The Foundation Stage Forum Community
Welcome to the FSF – a community for early years professionals. Engage in conversations, offer and receive advice and support, make connections. Discover our library of education articles and podcast episodes to enhance your reflective practice. Working together to achieve high-quality early childhood education.
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Posts:471,209
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Members:49,298
Navigating New beginnings: A Mother’s perspective on Early Years Educa…
by Alicia Wilkins
Alicia Wilkins, a mother who has also been a teacher and a home nursery educator, shares her reflections on the transition from home to early years setting for a parent/carer.
Podcast: How can we support children to live in an ever-changing digital world?
Ben and Jules chatted with Hannah Clifford, founder of Seren Kids, which provides children and adults with digital skills and e-safety knowledge. Hannah shares ideas about how to talk with children about e-safety, how to teach children to have a crea…
Sarah Sudea, founder of Finding the Flex, looks at how to empower scho…
Sarah Sudea asks Where's the wriggle room? in this article taking a closer look at the ways in which a more flexible approach to schooling can work for children, families, and schools.
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Does your setting use wet wipes?
Hi all, I'm Elisabeth, and I'm setting up a business to offer a convenient eco-friendly wet wipes service to nurseries. I'm not going to try to sell you anything (nothing to sell yet!) but I'd really appreciate 5 minutes of your time for some market research so I can understand nursery's current use of wet wipes (& other single-use things like wipes, e.g., blue towels). The survey is here -> https://forms.gle/93GsjQmNUi3mM2LUA It's short and anonymous and will help me make this service as good as it possibly can be so that settings can save staff time AND do their bit for the planet. If you're on LinkedIn and want to spread the word I've written a post about this here: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/elisabethjane_earlyyears-reuse-plasticpollution-activity-7298004247005069312-9M2r Any questions just give me a shout on elisabeth@sprout-innovation.co.uk Thank you so much for your help! -
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2025 - March & May - Portage Workshop: A small step approach to learning for children with SEND - 2024 - Southampton
Portage Workshop: A small step approach to learning for children with SEND - 2024 This two-and-a-half-day course is the basic qualification certificate in the Portage model of teaching. Monday 24 March 2025 9.15am-4pm Civic Centre Tuesday 25 March 2025 9.15am-4pm Civic Centre Tuesday 13 May 2025 9.30-11am Online session Who should attend? Those who work with the 0-5 year’s age range and are interested in delivering inclusive learning and play activities. It will be of particular relevance to those who hold the Early Years Special Educational Needs coordinator role in the r setting or those who wish to move into this position. It would also be highly beneficial for practitioners looking to further develop their SEND practice and as part of their work support individual children or lead small group work including children with additional needs. You will be able to: Understand the Portage Principles and model of support Use the basic skills to deliver Portage under supervision Apply Portage skills in one’s own workplace Understand the history and local development of Portage Understand the range of materials and resources Develop confidence in working together using the Portage Model Demonstrate awareness of the National Portage Association Southampton maintained schools and Southampton PVI Early Years & Childcare providers Price: £120 Academies, free schools and other organisations Price: £150 -
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Level 2 practitioner - room lead?
Hello! I am a new Manager at a term time nursery, and I have been going through staff folders to see what training they may need to do. By doing this I have discovered that a staff member we thought could have a 1:13 ratio, is instead a level 2 staff member which I know is a 1:8 ratio. They were not aware about this as they believed, or were told, their qualification was full and relevant for a 1:13 ratio. This does not cause a problem for the ratio side of things. However, they have also been a room lead. My question is, can they continue to be the room lead as a level 2 practitioner? -
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Sleep policies - sheets storage and washing
Welcome back 😊 Pop along to the 'Friday' thread for a catch up! -
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Reception Teachers Needed for PhD Research!
Hi everyone! I’m a PhD student at the University of Sheffield researching how Reception teachers use digital technology in the classroom. I’m looking for QTS Reception teachers to take part in the interviews (online or in person). 💡 The study explores: ✅ How digital tools are used in Reception classrooms ✅ Opportunities & challenges of digital technology in early years ✅ Teachers’ perspectives on digital learning Participation is voluntary, and all data will be anonymised. If you’re interested, please comment, message me for more details. Your insights would be invaluable—thank you for your support! 🙌 -
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Enabling Fingerprint Unlocking on the Android app
In this tutorial we are going to look at enabling fingerprint unlocking on the Android app. Begin by logging into the Tapestry app and going to 'Settings' (1) at the bottom of the screen. To enable fingerprint unlocking for your PIN, tap on 'Allow PIN unlocking with fingerprint' (1). Enter your PIN (2) and if you are happy to to confirm saving it, tap 'Yes' (3). You will then receive confirmation that you can use your fingerprint instead of your PIN. Tap OK to continue. For your password, tap on 'Allow login with with fingerprint' (1). Enter your email address (1) and password (2) and tap 'Save' (3). If you decide you do not want to proceed then tap 'Cancel' (4). You'll then be able to login to the app using your fingerprint. If you wish to disable this feature at any time, proceed back to 'Settings' and you can disable it. And that is enabling the fingerprint unlocking on the Android app. If you need any further support, please contact us on customer.service@eyfs.info. Back to Main Tutorials Page -
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Enabling Face ID / Touch ID on the iOS app
In this tutorial we are going to look at enabling either Face ID or Touch ID on the iOS app. Based on the iOS device you have will depend on the option you are given. Start by logging in to the app and tap 'You' (1) at the bottom of the screen. Touch ID For your PIN, tap on 'Use Touch ID for your pin' (1). Enter your PIN (2) and then tap 'Save' (3). When you go to enter your PIN going forward, you will be given the option to use your fingerprint. For your password, tap on 'Use Touch ID for your password' (1). Enter your password (2) and then tap 'Save' (3). When you go to enter your password going forward, you will be given the option to use your fingerprint. Face ID As before, tap 'You' (1) at the bottom of the screen. For your PIN, tap on 'Use Face ID for your pin' (1). Enter your PIN (2) and then tap 'Save' (3). When you go to enter your PIN going forward, you will be given the option to use your Face ID. For your password, tap on 'Use Touch ID for your password' (1). Enter your password (2) and then tap 'Save' (3). When you go to enter your password going forward, you will be given the option to use your Face ID. And that is enabling Touch ID/Face ID on the iOS app. If you wish to disable this feature at any time, proceed back to 'You' and disable it. If you need any further support, please contact us on customer.service@eyfs.info. Back to Main Tutorials Page -
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Apprentices as part of Qualified Staff Ratio
Does anyone have any clarity over whether apprentices can be included in the qualified staff ratio? For context, we have two apprentices working towards a level 3 qualification but they do NOT already have a level 2 qualification. Our other staff members are level 3 qualified. It is an ongoing debate as to whether we can legally have one level 3 staff member and two apprentices working on a day with 13 children (11x 3 yrs and 2x 2 yrs). Our chairperson claims that apprentices can count as qualified at the level they are training at if deemed competent by the manager, is this correct? -
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Cherry Garden Monitoring Screen
The new Cherry Garden Monitoring Screen is now live! This screen helps educators reflect on their learners' engagement and progress while adapting their provision to support every child confidently. As your children and provision develop, Tapestry builds a timeline of the actions taken so you can evaluate the impact of your adaptations. Learn how to use the Cherry Garden Monitoring Screen Find out more about the Cherry Garden Branch Maps, a flexible SEND assessment tool -
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Moving to Tapestry from Famly
Hi We're trialling Tapestry as we are considering moving over from Famly. I think there is no doubt that the observation, learning journey, assessments etc are better on Tapestry. But I'm wondering how people find the management side of things. Invoicing, communicating with parents (can you send group messages on Tapestry?), managing bookings, etc. Has anyone else moved from Famly to Tapestry and if so how do you find it compares? Thanks Christina- 1
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