Guest Blog

Charting a pedagogical course through stormy seas

by Victoria Jefferies Sea state: rough, occasionally very rough, rarely smooth! It’s rarely plain sailing in Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) with its myriad of navigational challenges.  Neoliberalist tides threaten to submerge the ship: the economisation of education reduces our youngest children to passive beings, “yet to be realised human capital” (Robert-Holmes and Moss, […]

United for a healthy start: a mission to revolutionise physical development in the early years

by Natalie Weir and Janine Coates In March 2023, the National Early Years Active Start Partnership (NEYASP) was established to address pressing issues surrounding physical development and inactivity in young children, particularly in a post-pandemic society. This partnership brings together organisations and individuals with extensive experience and expertise in early years physical development, physical education […]

Meet The Family Music Hub

Do you support family work in children’s centres, libraries or community spaces? Wherever families congregate, music tends to happen, and The Family Music Hub is here to provide bespoke training and support for all those making music with young children and families. The Family Music Hub is a new not-for-profit training provider set up to support […]

Researchful practice: a “breath of fresh air” for early educators in challenging times

by Frances Giampapa and Claire Lee Introduction A wealth of evidence demonstrates the fundamental role played by early years (EY) education in shaping a thriving and equitable society. The importance of valuing and nurturing skilled professionals in this sector is more evident than ever before. Years of underfunding, the devaluing of skills and qualifications and […]

How nurseries show community leadership and create happier local neighbourhoods

by Mona Sakr Nurseries are at the heart of enabling children to positively contribute to the communities they live in. Through their work with children and families, nurseries can help to create happier and healthier neighbourhoods that are more cohesive. In this blogpost, we explore how early years providers might show this kind of community […]

Promoting language inclusion in purposeful and valid ways

Guest blog by Kim Holland “For children whose home language is not English, providers must take reasonable steps to provide opportunities for children to develop and use their home language in play and learning, supporting their language development at home.” (DfE, 2023c:16) The DfE recently published its consultation response including the decision to change the […]

How the Reception Year can be more inclusive for children with SEND

by Katherine Gulliver Introduction Early Education was recently asked to review the special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) provision in the early years within one local authority, and this article picks out some findings which are of national significance in relation to inclusion in the Reception year. The early years has a rich history of […]

Physical development in early childhood

Clare Devlin, Early Education Associate What aspects of physical development should we focus on within the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) and other early years curricula? In this article, I explore the importance of physicality at this crucial point in a child’s development. The article explores two key aspects, “moving and handling” and “self-care”. It […]

Children’s creativity with digital technology and media

By Debi Keyte-Hartland, Early Education Associate This article is based on one included in the Early Education Journal no 100. To access the full article and the rest of the Journal, become a member or purchase this issue of the Journal. I have always been interested in children’s creativity and their ways of expressing their […]