SEEN Research and Rationale

Why Should Schools Teach the SEEN Curriculum?

Scientists know that the first few years of a child’s life are a critically important period for human development. It impacts on long-term health, wellbeing, learning and earnings potential.

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A baby is born with just 25% of his/her brain developed. So rapid are the changes in the first days of life, that most of a baby’s brain is developed before they can speak. It is estimated that by the age of 3, 50% of our language is in place.

The evidence is clear: our development in these earliest years impacts our future life chances. These years are the foundation for future success and provide the architecture for all that follows.

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A child’s development score at 22 months predicts educational outcomes at 26 years, and 40% of the attainment gap we see at age 16 is already in place by the time children start school at age 5.

Failing to grasp the importance of these early years means too many children enter school behind their peers, with a mountain to climb to catch up.

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By the age of 3, more disadvantaged children are, on average, already almost 1.5 years behind their more affluent peers in their early language development.

Too few of us truly understand the enormous importance of early development or understand the mechanics of how the brain rapidly develops, and how our interactions directly influence the direction that development takes.

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Only one in four people recognise the specific importance of the period from conception to 5 in securing health and happiness in adulthood. However, research shows that gaps in achievement at the very start of school make up a large share of later achievement gaps. Therefore it is vital that we begin educating future generations not only on the importance of these early years but critically what everyone can do to support development within this period.

Currently, young people in our schools learn very little about the brain and the impact of experiences and interactions on its development. The SEEN curriculum contributes to addressing that ignorance. The evidence base for the SEEN curriculum draws on research from longitudinal studies, neurodevelopmental studies, cognitive research, economic analyses of intervention investment. In addition, an independent panel of international education and scientific experts guided and shaped the work of the Oxford University academic team.

The Results of The Pilot Were Positive

Young people think the content is fun, interesting and relevant to them.
100% of teachers and 91% of young people in our pilot think that this should be taught in schools. It is an opportunity for schools to be proactive, rather than reactive, to an area that impacts long term health and wellbeing.

Teachers see the opportunity for secondary schools to help future generations enter education ‘school ready’ at age 5 and agree that it is about time all young people learnt some brain science.

Help us to make this change

Data Collection and Research

One of our aims at the SEEN Programme is to gather information about the receptiveness of schools to deliver this new curriculum material to young people. We hope that this can be fed back to relevant stakeholders in the education sector and bring us one step closer to ensuring that all young people learn about early neurodevelopment whilst at school.

We ask all classes to complete a short registration quiz at the beginning of the first lesson. The online link is shared in the lesson slide deck. This tells us where, when and to whom the lessons were delivered. At the end of lesson 3 we have an online interactive activity looking at common misconceptions about babies and brains. This is intended to be completed as a class but can also be completed independently by students.

Schools are encouraged to set individual “check your understanding” quizzes. Each student uses a personalised code to complete an online quiz. This anonymises the data. They do this before the lessons start, after the lessons and at 6-8 weeks after the lessons. This can be done in class or at home. The quiz involves 10 multiple choice questions, 1 extended answer question, and additional evaluation questions after the lessons. It is a wonderful way to consolidate their classroom learning.

We encourage all teachers involved in the programme to complete a short online teacher feedback questionnaire.

Join our SEEN Community

The SEEN Programme teaches students about early brain development and the importance of the caregiver. To find out more and to access the free lesson resources, please join the SEEN Community.