Early years educators know how important it is for parents and carers to have the confidence to engage with their child’s language development from birth. The statistics are worrying: in England, 1 in 4 five year olds are behind with the…
World Thinking Day is celebrated by the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts on 22nd February every year. It began in 1926, as a day for Guides to think about their fellow members all around the world and to share messages of g…
Mother’s Day is coming up this weekend, and in settings and schools there may be a focus on Mummies. Perhaps cards will be made, or paper flowers, and perhaps there will be lots of conversations about what our Mummies do for us and why w…
In August, the Government announced that it was going to provide CO2 monitors for all state-funded education settings from September. Teaching unions have been asking for more ventilation approaches as children return to education after th…
We all have our morning routines.
A spot of yoga. A cappuccino from the little shop at the end of your road. Or a mad, tornado-style manoeuvre from bed to bathroom to workplace. Whatever your routine, I invite you to take a moment to a…
Our recent survey of more than 200 early years practitioners and reception teachers showed that as we continue to teach and learn in the pandemic, parental engagement, communication, and the use of technology to support these, will be key.…
‘Coffee Breaks’ are here to offer thoughts, pull strands of events together, acknowledge difficulties and celebrate good practice; a place to stop and think as you dip your biscuit into your cuppa.
So, this week’s offering is a poem…
The early years is a crucial time in a child’s life where their learning and development can be rapid and where their experiences have a significant impact on their future life chances. Those of us who work with babies and young children…
...and could do well to listen to ourselves.
Taking a moment
The other day I was re-reading Joanna Grace's article about using the 'settle jar' sensory resource to support a child to regulate their emotions and feel calm. In it, Jo…
At the end of March, The Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities Report, led by Dr Tony Sewell, was published. Before going any further, we should remember that as an education team here, we are a small group of white people. Our lived e…
To celebrate World Book Day this month, the FSF held our first story writing competition. Children in local schools were invited to send in a story they had written. Thank you to all the children who sent in their wonderful tales. Here is …
Last November, during the campaign trail, Boris Johnson painfully mumbled his way through 'The Wheels on the Bus' while on a visit to a primary school. At the time my colleague Ben wrote a brilliant short piece in Nursery World about the f…
Admittedly, the slightly sensationalist title suggests that children don't climb trees anymore. This is not actually the case. There is a brilliant tree in my local park and children form an orderly queue to get their turn on it. It'…
This is my final ‘coffee-break’ in a series that I have written, about getting #BackToBasics when it comes to approaches that we use to support our children’s learning. I’ve discussed the importance of a sound knowledge of child …
Last Tuesday (19/3/22), the government released their long-anticipated SEND review green paper entitled: ‘right support, right place, right time’. I was aware this date was coming and was asked to prepare some opinions on its content…
Discussions around the widening achievement gap in this country have been predominantly about how best to support schools in helping disadvantaged pupils. However, research shows that the home learning environment is most important, and t…
Amid the recent fuel distribution crisis there had been fears that if the problem continued for too long, some educators may struggle to get into schools and settings for their working day. With both public and private modes of transport b…
In a recent article on the FSF, primary school teacher Clare Hancock wondered 'what will have been considered essential during these times?'
As we move forward, as schools and early years settings open their doors a little wider, as pa…
I was interested to read an article a few days ago about a research project teaching teenagers the science of babies’ brain development. Secondary school pupils attended science lessons designed by researchers from the University of Oxfo…
The new EYFS framework...
When the new EYFS Framework was released, it brought in some changes; some were widely accepted, others have caused many discussions amongst practitioners and advisors. One thing that almost everyone who works…
The new CPD feature on Tapestry has been almost two years in the making. The arrival of the pandemic led many to realise that our view of ‘typical’ could shift hugely. My own role as an Education Advisor was suddenly very different…
Schools and Early Years settings of all shapes and sizes have spent the last week rapidly adjusting to new guidelines, expectations and responsibilities. The children now attending will only be those of Key Workers or those in vulnerable g…
This New Year’s Eve felt…heavy. It was hard to see it as the fresh start we so often attribute to the change from one year to the next.
But I decided to keep to the annual tradition of making a resolution. Not everyone is into new …
I'm sure this year you are approaching September with the normal levels of excitement and enthusiasm, but perhaps a little more trepidation than usual. It's been a year like no other and we are all still learning as we go, so remember to g…
