I can see why some of the press coverage makes it feel like an attack on the profession, but the stuff actually from government feels like their greater concern is that parents will choose not to send their children back. It's not attackin…
I was chatting with a teacher friend of mine the other day (at a respectable social distance of course). We were discussing how the increase of children returning to the school was going.
She has about 12 in her Key Stage aged class b…
The government’s own news item on the recent Spring Budget opened with the words ‘A revolution in childcare’. Here we take the Chancellor’s announcements and suggest 5 revolutionary ideas.
1. Putting children at the …
Emily Lees has created a resource to support educators to understand and reflect on ableism. Emily is an autistic Speech and Language Therapist (SLT) based in Manchester. She advocates and campaigns for Autism Acceptance through public s…
Reflective Teaching in Early Education
Jennifer Colwell and Amanda Ince et al.
This book on reflective practice is aimed at early education students and professionals. It covers all aspects of practice, from the indiv…
This Book Is Anti-Racist: 20 lessons on how to wake up, take action, and do the work by Tiffany Jewel
To understand the value of this book, an acknowledgement of your place on the road to anti-racism is important. In addition …
As we wait and wonder whether settings and schools will be closed officially due to the Coronavirus, all education and childcare staff, children and families, will be trying to carry on in the face of uncertainty.
You will all no doub…
For all of us who have explored something new with a child for the first time and shared the awe and wonder with them.
The Rain Stick
for Beth and Rand
Upend the rain stick and what happens next
Is a music t…
Food. One of the most important parts of growing and surviving as a human. Our relationship with food begins from a very young age, watching those around us carefully as they move this mysterious substance towards their mouths and then ope…
Over the last few days we have seen one report and one survey that shine a spotlight on early years children and their families.
Nuffield Health has published a new report called How are the lives of families with young children cha…
Transition from one year group to another, or from one setting to another, is a long journey rather than a short day trip. The transition suitcase inside each child needs to be packed with all the essentials – familiarity, confidence, or…
Stephen Kilgour reflects on getting 'back to basics' in the way we approach observations and assessment.
Although you might not believe it, and 5 minutes on social media would certainly encourage you to think otherwise, there have b…
Working with children can provide you with great challenges and joy every day. I have met many teachers who are confident to speak in front of a hall full of children but ask them to speak in front of their peers – other teachers or thei…
This year, we've all heard the question: 'Are you adopting Birth to Five Matters or Development Matters?' A more pointed query might be 'how exactly are you using the non-statutory guidance'
Both documents, written by the Early Years C…
There has been a lot of discussion and data about the widening attainment gap for children which is only deepened by the current pandemic. Data aside, most children arriving in a classroom, or possibly in an early years setting in Septemb…
I have been thinking a lot about childhood recently. Children are finding ways to be children in a world that is evolving all the time. At the same time, the struggles that many children face remain the same throughout history: oppression, …
The tale of Christmas Past is one filled with children singing, angels crying and sheep wondering off around the stage as the annual joy of the Nativity, or whatever festive show you usually produce, takes place. This year however, it is u…
How are you?
Each setting, staff member, family and child will be experiencing extraordinary change, and all the emotions that come with it. Educators are on the front line, providing safe spaces for vulnerable children and the childre…
This is a special Coffee Break, welcoming Tapestry users who have come to us by signing on using their Tapestry login details!
Just in case you didn’t know, if you have a staff or manager login to Tapestry, you can use these details …
How connection before correction might work for you:
Calm your own expectations or fears (remember your child is imperfect just like you). Enter into your child's world, think about the experience from their point of view. Listen to wh…
The world is filled with uncertainty, educators are on the frontline, and anxiety is a familiar feeling for everyone. When everything around us is wobbling, it can be hard to concentrate, to reach beyond the things we have to do each day, t…
Last week’s Coffee Break highlighted podcasts as a useful way to keep yourself up to date with the latest news, theories and discussions in education. This week it is the turn of the article or blog post as a way to get your CPD fix with…
It’s generally considered a fairly miserable event when the clocks go back at the end of October. It’s the start of a period that can often mean leaving for work in the dark and returning home to the same. This tends to coincide with…
According to the Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists (RCSLT), 7.58% of our children are affected by Developmental Language Disorder. DLD is a type of Speech, Language and Communication Need (SLCN) that affects the way that ch…
We have a great responsibility as educators: to our children, their families and our colleagues. And beyond that, to our communities, and to society. The role of the early years professional, and of school staff, is far reaching.
But t…
