a Visiting Scholar at Middlesex University. Her research focuses on policy and leadership in early childhood education and care, with a particular focus on quality, workforce development and systems integration. She is currently Co-I on the Nuffield-funded project Achieving high-quality provision in the baby room of English nurseries.
Dr Sara Bonetti
About Sara
Recent Publications
The impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on children’s socio-emotional wellbeing and attainment during the Reception year
Four- and five-year-olds were less likely to meet the expected levels of development in 2021 than before the pandemic, a new report from the University of York, National Institute of Economic and Social Research (NIESR) and the Education Policy Institute…
By Dr Sara Bonetti and Education Policy Institute
Reporting
The Covid-19 pandemic and the early years workforce: February-May findings
Covid isolation drove up to four in every ten early years settings to close across England, Wales and Scotland during the spring, a new report from the Education Policy Institute (EPI) and the National Day Nurseries Association (NDNA) reveals. The…
By Dr Sara Bonetti
Reporting
The Covid-19 pandemic and the early years workforce: November-February findings
Nurseries, pre-schools, and other early years settings have been heavily reliant on the government’s Coronavirus Job Retention scheme during the height of the winter lockdown, a new report from the Education Policy Institute (EPI) and the National Day Nurseries Association…
By Dr Sara Bonetti and Education Policy Institute
Reporting
The Covid-19 pandemic and the early years workforce: August-November findings
This research finds that low attendance rates and a fall in families taking up government-funded early years education could lead to a shortfall in qualified staff in settings after the winter period. The report, published by the Education Policy Institute…
By Dr Sara Bonetti and Education Policy Institute
Reporting
Early years workforce qualifications and children’s outcomes
This research from the Education Policy Institute, funded by the Nuffield Foundation, finds that the presence of a graduate in private, voluntary and independent (PVI) early years settings demonstrates a small but positive association with young children’s educational attainment. Using…
By Dr Sara Bonetti
Reporting
A systematic review of early years degrees and employment pathways
The Education Policy Institute and the Plymouth Institute of Education (University of Plymouth) have published a new report on early years degrees in England, funded by the Nuffield Foundation. While degree-qualified staff have been identified as contributing to the quality…
By Dr Sara Bonetti and Education Policy Institute
Reporting
The Covid-19 pandemic and the early years workforce: March-August findings
New research published by the Education Policy Institute (EPI) and National Day Nurseries Association (NDNA) shows that 71% of staff in early years settings were furloughed between March and August. The report draws on a survey of 445 early…
By Dr Sara Bonetti
Reporting
The stability of the early years workforce in England
This report, commissioned by the Social Mobility Commission, finds that low pay, a high workload and a lack of career development for early years workers risk having a serious impact on the provision of care and education services for the…
By Dr Sara Bonetti
Reporting
Early years workforce development in England: Key ingredients and missed opportunities
A new report from the Education Policy Institute (EPI), funded by the Nuffield Foundation, examines how the government can develop the early years workforce in England, in order to improve the quality of provision . Early years education can…
By Dr Sara Bonetti