Once upon a time, Helen was running her own nursery and discovering how difficult it was to connect with other early years educators to ask advice, get support or exchange ideas. This was in the days before Facebook, Twitter or Instagram (imagine that). Meanwhile, during long walks on the Downs, Steve was busy thinking about how to create a ‘virtual staffroom’ for practitioners. And so, on Valentine’s Day 2003, the Foundation Stage Forum (the FSF) was born. Initially working alone, Steve created the space for educational conversations to happen. The online community grew and in 2005 the LA Membership Scheme was introduced. The FSF team grew too, and volunteer moderators supported the FSF, modelling and nurturing the community spirit that is so valued by our users.
Academics, practitioners and advisors contributed articles, building an information hub that continues to expand today, curated by our Education Team.
Meanwhile (again), Steve was still walking on the Downs, joined by their lovely dog, Finlay. And one day in 2011 he came up with the idea for an online learning journal. We know it as Tapestry, launched in October 2012. But that’s another story. With the arrival of social media, the use of the FSF has changed in recent years. But we believe our online community offers a different kind of space, where all educators can come to discover, share, support and learn together and continue to provide the best experiences for children.
Welcome!
The FSF is a gathering of voices, a place to seek advice, to debate and to make connections. This can only happen in an environment of mutual respect and kindness. We don’t expect everyone to agree on everything (that would be very boring) but we do expect everyone to contribute to our community spirit:
Contact us if you see an inappropriate post. We will check the problem and respond to you.
For a visual explanation of what we mean by our community spirit you can watch our Lessons From Geese.
Any objectionable posts will be removed. This has happened so rarely over the years. Please work with us to maintain the community spirit of the FSF. Thank you.