Andrea Lancaster

Andrea Lancaster

Early Education Associate

Andrea is an independent consultant with over 30 years EYFS experience. She has been a teacher and a nursery owner / manager. Her work with adults includes 18 years in a local authority training and quality improvement role working with childminders, PVI settings, and schools and also working as an associate lecturer in universities. Andrea has written and delivered training on all aspects of EYFS provision and practice, however her current passions are for maths and provision for 2-year-olds. Her doctorate was based on perceptions of quality for 2-year-olds in schools and she enjoys supporting settings to develop their offers for these younger children. Andrea is an active member of the Early Childhood Maths Group (ECMG) and was a co-author of their EYFS Spatial Reasoning Toolkit. She was part of the groups who wrote the Maths and the Parents as Partners sections of the Birth to Five Matters guidance as well as the more recent revisions. She has contributed to the development of several DfE funded maths professional development programmes.

Areas of expertise​

  • Early years mathematics, birth to 5

  • Provision and practice for 2-year-olds

  • Quality in EYFS environments

Sample courses

Block play in the early years: noticing the maths – delivered by Dr Andrea Lancaster

Aims and objectives – Delegates will have opportunities to:

  • Explore children’s typical development in block play from a maths perspective
  • Explore the maths possibilities afforded by block play
  • Explore the adult role in supporting children’s block play and maths
  • Consider how they might improve opportunities for maths in their own block provision.

This course can be offered in different formats but is always better face-to-face with practical activities.

Making the most of your maths provision – delivered by Dr Andrea Lancaster

Aims and objectives – Delegates will have opportunities to:

  • Consider reasons why this area of provision may not be being used to its full potential by all children
  • Explore the adult role in supporting maths development in continuous provision
  • Explore how they might think differently about the maths area and consider alternatives, e.g. planning a maths ‘play station’
  • Play and make maths games to be used in provision
  • Consider ways to involve families

This course can be offered in different formats but is better face-to-face as it involves a lot of practical activities. It is aimed at people working with children 3-5.

A curriculum for 2-year-olds based on books – delivered by Dr Andrea Lancaster

Aims and objectives – Delegates will have opportunities to:

  • Explore a curriculum designed for 2-year-olds based on 12 books (2 per half term) that can be adapted to meet the contexts of individual settings
  • Explore ‘topic’ boxes based on each book and plan their own
  • Learn how to use the ‘Stories for Talking’ approach which is a language programme at three different levels focussing on core aspects of language and functional vocabulary. It does not involve removing children from their classroom context and is particularly useful where children have limited language or are learning English as an additional language
  • Consider the maths opportunities that can be supported with each book and woven into routines
  • Explore other related activities throughout the 2-year-old classroom, e.g. opportunities for phase 1 phonics and outdoor activities
  • Explore how activities can be shared with parents and used to support learning in the home environment

This course can be offered in several formats but the first session needs to be in person. It is suitable for 2-year-old room leaders and their managers including nursery teachers and EYFS coordinators. It can be adapted for children aged 3-5.

Maths in the baby room: more than 1, 2, 3! – delivered by Dr Andrea Lancaster

Aims and objectives – Delegates will have opportunities to:

  • Think about what they already do and what they could do to support mathematical development for children birth to 2
  • Explore the typical progressions children make in mathematical development from birth to 2
  • Explore the adult role
  • Consider ways to involve families

This course can be offered in different formats but is better face-to-face as it involves a lot of practical activities. It is aimed at people working with children 0-2 and can be adapted for those working with 0 to 3-year-olds.

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