Jules

...and what can we do to promote a deep understanding of the numbers from 1 to 5? Before I start on specific references to mathematics, I need to emphasise that that educational interactions with young children should always be playful. Maths as well. Playful maths. Maths is not just about having numerals on display. In fact, the abstract symbols of numbers, an agreed squiggle that may contain straight or curved lines, is almost pointless within itself until the understanding of amounts is established. For the understanding of number, there are two key elements that have to be worked on and developed in children. One is the skill of subitising and the other is conserving. Subitising is the ability to recognise amounts without having to count them in ones. For children aged 2 to 4 we begin by learning to subitise up to three. Conservation of number is knowing that no matter what order or arrangement of amounts, the total remains the same if nothing has been added or taken away. Both can be taught in a ‘playful’ way. Different subitising patterns for the same amount help to develop conservation of number. Playful maths ideas for teaching subitising and conserving There are many playful, simple and yet effective ways of teaching these two key maths ideas that I have used over the years. One is called ‘Bunny Ears’ which develops finger gnosia (the ability to show amounts on fingers without having to count in ones and without having to look at the fingers). The children are taught to put their hands either side of their forehead, with their fingers curled over and then to lift fingers, in different ways, to show small amounts. There are ten different ways that one finger can be shown (including the thumbs) by lifting them one at a time, as there are ten fingers. The adult would say: ‘I am showing you one finger. Now I am showing you one finger again but this time with a different finger. Can you show me one finger? Can you show me one finger but use a different finger?’ Ensure children understand that they constantly have ten fingers and we are ‘showing’ it means lifting a folded finger upwards. Then there are teaching specific patterns for children to learn ‘off-by-heart’. I like to use circles drawn on paper plates as ‘flash games’ (a bit like the teaching of phonics strategies) as well as ‘memory games’ where the plates are face down and the children take turns to turn over two of the plates. If the number represented on both plates is the same, the two plates can be kept by the player until the end of the game. Sometimes the circles are unshaded and sometimes shaded and these particular patterns are used to prove the properties of numbers as well as to develop bonds and doubles of numbers which supports with future mental mathematics strategies. All the time, as these patterns are being used, adults are describing what they see and why the patterns are in a particular arrangement. They are referencing how the patterns are the same as each other and how they are different. The children respond to the flashed plates in a variety of ways such as showing the amount seen with their fingers, drawing an image on a whiteboard, pointing to a choice of patterns to indicate the pattern they have seen and/or saying the name of the number. There are specific patterns for amounts up the five that I would promote as follows - Images of one circle that are in different places on the plate i.e. in the centre as well as at the edge, such as: Images of two where both circles are close together as well as being further apart. Sometimes close to the centre of the plate and sometimes to the edge. Images where there are two circles where one is shaded and one is unshaded, which is discussed with the children as proving that one more than one is two: Images of three circles where they are in a line, in a triangle, spread out and closer. Also, images of three circles with two of them are unshaded and one is shaded – this image proves that three is one more than two: Images of four where the dots are in a line, the dots are in square, the dots are proving that four is one more than three as well as that four is double two by using shaded and unshaded circles: Images of five where one pattern is the version we see on dice and dominoes, as well as patterns that begin to show a variety of bonds of five as well as prove that five is an odd number: One reason that the plates work so well is that as you are flashing the plates to the children there is no definite way to show the patterns so children learn that the orientation is irrelevant. We use this understanding when looking at the top surface of dice as they drop to the surface. Even if the pattern is presented diagonally, we still read the pattern with accuracy (as long as we are very familiar with the patterns so that it is an instant reaction). We also want children to recognise the images of 2D shapes in different orientations so this is a good link with that part of understanding. To be preparing to reach the goal at the end of Reception, at the end of Nursery you would want children to be able to comfortably subitise patterns of 1, 2 and 3 and you would also have been providing them with the opportunity to see and respond to patterns of four and five, finding the one, two and three amounts within them. Useful resources Subitising and conservation of number are the crucial elements of number sense way before any abstract symbols are expected to be recognised. There is a great resource that was published by the National Strategies in 2009 that I still use regularly when working with teachers to plan specific learning opportunities for the children they are teaching. The Birth to Nursery expectations are part of the phases 1 and 2 in the ‘Steps in Learning’ section from this file (which can be downloaded from this link: | STEM ) The ‘Role of the Adult’ section provides some lovely adult directed tasks that can be easily resourced, followed by creative ways of providing follow-up and taking the learning further. Check it out if you have not used it before! Numberblocks on the BBC is a brilliant tool to use for teaching the understanding of numbers and developing early number sense. The National Centre for Excellence in Teaching Mathematics (NCETM) website contains some teaching materials that link with the content of the programmes. As I mentioned in the article for birth to the age of two, adults commenting on what they and the children are doing is a crucial part of learning. As maths is both a language of its own, with its own specific meaning, and learning anything involves thinking about what you are learning, talking about what we are doing and thinking helps children to learn how to think. Thinking is a crucial skill for a mathematician as much of maths is ultimately done in the abstract. As well as understanding early number sense and mathematical language, there are other key behaviours and experiences that are part of developing the mathematician: recognising and responding to patterns; spatial relationships; cause and effect; inquiry through investigation and observation. I have made reference to these elements as well in the article about maths for children from birth to two. Check it out, as many of the ideas are also applicable to children in Nursery. You can find part one of Sharon's Maths series here. And you'll find part three here.

There are stages in development for maths, as with every aspect of development, and the current framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage lists and exemplifies these stages very well. Maths in your areas of provision When referring to the framework we need to be thinking of the elements of mathematical learning that can be promoted though our areas of provision, which are continuously provided, supporting children in developing day-by-day, bit by bit, through regular ‘drip-feed’ experiences. Each area of provision links naturally with different measurement elements of mathematics. The table shows a few examples of these links: Using Daily Routines Daily routines can also be used to practise maths concepts regularly. Here are a few examples: · promote positional language - when tidying up with the children, describe and show where items are positioned compared with other items i.e. ‘The scissors are stored in the pot behind the sticky tape.’ · comment on and talk about the fractions of items being used where these items are ‘continuous’ i.e. ‘You have eaten one half of your banana. You have one half of it left to eat’ and ‘Fold your piece of paper into two halves to make a card.’ And ‘You have drunk all of your milk; there is none left.’ · Embed the use of regular references to statistical representations, for example simple block diagrams and pictograms (where each image represents one) to record preferences such as lunch choice, how we came to school, etc. · use ten frames as a base for recording the number of children attending each day where each child places a photo of their face into a part of a ten frame (you will probably need three ten frames for your whole class!). ‘Are we all here or are some children away?’ and ‘How many are away?’ and ‘How many are here?’ · look at sorting your collections of items in your areas of provision into properties mathematically, such as train tracks being sorted into their parts on the shelf into straight track, curved track and paint brushes being sorted into thick and thin brushes, etc. The maths area is where the children play teachers and play and invent number games. Provide whiteboards, pens, card, paper, mark making equipment, dice, spinners, dominoes, etc. Thinking and behaving like a mathematician Learning to think and behave like a mathematician needs to be constantly modelled by adults in order for the children to copy these behaviours. Mathematicians will tell you that they are a ‘seeker of patterns’ and that they often begin their mathematical enjoyment by noticing and wondering. Examples of how you can promote this in your setting include regularly saying out-loud to children, ‘I have noticed that…’ (it is raining; the door is still open; you have finished your milk); ‘I think that…’ (it will be sunny again soon; we should close the door; you should put your carton in the bin); ‘I wonder …’ (when it will stop raining/why it is raining; the door keeps coming open/what will happen if we leave the door open; if you are always the first one to finish your milk/how much milk you have in your tummy now). After often hearing these sentence stems the children will begin to use them independently. Another skill required for a mathematician is to be able to compare and contrast (notice and describe how things are the same and how they are different). Model and then ask the children to tell you what is the same and what is different about two items. The two items need to be simple and not too detailed and of the same type i.e. two conkers, two cups, two different shoes, etc. Once the children are confident with two items you could move to three items to compare and contrast. Finally, being able to discuss four similar items. Children will naturally find it easier to tell you how the objects are different but persevere with modelling and asking about the same qualities/properties as this underpins sorting and classifying. The numbers 2, 4, 6 and 8 don’t look the same but they are numbers that can be put into groups of two with nothing left over so that makes them even numbers; that is how they are the same. Being able to test ideas and conjectures is a crucial element of reasoning. Be sure to include out-loud wondering that leads to testing ideas and deciding if something is always going to be true or not. I wonder what will happen if… Ask children this question as they are playing in different areas of continuous provision i.e. ‘I wonder what will happen if I keep filling this container?’; ‘I wonder what will happen if I put this ball on top of this tower?’ Encourage children to choose what they are going to use in the areas of CP and what they are going to make. Ask them to talk to you about the choices they have made and whether they were good choices or bad choices. If a tower falls over after a child puts a heavy block on the top, for example, ask these questions: 1) ‘What are you trying to do?’ (child attempts to show/tell you) 2) ‘What keeps happening?’ Or ‘What happened?’ (the child attempts to show/tell you) 3) Ask questions to generate ideas on ways to solve the problem such as: ‘Why do you think it is happening?’; ‘What could we do?’; ‘How could we solve it?’ 4) The child needs to be encouraged to decide what to do (If the child has a solution then let them try it even if you know it won’t be the right solution - much better if they realise their own mistake than be told it – that is when true learning happens: learning from their own noticed mistake. However, be aware that, for some children, you may need to step in if the child is not realising that it is still not working to avoid frustration.) 5) ‘Did that work?’ and ‘Why do you think it worked?’ 6) ‘What can we learn from this experience?’ Specific teaching of concepts There are certain elements of the framework that have to be explicitly taught by the adults and planned as adult directed time. Understanding numbers and knowing how to count are crucial to mathematical development but even when working with shapes we are establishing key ideas to support with calculations. Knowing that putting two or more shapes together makes a new shape, for example, is developing the concept of part-part-whole for numbers. Once subitising up to three has been established we teach subitising various arrangements of items up to four then work on five. Learning to subitise a variety of images for the number four and the number five contributes to the children’s understanding of the conservation of number (knowing that no matter how the amount is arranged the total remains the same). The game ‘Bunny Ears’, that I mentioned in the article about children aged 2 to 4, is described by the adult in a more sophisticated way when working with 4 to 5 year olds. As the hands are either side of the head the adult would be talking about each hand showing a part and then, when the hands are brought together, talking about that amount being the ‘whole’. So, for example, the hands are showing four fingers up on one hand and two fingers up with the other hand and the adult commentary would be something like this: two is a part; four is part; the whole is six (as the hands are moved so that they touch). Further comments could include: both parts are not equal to each other. Then six fingers could be shown in a way that shows two equal parts such as three fingers on each hand: ‘Six fingers can be put into two equal parts of three.’ The expectation for the end of Reception is that children can subitise a variety of arrangements of amounts up to five. They also need to have a deep understanding of numbers up to ten. Experiences to promote this includes being able to count forwards and backwards as well as the conservation of each of the numbers up to and including ten. Also, ‘bunny ears’ that develops finger gnosia and subitising and discussing a variety of arrangements for each number (see more detail from the article aimed at teaching children aged 2 to 4) both add to that deeper understanding. This also means that children begin to learn some of the numbers facts off by heart including doubles of numbers up to five and some of the number bonds of ten. They also should know number relationships in terms one less and one more as numbers and one fewer object and one more object when using items. They are beginning to learn to classify numbers, specifically odd and even numbers. Numberblocks (BBC TV programme) has a great episode called ‘Odd and Evens’ with helps to understand this. As you can see, maths learning can be promoted in the areas of your continuous provision and daily routines as well as the times when we are specifically teaching the children knowledge and skills. Remember to make it fun though! You can find part one of Sharon's Maths series here. And you'll find part two here.

Early Years Educator and early years technology specialist Richard Waite shares his passion for helping us all to understand the importance of sharing technology with young children. Technology is so much more than using screen devices At my ripe old age of fifty-five, I have now been in the early years sector for thirty-seven years! In that time there has been one constant, and that is my love for technology. The changes to the EYFS in 2021 saw the absence of Technology in the statutory framework. I sometimes wonder if this was in part a reaction to a fear that technology is somehow ‘bad’ for young children? The buzz word for why we feel this way is screen time. Many I speak to in the Early Years Sector and beyond feel that Early Years Technology is about Desktop Computers, Laptops and Tablets. But what does Early Years Technology really mean? It is actually an incredibly broad area and can be incorporated into pretty much any activity under the EYFS framework. Many parents/carers will have screen devices of one kind or another at home for their own and/or their children’s use. Children may see them being used often, perhaps because parents are working from home, or using their phones to connect on social media/to get information. This leads early years educators I have spoken with to ask why are they needed in their nurseries? I will answer that with some examples a bit later. Technology is so much more than computers, and the early years is the perfect place to explore this. It is all about Cause and Effect. In one of my STEM lessons at my current nursery I talk to the children about the technology all around them. I ask them to think about what technology they have at home that is not a smartphone, tablet, or computer. We talk about washing machines, microwave ovens, kettles and toasters… Cause and Effect is how we should view Technology in Early Years. For example, in your baby room you may have push-button toys that make a sound or shakers that make a sound and light up: the shaking or the button pushing is the cause and the sound or the light is the effect. At a later stage, there are children’s cameras that allow them to capture a moment at the press of a button. Or torches that children can shine up at the ceiling, make hand shadows or stick coloured tissue paper over the front to change the colour of the light. This for me is Early Years Technology and it is something we have been doing in the sector already. It seems perhaps the terms ICT or Early Years Technology makes it something new and different that practitioners worry about. Technology and Enabling Environments How settings make use of all the available technologies in the early years is part of the Enabling Environments they offer children. With an understanding of their intention and implementation, early years technology resources have the same positive impact as other resources in your provision, such as sand and water, mark making, maths and creative play provision. I am going to use the Bee Bot robot as a classic example. This resource can support entry level programming, as well as problem solving maths using the various Bee Bot mats such as the colour and shapes mat. But it can also support children’s language development by introducing directional vocabulary such as left and right, forwards, backwards, and stop, go. Not so long ago the Bee Bot got an accessory to make it a mark making tool, and we recently purchased the colourful pen holders that clip onto any Bee Bot. We added some felt tip pens and introduced them to our children. By pressing the buttons on the Bee Bot they were able to draw straight lines and circles on a large sheet of paper. We had hours of fun with this core Early Years Technology floor robot. As early years educators, we need training and the opportunity to explore the possibilities of these resources. All too often training in early years technology is not a priority, especially when funding is tight. On visits to settings I have also noticed how often ICT resources are broken or need batteries replacing. We all know it can be expensive to replace those that are broken. As with other resources, these need a check up every so often – broken ICT resources are frustrating for children and can set them up to fail. More about Screens… I’m going to give you real life examples of how the use of screens can have a positive impact in Early Years Settings. There was a child in a nursery who found it difficult to focus for any period on an activity or free play continuous provision. I had recently purchased an Interactive Tilting Display Board for the nursery. I was demonstrating how to use it, and the child came over, seeing me writing on the Interactive Table with the special pen. I was selecting colours and drawing shapes and lines. The child asked to have a turn and remained engaged and focused for more than 15mins - in fact when the parents came to collect child, they were so happy to see him absorbed in this activity. In another setting, an iPad was requested for a child with complex additional support needs. Some apps were suggested by the outside agency supporting the child, and these were added to the iPad. One was I love fireworks - a typical cause and effect app where the screen would be black with nothing happening, until the child just tapped it and then you would hear and see the fireworks jumping across the screen. This was a great sensory experience and made the child’s time at nursery extra special. At my current setting whenever we want to introduce the children to a new tradition or custom from another culture to support the wide range of cultures we have in our nursery, we use the interactive board to introduce that culture and find out about its traditions with the children. We will show them dances, costumes, languages, and food representing that culture. Recently it was Kurdish new year, and we happen to have a Kurdish family at our nursery. They kindly offered to introduce their tradition and culture to our children. Before they arrived at the nursery, we used the interactive board with the children to look for traditional Kurdish dancing and how to say ‘Hello’ in Kurdish so we could greet the parents in their language. There are many more examples I could share with you! But I want to round off by reassuring early years educators that Technology in the early years is not a monster to be feared! Remember the simple concept of cause and effect and begin looking for technology learning opportunities in your setting. Like it or not, technology is going to be the bread and butter for all our children in the future. Further Reading: Young Children in a Digital Age: Supporting learning and development with technology in early years by Lorraine Kaye Digital technologies and Learning in the Early Years by Lorna Arnott Apps, Technology, and younger Learners: International Evidence for teaching, edited by Natalia Kucirkova and Garry Falloon Using ICT in the Early Years by Alex Morgan Planning for Learning through ICT by Rachel Sparks Linefield and Debra Maltas More Than ICT: Information and communication technology in the early years by John Siraj-Blatchford

In this article, Caroline Vollans hears from voices in the sector about the exclusion of our youngest children. Unofficial exclusion is not uncommon in the EYFS. Several years ago, when I was teaching in Year One a child arrived new to the country from Pakistan. It emerged that when the family had visited their local school (a good distance from ours) they said that he would ‘do better’ with us. The family were not told why. The child had, in effect, been excluded from admission. I have also heard of occasions when families are told there is a place, but when the child’s needs become apparent the place is suddenly up for question or disappears. They are clearly not welcome. As well as this, there is the more overt form of exclusion when young children behave in a way that settings will not tolerate or are unable to support. Why is it that settings are not equipped to offer provision for such young children with additional support needs? Exclusion in the EYFS, however it happens, is a critical issue that needs highlighting and addressing. Disproportional representation i) Children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). It may come as no surprise that children with learning differences and disabilities are disproportionally represented when it comes to exclusion. Mandy Wilding is Education officer at the National Association of Special Educational Needs (NASEN). Mandy comments, “As I’m sure you’re aware, there is a very high percentage of SEND representation in students who are excluded. Unfortunately, figures from the Department for Education do not show how much of this is in the EYFS, but we can infer that children with learning differences and disabilities are far more likely to be excluded. For example, in 2018/19 if you have a special educational need and/or disability but no Educational Health and Care Plan (ECHP), you were 5.3 times more likely to be permanently excluded.” Mandy continues, “More recent data shows that if a child has a special educational need and/or disability and a ECHP they are 78% more likely to receive a fixed term exclusion”. In all, we can say that it is clear that there is an overrepresentation of children with SEND who are being excluded. ii) Children from ethnic minority backgrounds. Children from ethnic minority backgrounds are over-represented when it comes to exclusion. Alison Kriel was an Executive Headteacher and is now a Conscious Leadership Consultant. She points out, “Some schools will identify the challenges before the child is accepted on role and will give reasons why the child should not go there. Culturally, many Black families have been brought up to accept the authority of the school and will simply move on. Parents who are not fluent in English will move on without challenge.” Alison continues, “A white child with a diagnosis of Autism or ADHD applies for a place in an Early Years setting. A place is available along with a Special Needs Framework with guidance on how to put support in place. Additional funding is available. The school knows what it needs to do to support the neurodivergent child. Allowances are made for their behaviour. “A Black child presenting with the same behaviours applies for a place. There is no diagnosis: there is at least a 3 year gap in diagnosis between white and black children which impacts on the way in which their behaviour is perceived. The child’s behaviour is seen as naughty, aggressive, defiant or due to poor parenting. Rather than being welcomed as a neurodivergent child, the child is perceived as the behaviour they are presenting.” Alison points out three of the factors involved in the above: ● misdiagnosis: behaviour is interpreted more negatively in children from Black backgrounds ● failure to understand the needs of children from ethnic minority backgrounds: this means that the process for getting an EHCP is much slower for them ● deeply engrained prejudices, some unconscious The need for anti-racist training for staff is pressing if we are to make any progress with equity regarding admissions. Alison points out, “Many people still expect Black children to behave badly. It’s hard to move away from stereotypes which have been fed to us throughout our lives.” Children ‘moved on’ due to their additional support needs Case study (i) Becky Dolamore is Headteacher of Rachel Keeling Nursery School in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. Becky says, “We have accepted one or two children who have needed lots of support and where previous settings have not been able to offer this. In both cases, this was due to lack of resources - both staffing and expertise. This has resulted in children arriving at our school with limited experiences as they have been on reduced timetables in their previous setting or parents have been asked to remain with their child for their sessions. This not only impacts the child's development, but also parental wellbeing.” Becky adds, “Certain schools may have a ‘good reputation’ of working with particular types of needs and this can result in them being overwhelmed with applications. Being the school of choice for children with additional needs without any additional support or funding is a tricky position to be in.” She concludes, “We need greater understanding, support and investment across all early years settings to ensure inclusive practice is accessible to all children and families”. Case Study (ii) Catherine McLeod MBE is CEO of Dingley’s Promise, a charitable organisation supporting Under 5s and their families with additional support needs. Catherine spoke about the difficult start at nursery for a family with two autistic girls. Their mother, Jan, described what happened. "My daughters were diagnosed with autism. We were accepted at the specialist nursery but couldn't start for a year because COVID hit - I wasn't a key worker, so we had a whole year at home. When things started to go back to normal, we got extra funding (the inclusion funding) for the girls, which was brilliant. I was promised all these extra things, including 1:2 ratio for my girls. I was given sessions for both girls across two days, which was brilliant. I then asked for an extra day so that I could go to work, and I was told I couldn't have this because they didn't have the staff. However, we came to an agreement where they would have one of the girls for an extra session on Fridays - we alternated them so that I could have some one-to-one time with each of them. After about a month I was told that I could no longer have this session - they needed the key worker who was supporting my daughters for someone else. This is absolutely unacceptable and, as far as I’m aware, against the law to take away sessions that have already been agreed and funded. I wrote an email to complain and the next morning the nursery manager phoned to say that I still had the session. I was so upset that I cried - I don't cry usually. Having my children in those sessions was so important for my mental health. From then on, every time I went in I could see the keyworker was working with lots of other children, not just my two. This was having an impact on both of my daughters’ behaviour at home.” Jan talked more about the effects on her. “I want to work but can’t. I had a really good job and can’t return to it. There’s the stigma of your child being different and the stigma of not being able to work. I want to work but I just can't because they can't give my children any more hours, even though I could have the thirty hours. It’s not fair. For us guys, as parents, it’s 24/7, we need that time when the children are in settings.” Jan ended by saying when she was looking for work she phoned lots of local nurseries who all said they had places available. “Once I mentioned that my children had SEND, the places then miraculously disappeared”. The difficulties in settings It is not beneficial to get into a blame game: settings often lack resources, expertise and funding, making it difficult to help children and families with additional support needs. However, managers and practitioners must reflect upon and challenge their practices and attitudes. The status quo has to change to prevent these sorts of discrimination. Alison Kriel summarises this well. “Most schools and staff have a desire to be inclusive and have ambitious outcomes for their pupils. Our education settings are struggling. They are cash strapped, morale is low, league table shaming is high, recruitment and retention is a challenge. Tough questions have to be asked about what is and what is not feasible. We have a fractured, hit and miss system, and ultimately the support a child receives comes down to parent confidence in challenging the system as well as knowledge and access to sources that can support them”.

In this blog I will share some of the reflections and practices that emerged in my PhD study researching the life experiences of five male teachers working in contemporary British early years. The overarching question is: why are there so few men in this profession? I have worked in the early years for almost 9 years, and I was lucky to teach in international settings (Italy, USA, and UK). Only once I worked with a man. This should not come as a surprise, as latest government figures show that only 2-5% of the early years workforce is made up of men (Bonetti, 2018). The percentage of Black male nursery teachers is even lower, as they count only 0.3% of the workforce (Carly-Campbell, 2021). The absence of men in the profession is problematic for gender equitable arguments, as well as recruitment and retainment purposes. We need richer insights into the life experiences of male teachers in early years environments to make transformative changes in policies and pedagogical practices. In turn, this has the potential to create an equitable and sustainable environment for both male and female teachers. Making early years an economically and culturally desirable place to work, for men and women equally, is vital to ensure the best talent is recruited and retained and make a positive impact in children’s lives. Current Early Years policy context The early years sector plays a critical role in children’s lives. The sector caters to children aged 0-5, pivotal years in which children develop their sense of self, curiosity, and boosts confidence. As an early years educator, I have seen first-hand how early years can facilitate children’s progress through engaging, active, and inclusive practices and pedagogies. It is therefore crucial that early years services are equipped with the best talent, to give all children the best possible start in life. However, in Britain, early years has consistently remained low on governments’ policy agenda, as societal discourses placed young children as a family matter, with women better suited to take care for them. Similarly, while women found employment in the early years, they were often under-paid and lower qualified, which led the early years to be considered primarily as a field for working-class women. To increase the number of male staff, the Early Years Workforce Strategy (DfE, 2017) stated: ‘we want more men to choose to work in the early years sector’ (DfE, 2017: 25). Based on this strategy, the DfE is proactively looking to recruit and retain more men in the early years. The stories I collected with five male teachers currently working in British early years, show these men’s desire and passion for the profession, but they also point out the barriers and challenges the sector faces in retaining good talent due to continued gendered perceptions. Meeting the men who work in early years settings The men I have interviewed came from different professional backgrounds, however, they all had experiences teaching in primary or secondary. They are also all British, and the age range is 27-50. They transitioned to early years due to discontent with the prescriptiveness of the National Curriculum. Working in the early years, instead, allowed them to explore creative and fun approaches to teaching and learning. One of the teachers said: “you don’t really need to sit down at your desk and follow standard procedures. You have more freedom to create, and you can help children develop confidence, and let them think and reflect”. Alongside their perceived freedom and creativity, these men appreciated having a real impact on children. They all placed children at the centre of their teaching pedagogy, showing a desire to help them grow and become more independent. They felt this aspect lacked while teaching in primary and secondary - as one of them said: “in primary, you focus too much on the academic side of teaching, you are focused on targets, and you miss what’s most important, the emotional aspect of working with children”. As such, concepts of care and love became the main drive in their work, shaping their understanding of childhood and lesson plans. In early years, both teachers and children work together as a family: “we learn together, we play together, we make friends, and, at times, we also ‘fail’ together, learning from our mistakes”. From these experiences, one would assume that working in the early years is a blast. Why, then, aren’t more men involved? As one of the teachers claimed: “no boy would ever dream of working in the early years!”. Simply put, none of these men thought that this career was open to men. They all grew up with female teachers in the early years of their lives. One of them, as he enrolled in his teaching qualification, was given brochures for a BA Primary with QTS. However, he desired to work with young children, but assumed that there were no courses for teaching in early years. As such, it took him 18 months to switch to a BA in Early Years. Others, struggle to stay in the role due to pressures to get a promotion. According to the government provider survey (2016), female teachers make up 85% of the workforce, but are less represented in leadership roles. Only 70% of the primary headteachers are female, and data shows that females tend to take up their first as middle leaders in primary after 10 years of experience, while men get promoted with only 8 years of experience. Pay, however, is also cited as an obstacle to enter and remain in this profession. This, however, opens a broader debate about the current crisis in the early years sector caused by the low pay and low status of the profession. The presence of men in the early years can benefit greatly both teachers and children. The male teachers have recognised how their understanding of teaching grew when working with young children: “in the EYFS I understood how children learn, I can almost see how they are developing inside their head, through curiosity and play, and I think most men are missing out on great learning opportunities”. Also, these men reflected on how their presence can tackle gender stereotypes within the classroom: “I can change the perception of what males do or don’t do. You know, sometimes I’m like ‘I’m busy playing with dolls’, and I say it like that. Like it’s normal. And if more people did it, children would accept it as normal”. And this is central to the debate of men in early years, and to a more diverse and inclusive early years workforce. The involvement of men in children’s lives – both at school and at home - should be normalised and welcomed to support children’s learning and progress. Their presence is a matter of representativeness. If more children saw that both men and women are included in their education journey, it would be possible to tackle gender stereotypes from the very early days. As this blog has shown, there could be great benefits from the presence of men in early years, it is therefore important to raise awareness about their journey, perspectives, and experiences, and use these to tackle gender stereotypes.

Early Years Stronger Practice Hubs are being funded across every region in England to help children recover from the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. This is a major issue in the EYFS. Young children, especially those from low income backgrounds, continue to suffer disproportionally. This is shown in their drop in attainment. By the end of the Reception year in 2022, outcomes show that 65.2% of all children achieved a ‘good level of development’ (GLD). However, the outcomes for children from disadvantaged families were quite different. Only 49.1% of those eligible for free school meals achieved the GLD, compared to 68.8% of other children. So, we see a striking 19.6 percentage point difference. As well as this, it is important to note that in 2019, prior to the pandemic, 57% of children from low income households achieved the GLD (compared to 49.1% in 2022). Although the 2021 figures relate to the reformed EYFS framework and the 2019 figures relate to the 2012 framework, it is noticeable that there has been a 7.9 percentage point decline in children from low-income families. These statistics cannot go ignored. Responding to this In November 2022, The Department for Education selected thirteen settings in England to be early years Stronger Practice Hubs. They form part of the Early Years Covid-19 recovery support. Their purpose is to specifically tackle the impact on children from low income backgrounds. Funded for two years, the programme is supported by the Education Endowment Foundation (EEF) and the National Children’s bureau (NCB). One of these Stronger Practice Hubs is A Brighter Start, led by Sheringham Nursery School and Children’s Centre in the London Borough of Newham. Sheringham is currently the only London-based Hub: a further one will be announced later in the year. Lindsey Foster, deputy headteacher, shares her reaction to being chosen, “I think it is a huge achievement for all of us at Sheringham. It will contribute to and compliment the important work that is already happening through the research school. It also brings with it new and exciting prospects for staff in terms of CPD and leadership.” She adds, “As well as this, we have the additional prospect of developing and sharing practice with practitioners across the whole of London.' Rehema Essop, interim SPH lead at Sheringham, comments, “A Stronger Practice Hub enables practitioners to have greater access to evidence-informed programs. This will support them with thinking about exactly what the children need to make more of a difference to their development. As a sector we are playing catch up to support them and their families.” Rehema adds, “The children at Sheringham are fortunate to benefit from leaders and staff who are willing to question their own practice. This is key to being a Hub. Practitioners are focussed on finding out more about improving daily provision for children.” This seems like an exciting prospect for Sheringham, but what does it mean in practice to have this designation? What does it mean to be a Stronger Practice Hub? Hubs are required to share good practice, offer advice and provide evidence-based professional development for early years practitioners. In short, they are a central resource for the advancement of practice across the EYFS. The NCB outlines what this entails: establishing local networks of early years educators to share knowledge and effective practice proactively sharing information and advice on evidence-based approaches - for example, using newsletters, blogs and social media acting as a point of contact for bespoke advice, including signposting to other funded support working with the Education Endowment Foundation (EEF) to select evidence-based programmes to deliver, and making these available without cost to nurseries and childminders More information about the first round of stronger practice Hubs is available here. The centrality of evidence informed practice Evidence informed practice is fundamental to the work of the Stronger Practice Hubs. The Education Endowment Foundation (EEF) focuses on breaking the link between family income and educational outcomes. They will be supporting the Hubs as ‘evidence guardians.’ Their role being to ensure that all professional development is based in validated evidence. Before going any further, it is worth clarifying what constitutes evidence based practice. It is an aspect of early years education (as well as other sectors) that is often misunderstood. The following scenario, familiar to many, illustrates how this can happen. A practitioner undertakes some action research, focusing on how a group of children respond to a new approach or intervention. The practitioner’s assessment information shows that the children have made good progress. This could be in any area of development: communication, physical, emotional. The practitioner concludes that the approach has worked in their setting. If they write their findings up for a publication or in a book, they can be seen as ‘evidence-based’. Though this is an understandable and well-intended position to take, it does not stand up as evidence-based practice. The basic reason for this is that positive outcomes on a small scale are not enough. The intervention might be effective: or it might be that the particular group of children developed very well for other reasons. Or the practitioner worked with such enthusiasm on the project that it made a big difference. Neither of these conditions might hold true in a setting 20 miles up the road. A practice that seems to work and produce favourable outcomes is not the same as evidence. Until an intervention has been rigorously researched it ceases to be evidence-based. It might be that this project is promising enough to be evaluated on a larger scale and, in time, could become part of the evidence base. The Education Endowment Foundation (EEF) curates high-quality research from a range of robust studies, carried out in many different types of schools and settings. Nicola Cherry is their Early Years Content Specialist for the EEF. She clarifies the purpose of evidence-informed practice, “The use of educational evidence can be like a reliable navigation system, supporting us to create great learning opportunities for all children, particularly those from socio-economically disadvantaged backgrounds who we know stand to benefit most from high-quality early education.” Nicola goes on to talk about the EEF's new resource, launched in February 2022: "The EEF has launched a brand new resource, The Early Years Evidence Store – developed as part of the EEF’s work supporting the Department for Education’s Stronger Practice Hubs. It is designed to support early years professionals in putting evidence-informed approaches into practice. The store zooms in on key themes of learning and development – such as language and communication – to explain and exemplify how they can be adopted, prompting educators to reflect on their own current practice.” Nicola continues, “Each theme is broken down into specific approaches that can support that area of learning and development and provides information on the strength of the evidence underpinning each approach. These are supported by a list of practices and help explain how each approach could be implemented. The Early Years Evidence Store can support a community of early years practice; using a shared language and understanding of the evidence, and what it means for children.” (EEF blog) In a nutshell, the rule of thumb is that evidence-based practice comes out of findings that are documented and published. For more details of such robust research see the EEF’s Early Years Toolkit and Early Years Evidence store. Getting a Stronger Practice Hub started The first 6-months at Sheringham will focus primarily on its local area – the borough of Newham and neighbouring East London. Dr Julian Grenier, headteacher of Sheringham, outlines one of the main projects: “We are delivering the evidence-informed Newham Communication Project in collaboration with the local authority. This is free for Newham early years settings and aims to help children develop their communication. It is a 6 month hybrid programme that includes face-to-face training, online twilight sessions and mentoring. We are offering it to managers and room leaders in early years settings, as well as nursery teachers and EYFS co-ordinators in schools”. As well as this Sheringham are pursuing the following: Setting up a childminders group. Here childminders can meet each other; get the chance to build networks; have access to professional development at no cost. Developing the Early Years Conversation Project, due to launch in September 2023. They are currently signing up the 100 settings they need from across East and North-East London. Developing Maths through Picturebooks. This was trialled in North Yorkshire during the summer term, 2022. They are now working on an across London roll-out. One of the first big SPH events is a free webinar about Maths through Picturebooks. This is on 29th March, with Dr Herbert Ginsburg, Professor of Psychology and Education at Columbia University. The Hub has a WhatsApp group. You can join it by sending the message ‘Join’ to 0759 616 5918. Also, there is a Facebook page at: https://www.facebook.com/people/A-Brighter-Start-East-Londons-Early-Years-Stronger-Practice-Hub/100089998383323/ It is an indisputable fact that young children from disadvantaged backgrounds need substantial input to tackle their drop in attainment caused by the pandemic. It will not remedy itself. The introduction of Stronger Practice Hubs focussing on the use of evidence-based practice seems like a progressive move by the Department of Education. We wait to hear the announcement of five further Hubs in May.