Professor Dr Paul Ramchandani has been appointed Professor of Play at the PEDAL research centre in Cambridge. A clinical backgorund in child and adolescent psychiatry and an interest in the impact of parental involvement in early years devel…
Schoolsweek magazine today announced news of the DfE's intention that English schools will join a pilot of PISA tests for 5 year olds this year. A trial will take place between October and December this year in around 20 schools and settings…
In a time of national uncertainty, the General Election delivered a decisive Conservative majority.
What do we know about the Government’s plans for the Early Years sector?
The answer is not very much. Their election manifesto ha…
The PLA has released it's report following the survey of providers made in March. The results make for stark reading, yet reflect the discussions that have been held on FSF over the last few months. Neil Leitch, chief executive of PLA, has to…
Following a survey conducted since the introduction of the 30 hours 'free scheme' the PLA have issued the following headline findings:
Nurseries are making up losses by upping fees for younger children and charging for meals and na…
Yesterday the DfE announced a rethink of baseline testing in reception and also of SATs at the end of Year 2. The DfE is proposing to scrap SAT tests for children aged seven in favour of a baseline assessment at the start of reception. Educa…
If you have not yet seen Professor Nutbrown's response to the report issued by Elizabeth Truss then find it here and join in discussions about its content.
The Standards and Testing Agency has approved the following providers for the reception baseline assessment:
Centre for Evaluation and Monitoring, Durham University (CEM) Early Excellence GL Assessment Hodder Education National F…
Welcome to this week’s coffee break. Take a moment to ponder: what is reflecting and why should it be part of our daily practice?
What?
· Reflective practice is a mindset. Thinking about it like this can help educat…
Welcome back to members from Oldham for a 3rd year, Northamptonshire & Richmond for a 7th year, Worcestershire for an 8th year. For details of how to join as part of a Local authority scheme see here
Sir Michael Wilshaw's final annual report has been released and the sector has had a chance to digest the contents. Gill Jones HMI has spoken to Nursery World to explain and clarify the findings as they relate to Early Years. There are sever…
At the beginning of the month FSF ran a survey to prepare for the early education and childcare APPG meeting on November 1st. 867 FSF members responded and the headline data is interesting:
The financial impact of the 30 hours scheme…
Save the Children are campaigning "for an early years teacher in every nursery in England – focusing first on the poorest areas that need this support the most" you can read their report here and comment on this thread.
The 'Untapped Potential' report expounds the need for a high-quality childcare workforce to enable every child in early years to get the best possible start. There has been a mixed response across the sector. You can contribute to the FSF dis…
In his blog Sean clearly identifies the changes and pinpoints for school leaders exactly what the new requirements entail. You can read his blog here. Gill Jones, Ofsted's Deputy Director of Early Education, contributes to the discussion i…
In the session MPs heard how the introduction of 30 hours had decreased flexibility for parents, with providers restricting their hours to particular times of the day. They were told that there was evidence of increased ratios and lower l…
Professional bodies across the sector are outraged at the conclusions drawn by Good Morning Britain (GMB) following their undercover story which cast doubt on the safety of children in nurseries. Using an undercover reporter GMB found a nurse…
The Study of Early Education and Development (SEED), commissioned in 2012, includes a major longitudinal study designed to help the Department for Education (DfE) by providing evidence on the effectiveness of early years education and by id…
10 years on from the Bercow review a new inquiry is underway following up the findings regarding children's language and communication skills. The Royal College of Speech and Language is working together with the I CAN charity (who developed …
Shimmy with Timmy for Sport Relief!Sport Relief is back on Friday 18 March and it is going to be extra special as Timmy from Timmy Timeis joining nurseries for a bit of a shimmy to raise money. So don’t be sheepish, download your free Nurs…
Latest research from Prof Kathy Sylva, Prof Pam Sammons and their team at the University of Oxford has used administrative data, a survey of local authorities and a series of case studies to paint a picture of what has happened to children…
The Government has today updated their 'Things providers need to know' document. You will find links to registering your provision online as well as an explanation of how the scheme will work. You can read the update here.
The report calls for the DfE to conduct a full review of the Reception year. You can read the report here. You can discuss the report and share your thoughts on this thread.
FSF members have this week been reporting telephone calls from people claiming to be from the DfE. Members are sure this is a scam and so be careful! You can read about it here, on this thread.
