Learning one's place and position through play: social class and educational opportunity in Early Years Education

This paper focuses on how learning is structured and organised through play in three Early Years Education settings in England, UK. Drawing on the theoretical work of the British sociologist Basil Bernstein and with reference to the structure and organisation of learning, it is argued that the multiple forms of play evident in the three settings are afforded very different status and value in each, influenced by the assumptions practitioners make about children and their families’ knowledge and resources for learning. The effect of such processes is the reproduction, rather than erosion, of social hierarchies inside EYE settings, reflecting those longstanding in wider UK society.