When Michael Rosen wrote this tweet I’m sure he wasn’t expecting the backlash that he got from some people.
I’m sure it was never his intention to make out that teachers were not experts in teaching. He himself comes from a fam…
Last week’s Coffee Break highlighted podcasts as a useful way to keep yourself up to date with the latest news, theories and discussions in education. This week it is the turn of the article or blog post as a way to get your CPD fix with…
The world is filled with uncertainty, educators are on the frontline, and anxiety is a familiar feeling for everyone. When everything around us is wobbling, it can be hard to concentrate, to reach beyond the things we have to do each day, t…
This New Year’s Eve felt…heavy. It was hard to see it as the fresh start we so often attribute to the change from one year to the next.
But I decided to keep to the annual tradition of making a resolution. Not everyone is into new …
Nichole Hughes, Early Years and Key Stage teacher, education consultant supporting parents, and a parent herself, shares her reflections on encouraging play at home.
‘Play? Play is not learning! How are you learning? It’s j…
The tale of Christmas Past is one filled with children singing, angels crying and sheep wondering off around the stage as the annual joy of the Nativity, or whatever festive show you usually produce, takes place. This year however, it is u…
Over the last few days we have seen one report and one survey that shine a spotlight on early years children and their families.
Nuffield Health has published a new report called How are the lives of families with young children cha…
For teaching staff, this term has been a turbulent one. The frequent changes to policy, provision and practice and considerations for the safety and wellbeing of children and staff has led many to feel wholly unsettled. On a daily basis, s…
When schools opened their doors to Reception, Year 1 and 6 back in June this year, the guidance was for smaller classes and, where possible, to keep windows and doors open to allow for greater ventilation. This guidance continued once scho…
It’s generally considered a fairly miserable event when the clocks go back at the end of October. It’s the start of a period that can often mean leaving for work in the dark and returning home to the same. This tends to coincide with…
I am a list maker. Anyone who lives or works with me knows that I write them obsessively. On post-it notes, in my diary, in little books, on scraps of paper.
I think they might drive the people around me a bit crazy…
I have lists…
This is my final ‘coffee-break’ in a series that I have written, about getting #BackToBasics when it comes to approaches that we use to support our children’s learning. I’ve discussed the importance of a sound knowledge of child …
Our recent survey of more than 200 early years practitioners and reception teachers showed that as we continue to teach and learn in the pandemic, parental engagement, communication, and the use of technology to support these, will be key.…
Admittedly, the slightly sensationalist title suggests that children don't climb trees anymore. This is not actually the case. There is a brilliant tree in my local park and children form an orderly queue to get their turn on it. It'…
Working with children can provide you with great challenges and joy every day. I have met many teachers who are confident to speak in front of a hall full of children but ask them to speak in front of their peers – other teachers or thei…
Last November, during the campaign trail, Boris Johnson painfully mumbled his way through 'The Wheels on the Bus' while on a visit to a primary school. At the time my colleague Ben wrote a brilliant short piece in Nursery World about the f…
For this coffee break I wanted to talk about a topic I saw online which I found very interesting: Desks.
I know what you’re thinking. Desks? How can desks be interesting. Well, it’s all a matter of perspective. And, interestingly,…
Stephen Kilgour reflects on getting 'back to basics' in the way we approach observations and assessment.
Although you might not believe it, and 5 minutes on social media would certainly encourage you to think otherwise, there have b…
If you work in early years, you will know that the new Development Matters non-statutory guidance document was published on Thursday last week. The guidance accompanies the new EYFS Framework, allowing early adopters can use both this year…
I'm sure this year you are approaching September with the normal levels of excitement and enthusiasm, but perhaps a little more trepidation than usual. It's been a year like no other and we are all still learning as we go, so remember to g…
I can see why some of the press coverage makes it feel like an attack on the profession, but the stuff actually from government feels like their greater concern is that parents will choose not to send their children back. It's not attackin…
There has been a lot of discussion and data about the widening attainment gap for children which is only deepened by the current pandemic. Data aside, most children arriving in a classroom, or possibly in an early years setting in Septemb…
According to the Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists (RCSLT), 7.58% of our children are affected by Developmental Language Disorder. DLD is a type of Speech, Language and Communication Need (SLCN) that affects the way that ch…
For all of us who have explored something new with a child for the first time and shared the awe and wonder with them.
The Rain Stick
for Beth and Rand
Upend the rain stick and what happens next
Is a music t…
