For each country, fieldwork was conducted at national level and in three local authorities, selected on the basis of their varied characteristics.

For all three countries, documentation was collected at the national level and the local level.

The main informants are listed below. Where relevant, the researchers had guided visits to the services in which the main informants were based; they also took the opportunity to engage in conversations with other members of staff in these services.

England

National fieldwork 2001-02

Twenty-four interviews were conducted with 33 informants (nine interviews were with two or three informants). Eight interviews were with informants in government departments (DfES, DoH, DCMS, HM Treasury including a senior politician); two with informants in public bodies (Ofsted and QCA); two with trade unions (NUT and UNISON); six with voluntary organisations; and six with individual researchers and other experts.

Local case study 1, main informants

Five local authority administrators, including the lead officer on the EYDCP, and one development worker, one head of out-of-school care service, two nursery school head teachers, one head teacher of primary school, one schoolbased community worker, one head teacher of a middle school, one proprietor of a children’s centre (13 main informants).

Local case study 2, main informants

Five local government administrators and three development workers, one head of a local authority nursery school, one head of an out-of-school club, two head teachers of primary schools, with nursery classes and out-of-school services, one deputy head of a secondary school, one out-of-school leader (14 main informants).

Local case study 3, main informants

Eight local authority administrators and development officers, the council leader, the manager of an Early Excellence Centre, one nursery school head teacher, three primary head teachers and one acting head (15 informants).

Sweden

National fieldwork 2002

Fifteen interviews were conducted with 21 informants. Four interviews involved two or three informants. Four interviews were with civil servants or advisers based in government agencies, one with trade union officials, one with a local government association and nine with educationists (21 informants).

Local case study 1, main informants

Two administrators, two practitioners working across the local authority, three pre-school teachers, 12 compulsory teachers, one free-time pedagogue (lower school), one rektor in charge of a cluster of services (21 main informants).