67 articles in this category

Opportunities for reflection with the new EYFS reforms
by Ruth Swailes on January 14, 2021
Early Years Consultant, Trainer and LA Advisor Ruth Swailes shares how the changes to the EYFS offer educators the opportunity to reflect on their vision and practice for the children in their care. 
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Supporting and motivating your staff team
by Julian Grenier on November 2, 2018
If you don’t have one of those big personalities that can enthuse and amuse, do you end up feeling rather inadequate compared to that “inspiring” conference speaker or trainer? I do.
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Practitioner Well-Being: In Practice
by Emma Cook on February 19, 2020
In the second of two articles about nurturing practitioner well-being, Emma Cook discusses how she continues to build team cohesion and well-being at her setting. 
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Continued Professional Development: how to provide a variety of opport…
by Jenny Barber on February 26, 2020
As professionals we all need to demonstrate a commitment to continuing professional development. Jenny Barber discusses the different ways settings can do this, even if they are working with a tight budget. 
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Preparing your team for an Ofsted Inspection: Part 1
by FSF Rebecca on March 10, 2020
https://eyfs.info/articles.html/leadership-and-management/preparing-your-team-for-an-ofsted-inspection-part-2-r331/Rebecca Swindells talks us through how she prepared her team for Ofsted. 
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Vulnerable children and those with an EHCP – more questions than answe…
by Stephen Kilgour on March 19, 2020
Stephen Kilgour, our SEND Advisor and SEND outreach worker, asks some urgent questions seeking clarity about schooling for vulnerable children and those with an EHCP after school closures are announced as part of measures to cope with the Coronavir…
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Reflecting on the Government's clarification on financial support for …
by FSF Tim and Juliet Mickelburgh on April 23, 2020
We examine and reflect on the latest announcements on funding for Early Years providers.  
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Is this health crisis becoming a children's rights crisis?
by Helen Moylett on June 1, 2020
Helen Moylett, early years consultant and writer, reflects on whether the rights of young children to be nurtured as well as educated are being protected during this pandemic. 
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Preparing your team for an Ofsted Inspection: Part 2
by FSF Rebecca on September 17, 2020
Rebecca tells us about more about her inspection experience under the new inspection framework, which took place earlier this year before the pandemic. This is well worth a read if you are wondering what the inspection process will look like in the…
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A day in the life of a childminder
by Doreen Barton on August 22, 2023
Childminder Doreen Barton describes a typical day full of adventure and love with the children she cares for. 
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Reflective Leadership
by Jo Caswell on April 27, 2021
Early years consultant, Jo Caswell, looks at the need for reflective leadership as children return to settings and schools. 
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Observations Part 1
by Adam Marycz on July 8, 2021
Early Years setting manager, Adam Marycz, reflects how and why we document observations in this 3 part mini-series. 
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Observations Part 2
by Adam Marycz on August 8, 2021
Early Years manager, Adam Marycz, continues his reflections on how and why we document observations based on exploring his own practice and provision, in Part 2 of this mini-series. 
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Observations Part 3
by Adam Marycz on August 10, 2021
Early Years manager, Adam Marycz, completes this set of three reflective articles on how and why we document observations based on exploring his own practice and provision, in Part 3 of this mini-series. 
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Leading and Managing an Early Years Setting
by Adam Marycz on November 6, 2021
Early Years leader Adam Marycz reflects on the leadership role in an early years setting. 
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Safeguarding the Leader: the emotional aspects of the early years lead…
by Emma Davis on June 15, 2022
Preschool Manager and qualified Early Years Teacher Emma Davis reflects on the role of the leader in early years and some of the pressures that come with it. 
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Five arguments against a change to early years ratios
by Nathan Archer on May 14, 2022
Nathan Archer, Director of the International Montessori Institute at Leeds Beckett University, describes 5 clear arguments against the current suggestions to relax ratios for the early years sector. 
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Wellbeing of staff in the Early Years
by Emma Davis on July 11, 2023
Lecturer, ex-preschool manager and early years teacher Emma Davis takes a closer look at what wellbeing can mean for our early years teams, and how supporting wellbeing can be embedded in the ethos of our settings. 
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What do we know about Exclusions in the Early Years?
by Caroline Vollans on May 15, 2023
In this article, Caroline Vollans hears from voices in the sector about the exclusion of our youngest children. 
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Practitioner Well–Being: In Theory
by Emma Cook on January 20, 2020
More than ever, it is important for leaders in the early years sector to discover ways in which team cohesion and well-being can be supported and sustained. Emma Cook, from One World Nursery in Brighton, explores this in the first of two articles. …
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Considering Cultural capital …
by FSF Rebecca on April 3, 2019
Having read around the ‘Cultural Capital’ academic landscape a little I find myself struggling with what the delivery of this might look like in my setting. If I'm seeking to provide what Ofsted say children ‘need’, who gets to decide what that sho…
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The theories behind Cultural capital
by Juliet Mickelburgh on April 3, 2019
Cultural capital is a term that has recently been added to the 2019 Ofsted draft inspection framework as part of the ‘Quality of Education’ judgement.  In the Early Years draft Inspection Handbook1 it states:‘Inspectors will evaluate how well lead…
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Keeping little children safe
by Gill Jones, Ofsted Early Education Deputy Director. on February 20, 2018
An important part of having the confidence to learn is that young children must be and feel safe. Of course, a young child’s sense of risk is very different from an adult’s. So that means early years leaders have to do all they can to support child…
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Being 'Outstanding' - Passion, with bucket loads of enthusiasm and com…
by Jenny Barber on January 7, 2019
Being outstanding isn’t about focusing on that word and what it means to Ofsted, in fact it is the opposite. It is about having a passion for early years, wanting to be the best you can be and utilising what tools are available to provide the best …
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Shake up! Refresh! How to reflect and move your setting on...
by Jenny Barber on June 7, 2018
Reflective practice is never going to be truly effective unless we are 100% honest with ourselves about what we do, remembering there is a distinct difference between what we might say or think we do and what we actually do.  Reflection is like put…
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