Hi... what do I need to know?

[Elfy]

Hi all,

I have been a member of the forum for a long time and previously taught in our school nursery/EYFS unit for 7 years. Since then I have had 7 years out of Foundation Stage with two lots of maternity leave and working as school SENCo and teaching in key stage 1. I now know that from September I will be back in Foundation Stage..... I am very excited, but also aware that lots will have changed and I am a bit ‘out of date’. So I am here to ‘ask the experts’ ..... where should I start with getting ‘back up to speed’? 
 

Thanks in advance....

[Jules]

Hi Elfy,

Congratulations on returning to Early Years! I would suggest really getting to know Development Matters. When I was teaching in the early years (until fairly recently) this document really helped me think about the children and their development. You might also want to learn a bit about Continuous Provision (how a space is laid out so children can self access and be learning from resources that are available to them). Alistair Bryce Clegg has a lot about this on his website: https://abcdoes.com/

There will be Baseline to think about - perhaps be prepared to still do you own baseline, focused on what you think is important in the current situation, as the statuary one may not give you that kind of information. 

Transition will be a big focus, even more so than ever. Speaking to your 'feeder' nurseries will help you transition children, and thinking about how things will look in your classroom/the school and how you can help families prepare little people for that will support transition.  

I can also imagine your work as a SENCo will have given you a lot of wisdom that will translate well into Early Years. 

I hope this is helpful and really good luck. 

[Elfy]

Thank-you for your response! This gives me a great list to work through.