My name is Hayley, and I’ve been an Early Years educator for 11 years. I also became a teacher 2 years ago. I run the @allaboutearlyyears account on Instagram, where I share early educational activities. I am continually amazed by the range of mathematical skills children are expected to learn so early in their lives. However, […]
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Teaching the very earliest stages of reading using phonics in the last term of nursery will give children a head start in Reception. However, at this stage, it’s really important to keep phonics teaching simple. Read our top tips for teaching phonics at nursery.
Read moreRead this blog for ideas to engage parents and carers with developing good reading habits with their nursery-aged children at home, including downloadable worksheets to print which are perfect for sending home.
Read moreAs a Speech and Language Therapist, I am constantly amazed by the number of skills a child needs to acquire in those all important early years. ‘Children can express themselves effectively, showing awareness of listeners’ needs. They use past, present and future forms accurately when talking about events that have happened or are to happen […]
Read moreThis month we’re looking at a new publication which is hot off the press… New Ofsted guidance for the inspection of safeguarding Ofsted has issued guidance for inspectors to use when inspecting safeguarding under the common inspection framework. The guidance comes in the form of a handbook, which sets out exactly what inspectors must consider. Why read […]
Read moreAs the eyes of the world turn to Rio de Janeiro, the Olympics and Paralympics provide a fantastic opportunity for holiday clubs around the globe to engage in some lively themed activities… Opening ceremony Why not have your own opening ceremony? Children could dress up and role-play a section of this year’s actual ceremony (you could […]
Read moreWelcome to the early years blog. In our recent roundup of the latest early years hot topics, we discussed the controversy over the baseline assessment due to be brought into Reception classrooms from this September. This would coincide with the currently used mandatory Early Years Foundation Stage Profile becoming non-statutory. The intended purpose of the […]
Read moreBaseline assessment Assessment in UK reception classrooms is changing from this September. It will no longer be compulsory for teachers to complete an EYFS Profile for pupils to assess final attainment at the end of the EYFS. Instead, baseline testing will be introduced to assess children’s level of development at the beginning of their formal […]
Read moreSome of our readers will be seeing temperatures starting to plummet as winter sets in properly! It’s easy to forget that young children may not have experienced these conditions before, or that they may not be able to remember much about the last snap of freezing weather. But keep this in mind as the landscape […]
Read moreHello and welcome to the Early Years Blog, As the winter holidays approach schools will be thinking about planning for the New Year. The Early Years Foundation Stage is non-prescriptive in terms of how this planning is carried out, so settings are free to develop their own methods. However, planning must be effective and completed […]
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