Early years educators know how important it is for parents and carers to have the confidence to engage with their child’s language development from birth. The statistics are worrying: in England, 1 in 4 five year olds are behind with the…
Last week the revised EYFS was released, with changes to the educational programmes, and to the Early Learning Goals (ELGs).
In this Coffee Break we take a moment to reflect on each of the revised programmes, the place where the EYFS…
Transition from one year group to another, or from one setting to another, is a long journey rather than a short day trip. The transition suitcase inside each child needs to be packed with all the essentials – familiarity, confidence, or…
I was chatting with a teacher friend of mine the other day (at a respectable social distance of course). We were discussing how the increase of children returning to the school was going.
She has about 12 in her Key Stage aged class b…
The words we are using about the global predicament we find ourselves in are changing. Instead of ‘back to normal’ we hear ‘the new norm’. We are realising we must adapt, embrace change and transition to a ‘post-lockdown’ socie…
I have been thinking a lot about childhood recently. Children are finding ways to be children in a world that is evolving all the time. At the same time, the struggles that many children face remain the same throughout history: oppression, …
In a recent article on the FSF, primary school teacher Clare Hancock wondered 'what will have been considered essential during these times?'
As we move forward, as schools and early years settings open their doors a little wider, as pa…
‘Coffee Breaks’ are here to offer thoughts, pull strands of events together, acknowledge difficulties and celebrate good practice; a place to stop and think as you dip your biscuit into your cuppa.
So, this week’s offering is a poem…
Show me someone who isn’t family.
Ram Dass, spiritual teacher and psychologist
Every year on 15th May the United Nations leads celebrations for the International Day of Families. The UN recognises the family as the basic u…
As a few countries begin to reopen schools and nurseries, cautiously moving forwards into a new way of life alongside COVID-19, there has been speculation about what a return to learning in a setting will look like in the UK.
The wellb…
On Thursday this week it is International Dance Day (29th April 2020). This festival celebrates dance as a global ‘language’ and seeks to share the joy of dance with others. All around us we see dance being used as a form of communicat…
Across the country, and the world, education teams are fragmented. Schools and early years settings are closed, some to all children, and many to all but the children of key workers and those who are vulnerable. Every school setting has or…
Schools and Early Years settings of all shapes and sizes have spent the last week rapidly adjusting to new guidelines, expectations and responsibilities. The children now attending will only be those of Key Workers or those in vulnerable g…
How are you?
Each setting, staff member, family and child will be experiencing extraordinary change, and all the emotions that come with it. Educators are on the front line, providing safe spaces for vulnerable children and the childre…
As we wait and wonder whether settings and schools will be closed officially due to the Coronavirus, all education and childcare staff, children and families, will be trying to carry on in the face of uncertainty.
You will all no doub…
To celebrate World Book Day this month, the FSF held our first story writing competition. Children in local schools were invited to send in a story they had written. Thank you to all the children who sent in their wonderful tales. Here is …
Did you know there was an International Day of Maths? I must admit, I had no idea. It is on 14th March every year and invites schools and children to celebrate maths around a particular theme. This year the theme is Maths is Everywhere.
…
World Thinking Day is celebrated by the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts on 22nd February every year. It began in 1926, as a day for Guides to think about their fellow members all around the world and to share messages of g…
This is a special Coffee Break, welcoming Tapestry users who have come to us by signing on using their Tapestry login details!
Just in case you didn’t know, if you have a staff or manager login to Tapestry, you can use these details …
We all have our morning routines.
A spot of yoga. A cappuccino from the little shop at the end of your road. Or a mad, tornado-style manoeuvre from bed to bathroom to workplace. Whatever your routine, I invite you to take a moment to a…
We had our first Tapestry Education Conference (TEC) at our office here in Lewes last week. The theme of the day was Reflective Practice, and there were a mix of delegates from settings, academia and advisory roles to listen to speakers a…
This week saw The Foundation Stage Forum celebrate 16 years of providing a professional place for questions, discussions, research queries and pedagogical musings! In that time we have shared joy, despair, laughter and tears . We have supp…
Yesterday FSF attended the consultation launch from Ofsted's South East team regarding the proposed new Education Inspection Framework. All the draft documents are available here along with the speech made by HMCI Amanda Spielman at th…
On Wednesday 14th November FSF were at Westminster with other sector representatives to meet with MPs to discuss the financial sustainability of the PVI early years sector. Although all in agreement concerning what the problems are, it was …
We have just published a new article written for us by Julian Grenier: "If you don’t have one of those big personalities that can enthuse and amuse, do you end up feeling rather inadequate compared to that “inspiring” conference speak…
