Letter to the next Prime Minister

The letter below sets out our key asks for the next government.

Open letter to HMCI Amanda Spielman regarding the Early Years Curriculum Review

The open letter below was sent to Ofsted in November 2023. Download Ofsted’s response We the undersigned are writing to you about the recently published Ofsted document Best start in life part 1: setting the scene. While we welcome Ofsted’s recognition of the vital role of the early years, we are concerned that as a […]

The Ofsted early years curriculum review

The Ofsted early years curriculum review Best start in life part 1: setting the scene, has just been published, which they describe as being part of their series of “subject-based curriculum research reviews”.  It aims to examine “the factors that contribute to a high-quality early education” and trails a future series of reviews which will focus […]

Our response to DfE consultations on funding and ratios

We urge members to respond to the two DfE consultations on funding and ratios which close on 16 September. For information, you can view the text of our draft responses below to inform your own thinking. We welcome any comments from members on these drafts. These should be sent to us by 15 September at […]

Why we need anti-racism training in the early years

We deplore the recent article by The Telegraph which singled out Liz Pemberton for criticism of her anti-racism training, which she has delivered for many clients including local authorities. The Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage (as recently revised by the current Conservative government) states that: “The EYFS seeks to provide: …equality of […]

Ofsted’s new strategy and focus on the early years

Ofsted has today launched a new five-year strategy. Elements of this which affect the early years include commitments to “simplify the regulatory regime for childminders” “develop the evidence base about early years education, including curriculum and pedagogy, and act on it… develop the evidence base around the early years learning and development curriculum through our […]

Government’s new sustainability and climate change strategy

We welcome the government’s new Sustainability and climate change strategy for education and children’s services, and that early years is reflected through a range of strands including commitments to: provide opportunities to develop a broad knowledge and understanding of the importance of nature, sustainability and the causes and impact of climate change and to translate […]

The DfE’s new reading framework by Helen Bradford

Introduction In July 2021, DfE published The reading framework: Teaching the foundations of literacy which, it says, focuses on the early stages of teaching reading and the contribution of talk, stories and systematic synthetic phonics (SSP); supports primary school leaders to evaluate their teaching of early reading and best practice for improving early reading (especially in Reception […]