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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
In this article, Kate Irvine from Bristol Early Years discusses the impact of practitioners engaging in a sustained process of CPD through cluster groups and the communities of practice to improve children’s learning and development, with additional benefits for staff wellbeing and retention. When we first embarked on the “Building on EYFS” project back in […]
by Dr Jo Albin-Clark, Edge Hill University and Dr Nathan Archer, Leeds Beckett University Inspection in the news Being involved in education in England involves navigating an intense policy landscape where accountability is entangled with surveillance and performativity (Spencer Woodley, 2014; Kilderry, 2015). Ofsted, the regulatory accountability mechanism in England, has seen heightened scrutiny recently […]
by Kayla Halls, Early Years Research Fellow at Middlesex University & Mona Sakr, Senior Lecturer in Early Childhood at Middlesex University’ Leaders in the early years (EY) set the tone for the way settings run. Whether it’s nursery managers, pedagogical leaders or room leaders, leadership development is essential for improving how EY organisations work and […]
What are “Fundamental British Values”? by Vicky Hutchin The so-called “Fundamental British Values” form a part of the Prevent Duty, introduced in 2015 and last updated in 2021. It all began with the government’s Prevent Strategy in 2011 with the aim of preventing people being ‘drawn into’ terrorism and terrorist attacks. The Prevent Duty places […]
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 […]
Early childhood education today has been influenced by key figures such as Froebel, Montessori, Isaacs and MacMillan. Much recent research has supported their ideas although the ways in which they are implemented continue to evolve. You can learn more about these thinkers and the contemporary application of their ideas through our books, newsletters and Journals, […]
Sustained shared thinking: An episode in which two or more individuals “work together” in an intellectual way to solve a problem, clarify a concept, evaluate activities, extend a narrative etc. Both parties must contribute to the thinking and it must develop and extend. Siraj-Blatchford et al., REPEY, DfES 2002 “Sustained shared thinking” occurs when two […]
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