Join our Early Excellence community and explore our inspirational blogs which cover a range of themes, challenges and case studies across the EYFS and into Key Stage 1. Take a look below and get ready to take your practice and provision forward. Some of our blogs are now also available as a Podcast too, offering you and your team a range of free, bitesize CPD opportunities.
When thinking about equipping your classroom to facilitate high-quality play, the starting point for most practitioners is to plan out their classroom and carefully consider where each area of continuous…...
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A large body of research suggests that too much colour can provide a sensory overload for our children, creating an environment where they are less likely to be highly involved and more likely to be distracted....
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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…...
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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…...
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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…...
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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…...
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Young children have a natural interest in their own lives and their own circle of experience. They will often seek out opportunities to play imaginatively with familiar contexts, exploring the…...
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Are you currently reviewing your Early Years curriculum? Wondering if it is progressive? Perhaps you’re even in a spin with where to start!...
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Consider the children currently moving towards the end of their time in Reception. The chances are, you will have a group of children confident in their abilities and secure in…...
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The last few weeks have seen the DfE launch its latest round of consultations related to the EYFS. Although it may appear that the proposed changes will impact on some…...
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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…...
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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…...
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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…....
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Alongside the release of Ofsted’s new research review of the prime areas of learning, which aims to provide support for practitioners, we reflect upon our current cohort of children within…...
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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…...
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This month saw the latest edition of Ofsted’s subject report series, this time exploring the quality of teaching English in primary and secondary Schools. The report is designed to be…...
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So much more than ‘Go find out….’ ‘Inquiry is not a ‘subject’ but rather a stance and a mindset for both educators and learners.’ Kath Murdoch Enquiry (or Inquiry) is…...
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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…...
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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…...
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January 4th 2024, saw a significant change with the EYFS. There are now two distinct versions of the EYFS framework: one tailored specifically for childminders, and the other designed for…...
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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…...
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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…...
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Moreso than ever, language and talk has become the new hot topic of conversation in settings everywhere. Talk is a key aspect in building strong relationships, developing communication and language…...
...read moreThe end of October 2023 saw the publication of two key DfE documents focusing on the EYFS. Regulatory Changes On October 27th the DfE published its response to the…...
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In the Early Years, creating a stimulating and engaging learning environment is crucial for young children’s development. From experience, one of the most popular things to do in the EYFS…...
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It’s that busy time of year again where you’ve received a brand new cohort of children and have undoubtedly spent most of your time getting to know them as individuals…...
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Working in Key Stage One, it can sometimes feel as if the Curriculum is weighing us down – looming over every decision we make. It can feel unmanageable and ‘too…...
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Early this month, Ofsted published the second in series of Early Years Reviews. As expected, this new instalment focuses on the Prime Areas, and builds on the previous reviews’ comments…...
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As you settle into the start of the school year, you have probably spent time reviewing your provision, thinking about the starting points of your children and how your provision…...
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For many years schools have sought ways to create a more linked learning journey for their children as they move between different phases of education; reviewing transition processes, reflecting on…...
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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…...
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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…...
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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…...
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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…...
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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…...
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Ofsted has recently announced a series of reforms aimed at reducing pressures on teachers and school leaders during school inspections. According to Ofsted, these changes have been implemented in response…...
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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....
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In our last maths blog, we shared some practical ways to support children to really understand the principles of counting. Jo Berry, EYFS teacher at Thrussington Primary School in Leicestershire…...
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Jo Berry, EYFS teacher at Thrussington Primary School in Leicestershire has explored a wealth of ways to engage young children in mathematics, and in particular, teaching children the principles of…...
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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…...
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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…...
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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…...
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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…...
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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,…...
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We are understandably keen for the children in our settings to access as many stories and books as possible and for them to build a repertoire of familiar texts and…...
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Whenever I am asked about why I chose to focus on Early Childhood Education I talk about my fascination with beginnings; those first steps that we take on our personal…...
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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…...
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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…...
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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…....
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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…...
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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…...
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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…...
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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…...
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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…...
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If we want children to successfully embed a range of mathematical concepts then we really need to reflect on our pedagogy first. Effective teaching of mathematics in the EYFS doesn’t…...
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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…...
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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…...
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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…...
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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…...
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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…...
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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…...
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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,…...
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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…...
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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…...
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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…...
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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…...
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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…....
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