Welcome to the FSF February newsletter. 2020 is well underway now, and impossible as it seems, we are approaching the halfway point of the education year. A time to take stock of what has been accomplished so far and look forward to the journey ahead. Remember to celebrate the successes (however big or small), as well as reflecting on the things that haven't gone according to plan - yet! 

Early Years is the talk of the town at the moment. The Duchess of Cambridge has asked 5 Big questions to encourage a national conversation about Early Years. The BBC have been curating their Tiny Happy People collection of resources, encouraging and supporting parents in developing their child's language and communication skills.  And Gecco, the charity promoting sustainable behaviours among children, educators, parents and carers, has launched a petition requesting that teaching and learning about Sustainability has a place in the new EYFS reforms. Don't forget that there is still time to add your thoughts to the Early Years Alliance survey about the effects of funding on special educational needs provision. 

In the wider world of education, National Story Telling Week is celebrated in early February. This is a wonderful opportunity for children of all ages to find their voices and tell their stories. It can be liberating and challenging to share 'told' stories, and it is a positive preparation for writing too. The first week in February is also Children's Mental Health Week, organised by the children's mental health charity Place2Be and focusing on the theme 'Find your Brave'. This dedicated week helps us to focus on what we are doing to support children. 

We'd like to welcome back members from the following authority, who have renewed their LA subscription. Members from this authority need do nothing; their individual accounts will automatically be re-subscribed:

Sandwell - 14th year

We have added a wide range of articles to the FSF this month. 

Mine Conkbayir has written about Self regulation, discussing what the term really means and how adults can support children to self-regulate. We have an article by Emma Cook from One World Nursery exploring the theory behind models of team cohesion and well-being. Look out for a companion article coming soon on the FSF by Emma, focusing on how this can work in practice. Ben recorded his thoughts on the Newham Early Years Conference and Stephen Kilgour wrote about sustainability in one of our Coffee Breaks. 

If you would like to read about a childminder's experience of an Ofsted inspection under the new framework, then do take a look at Tania Leycester's engaging and uplifting account of her recent VIP visit.

We recorded some more podcasts too. The Education Team discuss the 100 Primary school Ofsted reports Helen has read, and we also explore what makes a good observation. You can listen on Apple Podcasts or Spotify as well as other platforms. 

Outside we can see green shoots poking out of the mud and a splash of colour from the crocuses. This has inspired us to give the FSF a Spring clean, so you may notice a few changes over the next few weeks. 

For those of you who use Tapestry, the team are keeping a very close eye on the proposed changes to the EYFS. The plan is to have the ELGs ready for September, and to continue to monitor any discussions about Development Matters. We are aware that some of you will be trialing the new ELGs in the Autumn, while many will still be using the current framework. Our aim is to have both available on Tapestry, so practitioners can choose which one they would like use. 

If you have a staff or manager login to Tapestry you can now use these details to sign into the FSF as well. You won't have so many passwords to remember, which has to be a good thing! We hope this will bring new visitors to the FSF to join this very special teaching and learning community.   

Happy February!