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Dr Peter Elfer

Job Title: Senior Lecturer - Early Childhood Studies, Programme Convenver (MA Early
In this Section Childhood Studies)

Home Page Qualifications: B.Sc; B.Phil; DMS; PhD

Telephone: +44 (0)20 8392 3367

Email Address: P.Elfer@roehampton.ac.uk

Responsibilities
Senior Lecturer in Early Childhood Studies

Alongside working with under and post graduate students, Peter is engaged in research, writing and consultancy. Most
work with students is on the BA in Early Childhood Studies but Peter also contributes to the BA in Education.

Research interests
For the last 12 years, I have been involved in research on children under three in nursery provision. Current research is a
case study of six different kinds of nursery to investigate differing patterns of managing nursery provision for very young
children. The aim is to see whether particular patterns of management are associated with particular outcomes for
children.

I am particular interested in the use of psychoanalytic concepts and methods in this work. The study is therefore using a
psychoanalytic approach to analysing organisations and the Tavistock (Tavistock and Portman NHS Trust) method of
infant observation.

Policy and practice development

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Alongside the research, I have been involved in a number of policy and practice activities. These include:

a) the development, with Dorothy Selleck, of an Evaluation Schedule for evaluating practice with children under three in
nurseries (now available on the NCB Early Childhood Unit website ‘Everyday Stories’);
b) Development work on the DfES Framework ‘Birth to Three Matters’;
c) Work on the implementation of the keyperson approach in nurseries (please see book reference below);
d) An evaluation with Masters Students at Roehampton University, of the Tavistock Video ‘Observation Observed’ (please
see forthcoming chapter for the Open University);
e) Work with the Tavistock and Portman NHS Trust on the development of professional development materials on the
social and emotional development of very young children.

Consultancy
1997-1998 Bristol City Council Early Years and Child Care Development Partnership; Grant awards to early years
organisations;

1995-2003 LB of Newham LEA on development of curriculum materials for children under three in the private and
statutory sectors (Modules 1 and 2);

2000-2001 Effective Early Learning Project, University College Worcester. Developing a ‘Baby EEL’

2001-2002 Association of Infant Mental Health and Council for Awards in Child Care and Education – developing
curriculum / training for tutors teaching early years practitioners.

2003-2004 LB of Newham LEA on development of curriculum materials for children under three in the private and
statutory sectors (Module 3);

2002-2004 Jersey Early Childhood Service

2005-2006 Working jointly with Katy Dearnley of Tavistock and Portman NHS Trust facilitating a new model of continuing
professional development with Heads of Nurseries in Bristol. The focus of this work was personal, social and emotional
development;

2006-2007 See above but now working with Heads and Managers of nurseries in LB of Hammersmith and Fulham

Teaching
Roehampton University has a strong commitment to continuity and progression in learning and has developed such a
pathway for students studying the development of very young children. First year undergraduates are able to study early
development in a home context (Babies and Toddlers (1)) and progress onto study development in settings away from
home (Babies and Toddlers (2)).

There is a progression route to Master’s Level where within the MA (Education), there is a module on children under
three. This module looks specifically at the use of the Tavistock method of infant observation.

Finally, there is a taught session on the Ed.D Doctoral Programme, examining policy and practice in the UK specifically

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concerning development from conception to 36 months.

Research Projects Undertaken

'5000 hours: Organising for intimacy in the care of babies and children under three attending full time nursery'.

This study now completed, explores what babies and young children in nursery might have to communicate about their
experience and how this experience is related to different organisational cultures and systems of management.

Publications
Julien Grenier (2010) Personal, Social and Emotional Development, Early Childhood: A guide for students, pp141-
153.

Elinor Goldschmied and Dorothy Selleck (2010) Persone Chiave al nido - Costruire rapporti di qualita, ediizionjunior.

(2010) The power of psychoanalytic conceptions in understanding nurseries, International Journal of Infant
Observation and its Applications, 13, pp59-63.

Elfer, P; Grenier, J; Manning Morton, J; Dearnley, K; Wilson, D (2008) The Key Person in Reception classes and
small nursery settings, Social and Emotional Aspects of Development: Guidance for Practitioners working in the Early
Years Foundation Stage.

Elfer, Peter (2007) Attachment and the key person role, Early Years Foundation Stage.

Elfer, P (2007) Babies and Young Children in Nurseries: Using Psychoanalytic Ideas to Explore Tasks and
Interactions, Children and Society, 21, 111-122.

Elfer P and Dearnley K (2007) Nurseries and emotional well being: Evaluating an emotionally containing model
of continuing professional development, Early Years: An International Journal of Research and Development, 27 (3).

Elfer, P (2007) What are nurseries for? The concept of primary task and its application in differentiating roles
and tasks in nurseries, Journal of Early Childhood Research, Vol 5 No 2, 169-188.

Elfer, P (2006) Exploring children’s expressions of attachment in nursery. 14(2) , European Early Childhood
Education Journal , 14, 81-96.

Elfer, P (2004) Observation Matters, in L. Abbott and A. Langston (eds) Birth to Three Matters; Supporting the
Framework of Effective Practice, 116-129.

Elfer, P., Goldschmied, E. and Selleck, D. (2003) Key persons in the Nursery: Building relationships for quality
provision, London: David Fulton, 1-82.

Elfer, P. (2002) Parental choice and staff experience in early day care, Association of Infant Mental Health,
Amsterdam.

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 Elfer, P. (2002) Holding the baby: the emotional demands on early years practitioners working with babies and
toddlers, Tavistock and Portman NHS Trust.

Elfer, P. (2002) Research children: methodology with children under three, Centre for Research in Early Childhood,
University of Leeds.

Qualification Details
BSc; BPhil; CQSW; DMS; PhD

Teaching Expertise
Senior Lecturer in Early Childhood Studies

Examining Experience
External Examiner PhD viva Sheffield University (2008)

Consultancy Expertise
Please see 'Consultancy' above

Consultancies Undertaken
Please see 'Consultancy' above

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