Visit any Early Years classroom or outdoor area and the resource you are guaranteed to find is blocks. In fact, whenever I’m asked what the first resource on my own…...

Investigating how things join together, whether to construct something in their imagination or following another’s design, has long been a fascination of young children and many adults! But how can…...

Personal, Social and Emotional Development is, quite rightly, one of the prime areas of learning in the EYFS and, now more than ever, our practice should reflect this. With this…...

As an ECT, starting a new teaching job is exciting, and a chance to put into practice so many ideas that you have seen and heard about through training and…...

In part one of our ECT blog we outlined some of the fundamental relationships that need to be formed and nurtured when working in the EYFS environments. Now, let’s look…...

In part three of our ECT series, we are going to focus on the role of the adult in the Early Years Foundation Stage. As part of this we will…...

One thing that always puzzles me about Early Years education is how quick we are to change things in our classrooms and settings. We plan out our room at the…...

How is tidy up time viewed at your school or setting? Is it seen as a race, rushing to finish tidying so that the learning can continue, or do you…...

When we compare the curriculum and practices of the Early Years Curriculum to that of the Key Stage 1 Curriculum we are often faced with fundamental differences in both style…...

Assessment processes within the EYFS can, if we’re not careful, be a bit of a minefield.  As with many things, the extremes are to be avoided. At one end of…...

Being a reflective teacher, we’re often told, is the key to developing effective practice. Realistically though, within the busy school day with many demands on teachers’ time, having the opportunity…...

Decisions you make about how you organise and arrange your classroom will have a big impact on the quality of the learning that occurs there. Well organised, well planned provision…...

Do you have children in your class who consistently repeat the same actions and behaviours; perhaps moving things from one place to another, putting things into bags or containers and moving them around, or perhaps they are even throwing things? They might well be engaging in schematic play....

What does your outdoor curriculum look like? Is it simply a replication of the indoors, or does it provide additional and unique experiences as it should? Being clear about the…...

Why is this Important? Anyone who has ever spent quality time alongside young children will know that their drive to learn is often powered by their own interests and fascinations…....

A Home Corner is the most familiar experience the children can have. It relates directly to their own lives and their interests and is something that all children have in…...

Just before you reach for yet another brightly coloured roll of paper or border to cover your classroom walls and display boards, stop. Let’s just pause and think for a…...

Read our latest blog by Jude Twani, who is an Associate Consultant for Early Excellence. One day I was introduced as an “early years maths expert” and imposter syndrome flooded…...

When it comes to teaching and learning outdoors, this quote from the Professor Tina Bruce always comes to mind: “Frequent lack of attention to the external environment must come from…...

What is Continuous Provision? Early years education is special and unique with its focus on child development, effective learning characteristics and holistic approaches. It’s this breadth that can sometimes be…...

Domestic role play provides an invaluable opportunity for young children to pretend to be the key people in their lives and begin to make sense of the world around them…....

Read our latest blog by Jude Twani, who is an Associate Consultant for Early Excellence. I have been dancing now for about 8 weeks and it is the first time…...

Outdoor Learning – Big Coat Weather There’s no getting away from it. After weeks of wet and windy weather bringing squelchy mud, the outdoor learning in the Summer is fast…...

Last week the DfE released three short videos titled Implementing the Early Years Foundation Stage Reforms. Using a combination of views from practitioners and leaders in Early Adopter schools and…...

So, hopefully you’re all set. You’ve attended the training on the new EYFS framework, you’ve read the documentation, followed the many online debates and now, finally you’re ready to put…...

Exploring and experimenting with water is a key fascination of many children – and if you have it available continuously, you may even find that some children go back to…...

Whether you’re setting up your new classroom for the first time, or changing your existing layout, it is vitally important to get it right. The actions you take and the…...

Do your early years’ classroom spaces truly reflect your vision for learning? Have they come together by accident or been carefully planned to offer rich, meaningful and joyful experiences for…...

Whenever our children arrive back into school, they will have needs unlike any cohort that has gone before them. The range of lockdown experiences in any given class will vary…...

Back in the summer I was kindly asked by Nursery World to offer some thoughts on how things had changed since the pandemic; the impact this was having on everyday…...

From Zoom meetings and Facetime chats to online activity ideas and YouTube story times, technology has provided us with the ability to stay connected with family, friends and our classes…...

Home Schooling We’ve entered a new time. A time of home schooling, of online PE lessons, live link up phonics sessions and an avalanche of online support. Much of this…...

As we try to get to grips with this new, isolated way of life, education for our youngest children has also changed dramatically. EYFS teachers have been working incredibly hard…...

Discover the impact of developing a child-centred, play-based curriculum in KS1 on both levels of engagement, of both children and staff, and progress towards end of Year Two expectations. In this blog,…...

In this blog, Joanna Redfern, Executive Headteacher of All Saints CE Infant and Pre-School and Selston CE Infant and Nursery School in Nottinghamshire describes how an effective balance between child…...

In this blog, Joanna Redfern, Executive Headteacher of All Saints CE Infant and Pre-School and Selston CE Infant and Nursery School in Nottinghamshire writes about how she and her KS1…...

Do you offer a play-based curriculum in Key Stage 1? Discover an inspiring and informative series of blogs written by Joanna Redfern, Executive Headteacher of All Saints CE Infant and…...

In the last week, we have seen the publication of Development Matters, the new non-statutory curriculum guidance which supports delivery of the recently revised EYFS. This follows the announcement from…...

In our recent Early Excellence Blog we explored the vital importance of talk in EYFS classrooms and how high quality role play supports children as they experiment with language, allowing…...

In our recent Early Excellence Blog we explored the vital importance of talk in EYFS classrooms. Talk is a key aspect in building strong relationships, developing communication and language skills;…...

Like you, we have been trying to keep up with the multiple guidance publications issued by the Department of Education since the outbreak of COVID 19. Many schools and settings…...

Why is Transient Art & Creativity Important? Transient Art and Creative opportunities will give children a sense of control over their surroundings and a feeling of satisfaction and are, therefore,…...

One thing that the lockdown situation has given many of us is a lot of is time. As we emerge from isolation, desperately needing haircuts but with kitchen cupboards tidier…...

Time to Reflect on the Characteristics of Effective Learning As we know, the EYFS framework is currently under a process of review that will lead to changes being made to the…...

The DfE’s EYFS Consultation is coming to an end. Respond by the 31st January With so much change heading our way it is essential for all involved in the EYFS to…...

What does your outdoor curriculum look like? Is it simply a replication of the indoors or does it provide extra, additional and unique experiences as it should? Being clear about…...

At Early Excellence, we are delighted to sell on Amazon Business our fantastic range of early years furniture, classroom resources and storage. You are sure to already know and use…...

The role of the practitioner, as well as being incredibly important, is also inordinately complex. We work in an environment and a profession that is simultaneously challenging on a multitude…...

Why staying true to your values and keeping informed will help secure the right outcomes for children, despite the latest and ongoing challenges presented by uninformed reports and government policy…....