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 we work with have been talking to us about how they have been addressing the challenges raised with relation to safety and welfare of adults...
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First Steps: A Review of the Planning Guidance for Early Years
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Transient Art and Loose Parts Play
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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, extremely important for their wellbeing at this unsettling time. Alongside this, creative opportunities are valuable because they support children’s thinking skills, encouraging them to express...
...read moreWhat Comes Next? Key Issues for the EYFS and Key Stage One after Lockdown
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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 than they’ve ever been, we will have been through a major upheaval on a national and international scale. Yet, after the whole country, including the...
...read moreExploring the importance of the Characteristics of Effective Learning
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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 documentation of the EYFS framework and the ELGs. The team carrying out the review have stated that the main elements of the current framework will...
...read moreHave Your Say – The EYFS Consultation
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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 have their say. As an organisation, Early Excellence concur with many in the sector, that some of the proposed changes are welcome, whilst others require...
...read moreReconceptualising Professionalism
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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 of levels. The importance of continuous professional development (CPD) to refine and enrich the skills and expertise we develop has long been realised, if not...
...read moreResponsible Early Childhood Pedagogy
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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. Early years educators, particularly those working in schools, could be forgiven for experiencing a sense of ‘besiegement’. Two recent events have focused attention on the...
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