Early Career Teachers: core resources

The Early Career Framework has been designed by the Department for Education in England to support newly qualified teachers in England with a structured package of support in the following five areas: behaviour management, pedagogy, curriculum, assessment and professional behaviours.  To complement the framework, which may provide more generic support, this page suggests some reading and resources to […]

Clay

Play with clay Clay is natural, it comes from the earth. It is cool to the touch and soft on our skin. It has a deep earthy smell which invites you in. Clay can be sculpted far more intricately than play dough. Just by covering it over, clay can be returned to day-after-day, added to, […]

COVID-19 and home learning

This page brings together useful resources for supporting families with home-learning while settings and schools are closed during COVID-19 restrictions. See also: Twelve links for supporting home learning: early years and primary External links: Playing and Exploring The Gruffalo website Siren films website has short courses using their video clips from Dr Sue Allingham and Anne O’Connor […]

Creativity

How can I be more creative? Be inspired by our guest bloggers from Rachel Keeling nursery school who shared about their clay and sculpture project.  Have a read of The beauty and chaos of free play blog. I was comforted by the image of a well used and played in space and the quotes of Vivian Gussin Paley and […]

Twelve links for supporting home learning: early years and primary

Here are twelve links with free ideas to support play and learning at home, suitable for early years, nursery, reception and school aged children in lower primary years  Growing and learning together from Highfield Nursery School, Children’s Centre and Daycare is a page with recipes, ideas and their new PDF leaflet “Activities to try at home” […]

Pedagogic pointers for reflection and dialogue

The following extracts from past early years teaching newsletters have a feature which supports your team dialogue around pedagogy and practice dilemmas and reflective practice.  You could use the pedagogic pointers in a staff meeting, self-evaluation exercise or in team meetings. Ideally, use it as an opportunity for evaluation, reflection and then team and setting […]

Outdoor play and learning – ideas, info and lots of links

When writing our January Early Years Teaching News, I tweeted a survey to ask if practitioners and leaders would like information about ICT or outside play. Sixty-nine percent voted for outside play and when seeing this, Kathryn Solly, Early Education Associate, outdoors expert, consultant and author, offered to help write something for us. Outdoor play: pedagogic […]