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?

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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.

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How to meet the needs of left-handers in EYFS

 One in 10 people is left-handed. Yet many of our youngest left-handers can face unnecessary challenges in early years settings simply because the world is designed for the right-handed majority.

We can tackle this issue in three parts: identification, action and ongoing monitoring.

When it comes to identification, there are some specific issues for us to consider in view of the young age of the children we’re working with. Babies are neither left- nor right-handed, using both hands equally and often swapping. Typically, they’ll simply use the hand that’s closest to the object they want to pick up.

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Outside the lines

 I thoroughly enjoyed my (English) conversation with Eva Dierickx for the Dutch-language podcast 'Buiten de lijntjes'

'Want to know how to really teach toddlers something? Or how to work playfully and purposefully? Then join this conversation with Dr. Julian Grenier! With his years of experience in London nursery schools and as a researcher at the Education Endowment Foundation, he shares his golden insights on knowledge-rich education for young children. From counting shoes in a play shop to discovering why leaves fall - Julian shows how you can perfectly combine meaningful learning and play.'

The great play-based learning debate

If you want a row in education, start a debate about play-based learning.

Ofsted stepped into that spotlight with its recent report, Strong foundations in the first years of school, arguing that “poorly planned play keeps children busy but does not support their development” because “their hands and bodies are active, but their minds are not”.

Some in early years have worried that this is an attack on play-based learning, and not merely an observation that play in nursery and Reception classes can be low-quality.

That leads us to an interesting question: what do we know about the importance of play in early learning, and how can we evaluate its quality?

Read on in TES