End of summer prep….

Currently, many early years settings will be helping their oldest children prepare for their upcoming transition to school.  While focussed on those all-important preparation activities – such as visits to the new setting, reading books about starting school and playing making friends games – it’s easy to forget about providing equally important opportunities for children […]

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Children who attend a pre-school setting go on to gain better grades at GCSE than those who do not, the latest findings from a major study show.

Researchers found that attending any pre-school, compared to none, predicted better results at GCSE overall, and higher grades in GCSE maths and English, as well as the likelihood of achieving five or more GCSEs at grade A* to C. The benefit of attending pre-school equate to 41 more points at GCSE, the equivalent to gaining […]

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In his first interview since taking up the role of childcare and education minister, Sam Gyimah talks to Catherine Gaunt about some of the big issues affecting the sector right now.

When the Prime Minister reshuffled the ministerial pack back in July, the sector was initially left wondering about the scope of the childcare role. While Sam Gyimah, the Conservative MP for East Surrey, claimed the childcare job on Twitter, further clarification of his responsibilities from the Department for Education (DfE) was not immediately forthcoming. So […]

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