@article{discovery10082971,
            note = {This version is the author accepted manuscript. For information on re-use, please refer to the publisher's terms and conditions.},
           month = {July},
            year = {2019},
           title = {School readiness, governance and early years ability grouping},
         journal = {Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood},
            issn = {1463-9491},
        keywords = {School readiness, governance, ability grouping},
        abstract = {Compliance to government-prescribed national 'school-readiness' performance measures, particularly in early numeracy and literacy, readies and governs early years children for primary schools' test-based culture. Performance measures, such as the Early Learning Goals and the Phonics Screening Check, govern and steer early years teachers towards inappropriate ability-grouping practices to obtain required outputs and results. This research draws on the findings of an English nationwide survey of early years and primary Key Stage 1 teachers (n = 1373), four focus groups and four case study schools with 12 in-depth interviews. Early years teachers' attempts to meet nationally imposed school-readiness performance measures are analysed as Foucauldian governance. Finally, the article examines ability-labelling and ability-grouping impacts on children's well-being and aspirations.},
          author = {Roberts-Holmes, G},
             url = {https://doi.org/10.1177/1463949119863128}
}