There is a lot of talk about curriculum in the light of both the inspection framework (Sept 2019) and proposed changes to the EYFS (July 2020). Development Matters clearly states that “The development statements and their order are not necessary steps for every child and should not be used as checklists.” However, I have…
Management and Leadership
What is your management style? Is all leadership the same? Are leadership and management roles about personality? How do you take people with you on a journey of improvement? Can leadership be taught? “there is no doubt that effective leadership and appropriate training for the leadership role is an increasingly important element as we move…
We all talk to the children in our settings but do we talk with them?
I have been thinking about conversations quite a lot recently. During the last year I have spend a high proportion of my time in Early Years settings, giving me the opportunity to reflect upon our interactions with young children and how they interact with each other. Reflecting upon the type and nature of the conversations,…
The value and insight gained by working with others
When you work for yourself it can sometimes be difficult to get a depth of thinking because we all approach new ideas from our own perspective. This does not diminish ones own experience but there is the potential that our thinking becomes narrow or worse still dogmatic. Of course, reading and research help but there…
Confident intentional teachers
I am currently working with colleagues from A+ Education, Institute of London and Oxford University on the pilot phase of the URLEY (Using Research tools to improve Language in the Early Years) research project. The focus of the research is to test the premise that supporting teachers to understand and use research tools can improve…
Evaluation or reflection – how are these different and what are the implications for Early Years practice?
This is a question which came up during a European research project (EYE on Practice – Observation and Reflection in Childcare and Education) which I led and reported upon in 2012. The Oxford dictionary defines evaluation as “the making of a judgement about the amount, number or value of something; assessment: the evaluation of each…
Considering research papers
In many years working in early years settings I have heard a number of practitioners quoting theories, perceived truths and research about the value or otherwise of early childhood services. It’s a highly charged debate with parents, practitioners, researchers and pundits taking differing standpoints. The debates are often fuelled by tabloid headlines which distil poorly…
Finding out
It can sometimes be difficult to find informed comment backed by clearly cited research which sets out the data behind the big news stories. So I was pleased to find the website of The Conversation, a not for profit organisation which launched in Australia in March 2011 and in the UK in May 2013. …
Quality matters
I spent some time over the weekend thinking about news reports and discussions I recently had with colleagues in the early years’ world. In the past few weeks we have seen calls for a stronger emphasis on language skills for children in reception classes, discussions regarding the definition to be used to describe child poverty,…
Children meeting the needs of the Early Years Foundation Stage?
A research report from Royal Holloway, University of London, published on 4 June 2015 has recommend that the government should rewrite the early years’ curriculum to concentrate on developing the oral language skills that many younger children were found to lack. The report led by Professor Courtenay Norbury states that: “Our results question whether many…