SueFinanceManager

I think the idea of allowing sweatshirts/jumpers that are the school colour but plain and therefore not as expensive as logoed is definitely a sensible approach that allows children to fit in and helps parents afford the uniform. Good to hear from Sunnyday & Cait that people in your areas can access second hand stuff too - I remember some of my own childrens kit was grown out of so quickly it had loads more mileage in it for another child!

How many of you remember those staged school debates back in the day and one of the old perennials was school uniform. I am sure your debates ran along similar line to the pros and cons as per below: As a child, apart from not liking my Black & White uniform with ridiculously bright orange PE shorts/shirts I never really gave the buying of it much thought although, as a child in a single parent family I probably should have and taken more care of it! So reading this news article made me sit up and think about the number of families struggling to purchase school uniform for their little ones about to embark on their new adventure at primary school: Demand high for school uniform swaps, West Midlands charities say I feel sure this is happening all over the country with families being squeezed from so many directions, so does your school have a school uniform? Has the structure of that uniform changed over the last few years so that parents can buy, for example any brand of black trousers rather a specific make/style? Have you had to help provide some families with uniforms and if so how do you fund that? Is this from the school budget or does the school PTA fund this through fundraising events? If as a school you scraped uniform do you think this would make it easier or harder for low income families given the argument that wearing uniform leads to 'Less Bullying in Schools' When a little one starts big school parents often feel overwhelmed as they start full time education and I really feel for those families where uniform is just another thing to worry about. Sue

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 speaking and training. A Beginner’s Guide to Ableism is designed to be a starting point for vital conversations and learning. Everyone needs to have a better understanding of what ableism is and why we need to combat it. Read more about the need for this guide here. You can download A Beginner's Guide to Ableism, which is a free resource, here.

Cait they sound yummy 🧀

don't you just feel just soooo disappointed when you get a cheese scone that is not cheesy!!!

One a week lol (thought one a day might be pushing it lol)

I have just returned from annual leave and I am so sad to see this post. Panders was a sweetie and we shall all miss her kind words and supportive nature. Sending big hugs to her family 💗 Sue x

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 what your child might have to say. Focus on solutions and creating opportunities for children to learn how to make amends. Below I go into depth with solution-based heartfelt approaches, this is also a great opportunity for us to reflect and learn. It’s also great to let children know, that you yourself are still learning life: let them see you make mistakes, cry embrace and learn, we need to become advocates of our own teachings. And never expect too much from these little souls: yes, they will make the same mistakes that we once made, and that’s perfectly fine. We can’t always be in control and neither can they. I call this reflective learning from what we see in the mirror, whilst knowing that we are also our children’s mirror on learning and understanding. We are to guide them to be the best they can be from learning about themselves and also learning from us - you have to “know thy self” as they say. And children are doing this daily, it’s just in a more raw, unique and untainted way. We are not to alter this if we can help it. 1. Listen with curiosity not judgement When your child has hurt someone or made a mistake and you believe they might need help making amends, try to find out their side of the story. Before insisting that your child say sorry, stay open and curious about what happened. It might sound like “Can you tell me what happened?” or “I’d like to know what is going. Maybe I can help.” 2. Avoid blame, you and them Aiming for understanding without blame translates to your child, making them feel like they are safe to express themselves honestly, even if they did make a poor choice or unnecessary choice. Having a blame and shame free conversation can lead to the child feeling a fruitful sense of regret. 3. Activate Empathy Encourage your child to notice how they are feeling about the situation or mistake. And then also encourage them to think about how someone else is feeling and what they might be thinking. Even pre-schoolers can answer simple questions like “How are you feeling about what just happened?” These are all small but important steps towards learning how to channel empathy for making amends. 4. Patience and Flexibility A hurried sorry is not nearly as esteemed as a thought-out apology. People often need time to process their mistake before they feel genuinely remorseful and ready to make amends. Admitting a mistake can be tricky and emotionally traumatic! Allowing time and healing for genuine feelings to emerge (which might involve tears and denial before acceptance kicks in) is more “teachable” to a child than being rushed to express feelings that are made up from what the adults wants rather than from the children. This also works for adults. Always think would I like this if this was me? 5. Notice the Sincere Apologies Apologies from children that are truly genuine and heartfelt tend to be spontaneous. A smile, a big hug, or offering to share a favourite toy, a letter, changed behaviour, tone of voice or facial expressions. Encourage this when done - expression in these forms is great, it can lead to story making, vast imaginations and even poetry and letter writing. Children might apologise in ways that we adults just don’t expect, and this is ok. We aren’t to expect, but just to aid and to help enhance. Blog post written by Joss Cambridge-Simmons, known as the UK's leading 'super manny', and founder of Jossy Care, a leading childcare service, established in 2007. We recently recorded a podcast with Joss - you can listen here.

We have previously highlighted how podcasts are a useful way to keep yourself up to date with the latest news, theories and discussions in education. Now it is the turn of the article or blog post as a way to get your CPD fix without feeling overwhelmed. Just like a podcast, an article is a way to connect you with new ideas. They can reinvigorate your practice, encourage you to explore with links to websites and books for further reading, or help you to reflect on what is already good in your provision, and what could be improved. With a podcast you can multitask – listen and do! But with an article you have to sit for a moment and give it your full attention. This has its advantages, so make sure you give yourself that time every so often if you can. Here on the FSF we have lots of articles to support your teaching and learning. Some inform you about the latest research, such as this one by Dr Lala Manners looking at children’s physical development and the links to their essential body systems, or this one by Dr Rebecca Webb and Kathy Foster about reflective practice. Others invite you to look more closely at aspects of your own practice, such as the article by Dr Stella Louis and Hannah Betteridge on unconscious biases, or Liz Pemberton’s article on how to talk about race with young children, or Leslie Patterson’s piece about the language we use with and about children. Then we have some that discuss the latest changes to guidance, like this one by Dr Julian Grenier with a focus on the early years curriculum, and a recent article by Ruth Swailes exploring the possibilities offered by the early years reforms. We also have contributors who share their daily practice with us, like childminder Doreen Barton, or Joss Cambridge-Simmons who tells the story of his journey to becoming a Manny. At the end of every article there is the opportunity to have a conversation about it in the comments section. Although reading is generally a solitary experience, we can all learn from each other by sharing our thoughts about what we have read. There are so many other places you can go to find articles and blog posts that will inspire you. Here are just a few we visit: Early Education have a blog page full of thought-provoking pieces. PEDAL (the Centre for Research on Play in Education, Development and Learning) has a Hub which gathers together research articles, reports and resources about play. Their ‘Play Pieces’ offer short summaries on relevant research. Julian Grenier’s blog Inside the Secret Garden shares good practice and thoughts on current early years guidance. The organisation BAMEed Network, which has a mission to create an education sector that is reflective of society, collects together articles to support this aim. TES has an online presence and covers everything from early years to secondary – did you know it began as a pull-out supplement in the Times newspaper in 1910! And finally, Inclusiveteach.com is a SEND focussed website with loads of articles relating to special education. We hope you enjoy reading and learning.

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 to this, an appreciation that there is no finish line on the road is vital. My personal journey, like many other white people, didn’t begin until 2020. I have a long way to travel, but I feel there is no better companion in the early days of your journey than this thought provoking and informative book. That is not to say this is only useful for those at the beginning of learning about anti-racism. I’m starting to see the comparisons between my usual work in early child development, and the work required to facilitate positive change against racism. It’s all very well attending CPD or reading a respected book – but you need to revisit, practice and read again if you want to truly understand and make an impact. Tiffany Jewell is a Black biracial writer and Anti-Racist Montessori educator and consultant. She explains in her notes that ‘This is the book I wish I’d had when I was younger. And it’s the book I will share with my own children. It contains information I never learned when I was younger, and you will probably not be taught in school’. It is her hope that the book will be used ‘to start your journey in the big world of anti-racism’. The look and feel of the book suggests that the target audience is children and young people – it is published by Frances Lincoln Children’s Books and the text is accompanied by Aurélia Durand’s bright and brilliant illustrations. This may well be why a nearly 40-year-old man with a stereotypical track record of poor engagement with books found it so accessible. Tiffany does however reassure us that this book ‘is for everyone’. Myself and my colleagues on the Education Team at the Foundation Stage Forum each received a copy of this book at the same time and we spent six weeks choosing a different focal point to discuss in depth at our weekly meetings. The book enabled us, a group of white people who were all equally new to the discomfort of recognising our white privilege, to talk about race, and to talk about whiteness. I’ve since advised others who are starting out on their professional and personal journey into anti-racism that this is an ideal first text. I also suggested that this book needed to be read with time for reflection and discussion, supported by the activities woven throughout it. When you read the book, you will notice that the text is entirely gender-neutral. The author also makes it clear that ‘Black, Brown and Indigenous folx’ are not the minority – they are the ‘Global Majority’. I often refer back to the different sections of the book, and it is chapter 5 that has stayed at the forefront of my thinking since reading. The task is simply entitled ‘Notice who has the power’. As a white man, the questions that follow caused me to acknowledge the enormity of my white privilege: you don’t just reflect on your recent past, you literally consider your whole life in one incredibly powerful page. This is the book I wish I’d had when I was younger, and it’s the book I will share with my own children. Sue Admin Team

So looking forward to this event next week. Still time to register to come and join us - see below Registration for the event is now open, follow this link to be a part of the event: https://tapestry.info/tec/building-a-community-of-practice.html

Hmm let me think....who could that have been????? 🤣

I am clearly not as old as you think I am sunnyday - I had big black knickers' we wore over our knickers lol Black slip on plimsolls and communal cold showers - another lovely memory of school PE - oh and cross country running in the rain 🥶

🤣😆🤣 I remember t hat too but I was the target 🤣

I am sooo jealous Kat - I love Miriam Margoyles - she is proper naughty and I am sure she had stories that are mostly unrepeatable lol

Hi Am I the only one who watches so called 'Celebrity' programmes like 'Celebrity The Chase' and half the time I don't know who the people are lol I have not met many famous people but when I attended my brother in laws wedding in 2008 imagine the delight of my then 11 year daughter when Mr Weasley walked into the reception (although he was not in his cloak). The actor Mark Williams has a brother Nick and he was friends with my brother in law and so they invited Nick and his brother. A bit of extra excitement on an already exciting day! So who have you met? Sue

Hi Stole this idea from elsewhere so tell me something about yourself that dates without actually telling me how old you are....I will start: When I was a child the sweet shop sold 2 fruit salads for 1p but you could also get 4 mojos for 1p = guess what I went for lol We only had fizzy pop at christmas, parties or when my brother and I sat outside the pub with a pop and a bag of crisps He and I used to collect Corona bottles so we could take them back and get 1p per bottle On a Sunday I used to record the 'Top 40' on a Panasonic tape recorder where you had to hold down play and record to record and used to sulk if someone talked when I was recording lol Tell me about you 😀 Sue

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, to do anything extra. One of our roles as educators is to keep up to date, to keep growing and learning ourselves, so we can support the children we work with to grow and learn too. In times like these though, CPD might just be the extra bit that we haven’t got the capacity for. Enter the podcast. A friendly voice in your ear you can listen to wherever you are – whether it’s travelling back from work, or doing the hoovering, or taking a moment with a cup of tea. Podcasts can be a simple way to add to your CPD and keep you on your learning toes. You may find you hear about a subject that leads you to find out more in other ways, by reading an article, or looking for a book by the podcast guest. Or they might make you think about an aspect of your practice that you can adapt the very next day, or something that you need to think about and work on over a longer period of time. Here are three suggestions to get you going: Here at the FSF and Tapestry we have a weekly education podcast, hosted by members of our education team, usually with a guest. We cover a wide range of topics, from discussions about new guidance, to men in childcare, the importance of the language we use, wellbeing, antiracism in the early years and transition to Year 1. You can subscribe to them wherever you listen to podcasts. If you haven’t listened to the Early Years Conversations podcast yet, stick on those headphones now! Kerry Payne, a practitioner and early years consultant specialising in additional needs, and Kate Moxley, an early years trainer and consultant who specialises in wellbeing and mental health training, have created a safe space conversations podcast where they discuss key topics and experiences. The podcast includes discussions around mental health, race, gender, sexuality, neurodiversity and adversity. It is full of reflection, challenge, and joy. The podcast Becoming an Antiracist, hosted by educator and antiracist scholar Dr Muna Abdi, is an honest and challenging dialogue about what it means to be antiracist. Joined by guests, Muna discusses what it means to be antiracist, and the intersectionality of race, gender, religion and place. This podcast shares a lifelong journey, and provokes thought, reflection and understanding. We hope you enjoy listening and learning.

I love Spoonerisms and malapropisms - spoonerisms are great when around children when you are trying to be discreet, I mean who hasn't observed a pre-school messy play session and thought 'that looks like a bit of a mucking fess' My favourite malaprop that I read was the old lady who thought she would buy a nice fornicator to wear to a wedding...she meant fascinator 🤣

Yes to match the nose on your avatar 🤣

Hi all I wonder how many of you have spotted the new tree icons that have been popping up all over the forum. These trees represent how long you have been growing in the fertile soil of the Foundation Stage Forum 🌳 You will see from my icon I am a very mature tree, I have been basking in the forum sunlight for a very long time 🤣 Here is the list with the time breaks and I look forward to seeing a forest full of mature trees over the coming years. Happy growing, Sue Admin Team

Seriously don't know what season it is here...cold this morning, sunny now but windy and the wind is chilly!

Not listening...not listening...not listening.....

I am letting use of the C word slide as it was used in the context of time not the festivities 😆🤣

Hi Here at the FSF we produce a monthly newsletter to keep you updated with news from the sector, details about new site content and the odd conversation that you might like to join in with. We don't send out daily emails or even weekly ones so we wondered, if you have checked the box not to receive news from us because you thought you might be deluged with emails you might like to reconsider and subscribe again. It is easy to do this, from your name on the top menu bar select the drop down list (1). Select "Account Settings" (2) then select Notification Settings (3). Then from the list of options select 'Newsletter' and check the box to start receiving our monthly newsletters If you would like to see the back catalogue find them all here