7 books to improve your early years provision

The early years are about to get a significant boost as a result of the government’s new plan to give every child the best start in life.

As part of this, the Department for Education has set a target for 75 per cent of children to achieve a good level of development at the end of Reception by 2028. This means that it’s more important than ever for schools to focus on mobilising the best available evidence to improve both quality and equity in early years.

Here are seven books that share powerful research and, crucially, offer practical steps for putting evidence into action.

1. The Intentional Teacher: Choosing the Best Strategies for Young Children’s Learning by Ann S. Epstein

In her book, Ann Epstein argues that teaching in the early years should be “intentional”, with teachers acting with “knowledge and purpose” to ensure that children “acquire the knowledge and skills they need to succeed in school and in life”.

As she explains, “intentional teaching does not happen by chance; it is planful, thoughtful and purposeful”.

She argues for a balanced approach to early years pedagogy, noting that “rarely does learning come about entirely through a child’s efforts or only from adult instruction”.

Of course, that presents us with a challenge: how can we develop “intentional” teachers across the early years workforce?

A recent paper by Dr Sandra Mathers is particularly helpful here. In it, she explains the importance of educators’ explicit understanding of the pedagogical strategies they use. For example, while it’s useful for an educator to have a range of approaches to support children’s communication, it’s their explicit understanding of why they might use a particular strategy that leads to children making better progress.

As Mathers concludes, “although there is value in knowing ‘how to do’, explicit knowledge of ‘how and why’ matters more”.

Read on (£) in TES

Why school leaders need to spend more time in the early years

 “Do you really want to spend your time wiping noses and bottoms?” This is what my former headteacher asked me, back when I first decided that I wanted to teach Reception.

That off-hand remark illustrates how some school leaders still view the early years: as a strange, “other” world that is somehow less important than what comes after it.

Yet by the end of Reception, disadvantaged children already trail their peers by 4.6 months - a figure that represents nearly half the 10.6-month gap we see at the end of key stage 2. 

Leaders who treat the early years foundation stage as an add-on, who do little more than hop into lessons for a 15-minute phonics check from time to time, miss so much that is important about this stage of education: guided play, teaching that scaffolds children’s learning, child-led exploration and the everyday moments that build children’s language and confidence.

Read on (£) in TES

Why oral language is the key to learning to write

Back when I was moderating the early years foundation stage profile, a fellow moderator told me about a pupil who perfectly summed up the challenges that early years practitioners face when trying to teach children how to write.

(Image generated by AI)

The pupil was 5 years old, and had written a few words in his book to describe his weekend.

Underneath, his teacher had written: “Can you write some more?” His reply, filling the whole page: “Noooooooooooooooooooo”.

That “no” has stayed with me, not just because it made me laugh, but because it reminds me how crucial motivation and readiness are in young children’s learning journeys, especially with a skill like writing.

Read on (£) in TES

Why we must hold on to the ‘magic’ of the early years

There are some things from my time as a nursery school headteacher that I will never forget, like the day that three-year-old Jayda was taken into local authority care.

Her behaviour had become more and more erratic and worrying. She was running away, biting and hiding under tables. I still have the trace of a scar on my arm from where she bit me.

Concerns from her grandparents, neighbours and nursery staff were piling up and it was clear that home wasn’t a safe place for her.

The young social worker who came to talk with Jayda’s mum was as kind, clear and compassionate as she could be, as she explained that Jayda would not be going home at home time. Both Jayda and her mum were, in their different ways, devastated.

Although this all happened about three decades ago, the events came back to me vividly when Jayda recently contacted me via social media and asked if we could meet.

Read on in TES (£)

Number in the early years – helping children to develop a positive maths mindset

Mathematics is part of children’s lives, from the everyday struggle to find a matching pair of socks in the morning to the sense of wonder a child might feel when looking at the hexagonal patterned arrangement of honeycomb.

Remarkably, we even know from research that babies are hard-wired with a sense of quantity and pattern in the world.

From a young age, children can approximate quantities without needing to count. This early mathematical understanding is independent from language: toddlers can recognise three things, although they may not know how to say the word.

Despite this natural ease and sense of wonder, many of us don’t find maths easy or fun as adults, but it is important for all of us to develop a positive, confident mindset about maths and make sure that children get off to the best possible start in this area of learning.

Fortunately, there is plenty of robust research evidence for us to act on, so we can support every child to reach their potential. 

Here are three key principles to consider.

Read on: Teach Early Years

Where we’re going wrong with science in early years

It’s important to get every child off to a strong start in science, yet there is surprisingly little guidance on how to do this. This makes it difficult for science leads and early years foundation stage leads to work together and ensure that children get the strong foundations they need to develop as scientists.

At the sharp end of this challenge are children from low-income families who, according to a report prepared by the University of Oxford for the Royal Society, “make poor progress in science at every stage of their school careers”.

International research suggests that addressing science achievement gaps requires more intensive efforts in early years.

So, how can we ensure that all children get a rich early education in science and avoid the situation where family background is so strongly associated with later achievement?

Read on in TES

How to improve verbal skills in EYFS

 Children’s early language is a top priority for the curriculum in the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) and first years of school. Its impact is extraordinarily powerful.

The British Cohort Study found that verbal skills at age 5 are strongly associated with reading ability at age 10, exam results at age 16, and the likelihood of completing a degree by age 30.

Children’s verbal skills at age 5 are also associated with better health into adulthood, including better mental health and improved job prospects.

Read on in TES