Jules

When I think back to the time when my three children were aged six, three and newborn, I recall a blur of constant activity, episodes of exhaustion, and adrenalin levels of being on a non-stop adventure! As thankful as I was to be mum to healthy, thriving children, the memories are certainly peppered with feeling overwhelmed and uncertain when new phases would crop up, tipping the domestic balance that had been delicately stacked alongside the wooden blocks. Both slipped easily. That was why I found connecting with local mums at the same stage I was at, a lifeline. From our informal cups of tea, to organising small local projects with the help of a friendly health visitor, these kept us all connected. It helped to share. It helped to be heard and reassured. That was many moons ago, and now that my children are adults, I’ve got the luxury of looking back and reflecting. So I was interested to speak to community-based practitioners, and mums with young children, to find out about their experiences. Meeting local needs Two community venues I approached in Buckinghamshire support local parents through running nurseries where language and familiarity with the local culture encourages parents’ participation. The first is a nursery run in Castlefield Community Centre situated in the heart of a diverse neighbourhood. Madiha*, the Nursery Manager, shared her experience of working with local parents and their young children. ‘This nursery is for three to five year olds and started off because of the specific needs of the local community which is mostly of Pakistani heritage. It helps we’re in a Community Centre as it houses the local authority Family Services provision, and partners such as Little Talkers for children with speech delays. We have a library here too and parents use IT facilities daily, and just go there for some quiet time.’ Madiha explained that for some of the parents English is a second, or third language. Whilst many speak English fluently, other parents are still struggling with communicating. Nursery staff help parents by sign-posting them to local ESOL classes as well as being bilingual. The staff communicate important information related to their child’s development, which might otherwise be missed. Communication can still be a challenge, but as Madiha shared, they use other approaches to involve parents in their children’s learning: ‘We send parents information via Tapestry with photographs to help them carry on activities at home. But to get them more involved, we invite parents to literacy sessions, so staff can model the techniques we use. We used to run a ‘Play and Stay’ session weekly which we opened up for the whole local community, where parents could stay with their under-five year olds, and join in with activities. It was good for them to socialise and we got asked a lot of questions that they might not ask anyone else. Things about nappy changing and potty training would come up, as well as little issues like a child eating crayons and what to do about it. The parents that come to us feel confident to speak up because there’s someone familiar with their home culture.’ Faith-based spaces WISE mosque in South Bucks runs both a small pre-school nursery and a mother & toddler group in its community space. Nahid* recounts how she started with just a few children six years ago as ‘Wise Owls’ which has grown into a regular play and learning space with several children and parents joining in. ‘Mums stay with their children aged between 2.5 - 4 years old, and participate in activities like tracing Arabic phonics, followed by hands on activities like tasting foods that begin with a particular letter sound they’re practicing - they all enjoyed that! We have puzzles, games and story time too.’ As the mosque is a focal point for the Muslim community, it was important to start something to cater for the youngest children and their parents, so they could feel part of the community. Nahid remembers how ‘Some mums were really isolated and were happy to come to a relaxed environment. They seemed to love coming as much as the children and learnt with them! For some, this is the only time they sit and talk about education issues and exchange numbers with other mums. They get a chance to mingle and find out about services for families and children locally.’ Taking a holistic approach There is plenty of evidence from research which links the wellbeing of parents, and the family unit in general, to the best start in life for the young infant[1]. In addition, it’s established that a mum who has given birth, needs looking after too. Seeing to the needs of a newborn is all consuming, and often there’s an elder sibling under the age of five to care for. This can easily lead to a mum’s emotional and mental health suffering if, in some cases, they don’t have a kinship network, or access to the help they need. This reality has driven the partnership between MIND CPSL – a branch of the national mental health charity (MIND) and The Lantern Initiative, a non-profit social enterprise educating communities about mental health in Peterborough, to work together on supporting specific minorities on their perinatal, postnatal, and early years journey[2]. Using an evidence based approach, their partnership provides a physical space for Muslim mums to meet and socialise with their babies and toddlers, as well as running a free six week course to improve their mental wellbeing. Two women involved in the project, Maryam*, mum of two daughters under 3 years old, and Zeenat*, a volunteer on the project, share their experience of what this course offers attendees. Maryam: I went to ‘Connecting Muslim Mums’ in person once a week for two hours. It’s local and I hadn’t been out the house since the first was born in Covid. The course ran for six weeks and I can say it completely changed my life. I felt supported, safe, and understood. We were guided gently through my emotions and how to move on. The faith factor helped a lot, it brought me to a better understanding about why we go through struggles. Now I take my girls to a fortnightly ‘Chai and Chat’ morning where I meet other mothers and our children play. It helps my girls to interact with other children in another environment and it’s nice for them to see me communicate with other mums. Going there helps my emotional wellbeing and I’m able to offload. The mothers just know what you’re going through, you don’t need an opinion. I’m volunteering now to care for other mums and help them through this stage.’ Zeenat: Digital Communications Specialist for Cambridge Foundation Trust and volunteer for The Lantern Initiative’s courses for Mums I volunteer for the course ‘Connecting Muslim Mums’ which is free for mums who have children under the age of 2 yrs. The course takes a holistic approach supporting mums with their physical and emotional health, with practices like mindfulness which are related to their faith, like focusing on the names of God - it’s all interconnected. It helps Mums with coping strategies and handling expectations, a lot of mums don’t know where they can go for help. This course is based on ‘The Five Ways to Wellbeing: connecting; being active; taking notice; keep learning; and giving. When I check in with the mums, they’ll say they feel much better because they’re putting things into practice. Having a creche for the under 5’s helps them to attend.’ Taking a look at some community-based support has shown just how vital it is to take a joined-up approach and connect a variety of providers. The youngest in society deserve the best start in life, and supporting their parents plays a significant part in that. [1] The Best Start for Life A Vision for the 1,001 Critical Days The Early Years Healthy Development Review Report (March 2021) https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/973085/Early_Years_Report.pdf [2] https://www.cpslmind.org.uk/how-we-help/supporting-parents/ *Pseudonyms are used as requested by contributors You can follow Suma on Twitter @Suma_Din And Suma's website is www.therootedwriter.co.uk

There are moments of awe and wonder around us each and every day. However, sometimes, we, as adults, are too busy or not in the right headspace to appreciate them. For children, though, their natural curiosity means they are often much more attuned to moments of fascination. Defining awe and wonder… It’s a beautiful moment where a child is mesmerised by something. During this moment, children are experiencing a strong connection – they are focused, interested and engaged. Sometimes, awe and wonder arises from a moment we have planned, but often it is spontaneous, occurring as a result of the child’s innate drive to explore and be curious within their environment. What sparks this awe can be different for each child but we do know that the natural world can offer us a wealth of beauty which can inspire all children, just on different levels. It is these experiences which ground us and can move us emotionally. It could be the first time a child has seen a frosty cobweb on a cold morning, a butterfly emerging from a cocoon, a rainbow appearing after a storm or finding a big, wiggly worm when we’re playing in the digging pit. Why is awe and wonder so special? Children naturally have a sense of wonder, something many of us see diminish as we get older. We become immersed in our busy lives, focused on work, family life, caring responsibilities, money worries…the list goes on. Our world lacks the simplicity we experience in childhood, impacting on our ability to notice and appreciate the world around us. Even children have busy childhoods with many modern distractions. Think about what childhood looks like now compared to when you were a child – how is it different? There is much discussion to be had around the impact and influence of technology, risk averse parenting and the datafication of Early Years. To counteract this, it is valuable to ensure children get to experience the awe and wonder of the world around them. The role of the adult… As educators, it is important for us to be present and in the moment with children. We need to be tuned in and emotionally available, as well as physically. This can be challenging in busy settings where there are routines to follow, administrative tasks to complete and staff to cover for. However, it is important to factor in time for children to feel inspired and empowered and we can achieve this through not only our provision in Early Years but also our practice. Educators have a role in facilitating an environment whereby children are motivated to play, explore and find those magical moments. Audits will help settings to assess their provision, indoors and outdoors, and understand what it feels like to be a child in the environment. Look at the space from the child’s height, seeing things through their lens. In terms of practice, an educator can inspire and empower children to seek out and appreciate moments of wonder. We need to step inside the child’s world and see things from their perspective. Observe as the child notices something they connect with. Watch their body language and be an active listener – communication is more than just what a child says. You’ll witness a moment of delight, and this is when you can share in the fascination. It is the interaction that can add value to the experience for the child, helping to bring meaning. How you react with your body language, your words and how you share in the magic can influence the child’s engagement. Be excited, surprised and listen as the child expresses their wonder. However, remember that for some children, the way they express their wonder may be non-verbal, but no less valuable. Children are unique, and many different experiences may hold value and joy, with many different responses. It is our role to open up these experiences to all, providing an environment which is diverse and inclusive. Awe and wonder and sustained shared thinking… Experiencing moments of awe and wonder can be valuable in terms of a child’s learning and development. Through the process of sustained shared thinking, we can really tune in to the child’s thoughts and ideas. It is a precious way of connecting and sharing in the wonder as they process what they are observing. These moments are not a time to impose learning as this puts parameters on the moment and can inhibit the experience - we need to be mindful of our interactions. Instead, we can wonder with the child, using language which encourages thinking and the sharing of ideas between adult and child. The process of sustained shared thinking is rooted in curiosity rather than answering questions and our language should reflect this. We can offer a running commentary, ask ‘I wonder….’ or talk about what you see. This brings the moment to life, with both adult and child making sense of what they are observing. We act as a role model, sharing our own thoughts and ideas – ‘I wonder where the ladybird is going…’ ‘The cobweb is glistening but I wonder how it happened.’ ‘What a pretty rainbow. I wonder where it ends.’ ‘The bee has gone right inside the flower. I wonder what he’s doing.’ ‘There was water in the tray yesterday but now there’s ice. I wonder what happened overnight.’ Statements such as these, and open ended questions, prompt children to think out loud, wonder and share their ideas. It’s a fantastic way to nurture language development, especially in light of the increased focus on this area of learning in the revised Early Years Foundation Stage. When we employ sustained shared thinking strategies, we are working with the child, helping them feel valued, included and inspired by the awe and wonder all around them. The impact of awe and wonder on learning and development… Connecting with children as they experience moments of awe and wonder can enable us to encourage thinking skills, helping them to process what they are observing. We can engage in interesting back and forth interactions, extending vocabulary and exploring concepts related to different areas of learning, such as shape, space, measure, colour and texture. When children experience awe and wonder, it can act as a hook to explore the subject further. Watching a snail slither its way across the garden can lead to investigating patterns, reading books such as The Snail and the Whale and making snails out of play dough. This builds on the child’s initial interest, facilitating an environment which is inspiring and helps them to make sense of their experiences. We know that children learn best when they are interested. Awe and wonder can really help engage children, impacting on their communication and language development in Early Years and beyond. Not only do these quality interactions influence language development in terms of vocabulary, understanding and listening skills, but it is also valuable for those children who are non-verbal. We can recognise that although a child is not communicating verbally, they are able to experience and express their delight at the awe and wonder around them. They can express themselves through their body language, facial expressions, gestures and emotions which we can interpret and give words to. We might have children in our settings and classes who speak English as an Additional Language (EAL), and who may express their feelings in their home language or through body language and gestures. Awe and wonder can give all children a voice, we just need to tune in. When children are experiencing awe and wonder, they are learning to make sense of the world around them, building points of reference and enriching their lives. These moments encourage future interactions with the natural world, further enhancing learning and development. We know that children are powerful learners with a natural drive to be curious and we can build on this, valuing spontaneous opportunities for children to be wowed but also ensuring our curriculum and pedagogy supports these early magical experiences. Finally… Children have been on the earth just a short time. Everything is amazing and wondrous to them, especially when experienced for the first time. No matter how many times we have seen a rainbow, or a frosty cobweb, we must still remember the magic of these moments from the perspective of a child. Take time to connect with children - their wonder at the natural world is contagious and joyous.

A new year often brings time to reflect and set goals. While within education this event falls part way into our ‘year’, personally it can be a good time to look at what we would like to achieve for ourselves. We all have our areas of passion and enthusiasm within our roles, areas we love to learn about and knowledge that makes us want to shape and change the way we, and our colleagues, work. In an ever changing and developing world we need to be working to better inform ourselves to continue to be inclusive. While we strive to incorporate learning for ourselves, our colleagues and the children and families we serve in a range of areas, at the heart of my focus, my area of passion and enthusiasm, is the Neurodiversity paradigm. I feel this topic is best explored through a wh- question framework, which appeals to the speech and language therapist in me! - What is Neurodiversity? - Why is it important? - How do we start to practice in a more neurodiversity accepting way? What is Neurodiversity? Neurodiversity is simply the diversity of brains that exist in the population. The variety of people with our different wirings, which create our wonderful world. Within this term we can think of neurotypical (NT) brains, and Neurodivergent (ND) brains. The term Neurodivergent refers to many different neurological profiles, some I have listed here. These are brains that typically diverge from the typical developmental profile. Historically Neurodivergent individuals have been seen through the eyes of the medical model, where they are seen as disordered, different, and needing treatment and changing to ‘fit in’ and succeed. With growing awareness and spaces for Autistic and other Neurodivergent people to share their experiences we are becoming better informed about the significant short comings of the medical model’s lens. Ableism refers to a process where disabled people are discriminated against. This discrimination may be unconscious, but it is often steeped in historical social narratives around disabilities. In the context of a physical disability for example, this might be a building design that is not accessible to a wheelchair user. In the context of a Neurodivergent person, this might be a child being taken for another activity during story time, because they cannot sit still with their peers. It isn’t necessarily a conscious process, or people commenting ‘we’re all a bit autistic’. When bringing together an understanding of ableism, and the historical practice of viewing ND individuals as disordered we can come to understand why so often goals and expectations for these children become about being like their peers or being more neurotypical. Which I believe to be wrong for a few different reasons. Why is this important? Firstly, what we know is that there is a significant correlation between Neurodivergent profiles and poor mental health and quality of life. This is linked to a lack of understanding, the lack of correct support and a world that promotes them to ‘mask’ who they are to ‘fit in’. Secondly, when an individual is not ND, but just viewed as a bit different, they are not given an unrealistic set of expectations. For example, a child who is a bit ‘bouncy’, who may find sitting still tricky and is a bit fidgety might get a jovial approach from staff and jollied along, even allowed to move a bit when they seem to need too. If that child is diagnosed with ADHD, we might then find they have targets for sitting still, referrals for sensory assessments, consultations on how to support their ‘behaviour’. The narrative changes because our lens can still be stuck in the medical model, but both these children present similarly in setting. I wholeheartedly believe that we should accept all individuals for who they are and meet them where their strengths lie. In particular in the early years, this a key time for fostering resilience, confidence, and self-esteem. If the lens is wrong at this stage, the negative impacts can last for a very long time. What I believe we need to move to do, is flip the narrative. Taking what we once did, and shifting to a more accepting space, which creates a narrative that celebrates each ND individual. Flipping this narrative, particularly so early on in a child’s life can help them, and their families, build confidence. It starts the foundations for a life of nourishing relationships, meaningful activities, and happiness. With a team around a ND child who has brought their awareness to their practice and is making changes, the child can thrive. So, how do we go about it? First and foremost, get to grips with the language and concepts. Do some further reading around ableism, the neurodiversity paradigm and I’d recommend double empathy theory too. Once you know more, you will automatically become more aware of how you think and practice. There are some brilliant accounts on social media, free or low-cost webinars and a whole host of awesome books you can read. Finding disabled people who have written these things and share their experiences is key; we cannot know their life, we must seek to understand it. Once there is a level of awareness of neurodiversity and how you perceive it, you can start to make changes. Being aware of your own presumptions and attitudes towards ND students is a good place to start. Following that, beginning to shift the language you use, incorporating the preferred terminology into your spoken and written language, reducing ‘person first’ language (e.g., child with Autism, and saying Autistic child instead), looking at wording within your documentation, policies and enrolment forms. You can take a deeper look into the practices you use when working with ND children in your setting. Challenge yourself to consider why the goal is the goal, if they have an education, health, and care plan, what are the targets? Are they accepting of the individual, or trying to change them to be more neurotypical? Consider your interventions and how you deliver them, the things that you use if you have a ND child in the setting, there are a lot of ‘go-to’ strategies like visual schedules, timers, sensory diets, the Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS), social skills and bucket time to name a few. How are these being used, are they in line with being accepting of the ND child or are they being used to try to change them to fit our narrative of who they should be? It can seem overwhelming, stressful and if we are honest quite uncomfortable. What do you mean we shouldn’t be moving the hands of these children to make them communicate with their symbols? We shouldn’t be getting them to sit still to watch a parade of exciting toys? Sensory diets aren’t just for sensory diet time on the timetable? There are a lot of things that we just do, because that has been the way, and no one likes to feel they’ve been getting it wrong. There is a lot of passion out there about changing practice to be more neurodiversity accepting, and we need to be open to feeling vulnerable and uncomfortable. A piece of advice is to find people you feel safe to talk to about this. Where you can be vulnerable and feel supported, listened too and understood, not belittled or made to feel guilty. We are all learning, it is part of what makes us good at what we do. My favourite thing on this journey to remind myself is a Maya Angelou quote: Do the best you can, until you know better. Then, when you know better, do better.’ So be kind to yourselves, this reflection and development is not easy. Ultimately, if we can sit with our own sense of vulnerability while we learn, adapt and grow, the outcomes could be marvellous for the population of Neurodivergent children currently in early years settings, and those who will pass through the doors in the future. When we start to bring our awareness to our own ableism, our use of out-dated and discriminating practices, we can begin to make changes. In turn, we will better serve the population of Neurodivergent children that we see in early years settings. This will enable a better foundation, sense of self and resilience that can only be the best start for growing up. You can read more about Ruth's work on her website: https://www.ruthjonesslt.com/ And you can listen to Ruth chatting with Stephen about how we can start addressing ableism in our schools and the importance of connection over compliance in this podcast episode.

Introduction The notion of the spiritual dimension of humanity has developed for centuries, mostly linked with religion, faith or divine nature of an invisible higher being. It is only in more recent times that spirituality has been investigated outside religious contexts. For example, spirituality is considered as an innate ability of the human being, including young children, to show awareness and consciousness of the surrounding worlds through curiosity, wonder, a sense of compassion and love. We often hear children asking big questions about the meaning of life and puzzlement about the world: Who made the first person on earth? How does the world become the way it is now? Is God more powerful than the sun? Is Heaven bigger than the Earth? Do animals understand what we said? Why do we need to care about the environment? These questions reflect children’s daily observations and the cultural messages they encountered. These questions show children’s curiosity and thinking in relation to spirituality. The covid-19 pandemic has caused big challenges for children and family lives on a global scale. Connecting with family members and friends was a luxury for many in the context of staying at home and self-isolation restrictions. Children’s learning had to be monitored at home, to a greater extent, and that had never happened before in the most recent decades. All of this has urged us to rethink education and develop more holistic approaches to children’s learning considering the ultimate importance of mental health and wellbeing. Addressing children’s spiritual development arises as an urgent call in these challenging times. The importance of spiritual development for young children The early childhood pioneer Friedrich Froebel (1782-1852) advocated revolutionary visions such as the value of early childhood in its own right and the importance of holistic learning for young children. Froebel’s educational philosophy and kindergarten practice were linked to his religious thinking drawing on Christianity, but as recognised by contemporary scholars, Froebelian legacy has left a clear print on the importance of seeing the child in connection with the family, community, nature, divinity and the wider world. Froebel addressed the importance of engagement with nature in providing space and time for children to develop a sense of wonder, peaceful mind and connection with and care for living things and non-living things, which creates moments for them to pause and listen to the world around them. Froebel saw play as the highest phase of child development, as the self-active representation of the child’s life, and as the most spiritual activity of the child. Therefore, children’s spiritual development is not a new phenomenon in the context of early childhood heritage. However, somewhat narrowly defined spirituality focusing on the Euro-Western Christianity might have distanced early childhood educators with diverse backgrounds in relation to religious and secular experiences. On the other hand, within the Early Years Foundation Stage (2021) in England, there is no recognition of spiritual development as part of young children’s learning or guidance for educators to support and promote children’s spiritual growth. This might have led to a lack of confidence among the early childhood educators in discussing and supporting children’s spiritual development in their practice. Contemporary research recognises the complexity of defining spirituality and the transcending nature of spirituality beyond religious-secular binary boundaries. Spirituality is commonly acknowledged as the child’s ongoing pursuit for a sense of his/her place in the universe. This enables children’s capacity for developing more abstract conceptions of wonder and relational connections between self and others including key people, living and non-living things, and aspects that they have developed connections with. As addressed by researchers and scholars, spirituality is an important dimension of young children’s holistic development linking to autonomy, compassion, resilience, responsibility and wellbeing. Spiritual development encourages children’s deeper understanding of themselves and empathy for others and helps children gain appreciation of the wider impact their behaviour and actions have upon themselves, other people and the world itself. Not addressing spirituality in early childhood settings deprives children of a significant learning experience. Nurturing children’s spiritual development in early childhood context As mentioned earlier on, the complexity in defining spirituality combined with a lack of recognition and guidance in the Early Years Foundation Stage (2021) in the area of children’s spiritual development leaves early childhood educators faced with the challenge of how to implement spirituality as an important domain into practice. It is fortunate that the wealth of early childhood heritage, research and scholarly work can act as valuable resources for educators to draw on and develop their own reflective practice in nurturing young children’s spiritual development. Develop an open-mindedness towards spirituality It is important that early childhood educators develop open-mindedness towards spirituality and recognise that spirituality is not a closed entity purely focusing on children’s experience and appreciation of the divine being, the almighty God, but extends to something beyond religious beliefs. It might also be helpful for educators to develop their own vision of spirituality in support of children’s spiritual growth as part of holistic learning and wellbeing. For example, you might find yourself deeply resonating with a Froebelian perspective, seeing spirituality as a mechanism by connecting the child to the family, community, nature, divinity and the wider world; or you might feel more connected to viewing spirituality as the child’s developing sense of their place in the universe. Create an inclusive and safe learning environment Research evidence shows the importance for early childhood educators to create an inclusive, safe learning environment and provide sufficient time via the role of being sensitive and supportive listeners to enable children to speak, talk and express their feelings, wonderments, confusions and puzzlement about family, nature, faith, religion as well as the unknown aspects in their lives. This supports young children to develop confidence and resilience for deeper, wider and diverse ways of thinking and understanding of the world around them. Educators offer further support when children encounter challenges in understanding and exploring difficult aspects. For example, when children deal with the loss of family or community members, something small such as sharing discussion of the person’s life and his/her contribution to the community via photos or memorial objects from the family might create special moments for all children to develop compassion, sympathy, sense of celebration, pride and resilience. These moments would create spiritual space for the community to keep together in difficult times. Play, nature and spiritual development It is time for early childhood educators to be confident about the role of play and engagement with nature in supporting children’s spiritual development. It is important to address here that play and engagement with nature are interdependent in nurturing children’s spirituality due to children’s ways of being with nature via play experiences. Nature acts as a meaningful space and environment for children to play in and play with, whilst play is a unique experience to enable children’s inner contemplation and reflection via natural environments and outdoor spaces. By engaging with nature, children learn about biodiversity and ecology, they take responsibility for the local community environments, and they develop deeper understanding of who they are in relation to nature. In the 21st century, the ‘natural’ nature might be difficult to be present in early childhood settings, but even a small sized garden acts as a spiritual place where children themselves and adults can talk, play, imagine together, experience connections and develop relationships with the wider world. Work with families and community It is also important for early childhood educators to work alongside families and communities in supporting young children’s spiritual development. Community and culture are central to educators’ understanding of each child, as family and community cultural values affect children’s perspectives and experiences. Educators working closely with families and communities invites a shared understanding about children’s life experiences. For instance, educators celebrate cultural traditions including religious or non-religious rituals with children and families in early childhood settings or community spaces via special events and routine activities. In this way, educators can support children to explore, question and reflect in the pursuit of their place in the family, community and the world while remaining confident and respectful. The connection and continuity between home and setting is crucial in supporting children’s spiritual development, as in other areas of development and learning. Conclusion There is a need to demystify young children’s spiritual development in the 21st century. Spirituality is addressed as an important aspect of young children’s holistic learning linking to autonomy, compassion, resilience, responsibility and wellbeing. Spiritual development encourages children’s deeper understanding of themselves and others and helps children gain an appreciation of their place in the wider world. The lack of recognition of spiritual development as part of children’s learning alongside the lack of guidance for early childhood educators to support children’s spiritual growth in the Early Years Foundation Stage (2021) in England is a stark contrast to the significance of spirituality for young children. It is strongly hoped that this article provides space for open dialogues among early childhood educators to enable deeper thinking and understanding of their crucial role in nurturing young children’s spiritual development.

Teaching children to read is no easy thing, there’s such a lot to it! They’ve got to be able to remember the letter shapes, match the letter shapes to the corresponding spoken sounds, then blend them together to read whole words. At the same time, children as young as four need to understand that words are read from left to right, that some words can’t be blended, and try to make sense of what these words mean. Phew! It’s so easy to forget how hard learning to read is. How frustrating, overwhelming, and difficult it can feel, doing all of these at the same time. So, how can we make this process easier for children starting out with so much to learn? How can we reduce the feelings of frustration, overwhelm and general feeling of learning to read being ‘too hard? Much has been said during the last twenty years about the role of Phonics in supporting this process. Both the DfE in the Reading Framework (2021), and Ofsted’s current inspection framework, focus heavily on the implementation of systematic synthetic phonics programmes as being the answer. Foundations in Phonics But here’s the thing. Starting Phonics in school is the end of a long developmental journey, not the beginning. For children to be able to embark on this critical process of recognising the letters on the page, matching the letters to the spoken sounds and blending, there are fundamental building blocks which impact significantly on success. After all, if we decide to run a marathon, we don’t set out one day and run twenty-six miles! We would build up to running the distance. We’d master diet, mindset, and health. We would need to start by walking, then jogging small distances, building confidence and stamina. Maybe we’d watch, listen to, and read about other successful runners. Preparing children for the end goal of reading is the same! Our task is to prepare preschoolers and nursery children exceptionally well. To put the hours in, to train them step-by step from the beginning. We need to know where they’re starting from, with high expectations of the end goal, building confidence at each stage of the pre-reading journey. A deep mastery of what comes before Phonics is critical for our children to become capable, confident readers. Letters and Sounds Phase 1 For years, EYFS practitioners have been using Letters and Sounds Phase 1 with some success. This series of games and activities provided a broad prephonic EYFS curriculum, but there were some fundamental flaws. There was no clear progression, no developmental order, or even a way of assessing to build on what the children could already do. These Phase 1 Phonics games did support prephonic development, but the approach was haphazard, with outcomes achieved more slowly and randomly as a result. Remember, preparing children to read is like training for a marathon. Success is achieved through consistency, repetition, and a step-by-step approach. Much of the success achieved by Phonics schemes used in schools is that they are systematic, chunking down learning through a clear and coherent progression. Progression in Prephonic skills Simply put, before we can expect children to recognise, say and remember letter-sound correspondences and blend these together, they need to be able to look closely, remembering what they see, hear and say. Children also need to be able to make sounds, matching them with objects, people, or patterns. If you’ve ever encountered a child struggling with Phonics, it’s likely that there are some developmental gaps in these areas to explore. Opening their eyes, switching on their brains Spotting the similarities and differences in letter shapes is a key part of prephonic development. We all know children who seem to consistently get muddled between the letters b and d, or struggle to differentiate between the letter s and number 5. This undervalued skill, known as visual discrimination, begins when children are very young, through toys like shape sorters, stacking cups and simple shape-based puzzles. This links with visual memory, a critical prephonic skill which helps us to remember visual similarities and differences. What’s the point in being able to distinguish the difference and similarities between m and n, only to forget these later? Training preschool brains to distinguish and remember visual content is central to our role as practitioners, especially in a world where technology does a lot of the remembering for us. Great ideas to develop Visual Discrimination and Visual memory · Pairs and snap games · Jigsaw puzzles · Loose parts collections · Observational drawing and painting · Spot the difference or ‘look and find’ books Tuning in ears with the brain Phonics is a sounds-based system, so hearing the differences and similarities between spoken sounds is vital. This is especially challenging as sounds like f and th can be difficult to distinguish between. This process is known as auditory discrimination and begins in everyday situations. Children develop auditory discrimination by spotting the difference between the ring tones matched to family members, or by experimenting with sounds as a spoon is ‘bashed’ on different surfaces! Matching sounds to objects and people is an essential prephonic step to master before the introduction of abstract letters. If little ears aren’t well tuned in at an everyday level, matching the letters with their spoken sounds is going to be much harder. Children need to have had hours of exploring how to make and change sounds with their voices, bodies and with objects or instruments, copying more complex sound patterns as experience and vocabulary grow. Auditory Memory The most challenging aspect of learning Phonics is auditory memory and it’s a major element of successfully learning to blend sounds later. You’ll recognise this in children who begin by reading each of the separate sounds in a word like c-a-t, but then struggle to remember them to blend. You might hear these children say, “ca”, or “at”, or “ta”, or make up their own word entirely. The heart of this difficulty lies in auditory memory. For children who struggle to remember songs from memory, copy a complex clapping pattern or follow a two-part instruction, remembering a string of abstract letters in the right order is going to be way too difficult. Great ideas to develop Auditory Discrimination and Auditory Memory · Sing songs everyday without You Tube, too much visual stimulation reduces the auditory memory process. · Read the same stories and rhymes repeatedly; this builds strong neural pathways in the brain in the area which associates processing with storing what children hear. · Organise your stories and songs into a progression, starting with easy rhymes like Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, building to complex songs like One Man Went to Mow. Think less about topics and themes, and more about where children are along the prephonic progression. · Play games like Simon Says, I Went To The Shops and I Bought… or whispering 'pass it on' word games to help the children hear, store and repeat what they’ve just heard. Warming up their mouths! Children are saying spoken sounds constantly as they learn to talk. This begins when babies babble, coo and blow raspberries, later becoming abstract in nature like “oo”, “s” and “ch”. From babbling onwards, children are developing strength and control in their mouth muscles to form the spoken sounds they’ll need to articulate whole words. To develop super strong mouths and to control the speed of air that leaves the mouth we need to give our preschoolers the equivalent of a gym workout for the mouth! Making noises in stories, blowing bubbles, pulling faces, and singing songs help develop the physical control they’ll need to say letter-sound correspondences correctly. Ongoing challenges It’s very easy to feel pressured, to rush to the end goal of recognising letters and sounds during the nursery or preschool year. We can be forgiven for thinking that getting the children to recognise these earlier and earlier propels children into reading more speedily. From the outside this looks like our children are ahead of the game, and it’s common for families to expect this too. However, rushing ahead like this creates a very serious situation which becomes apparent later. When these foundational elements of phonics aren’t mastered at a deep level in Nursery and Preschool, Phonics can become harder than it needs to be for many children. Prephonics is so much more important than simply reading a range of lovely stories and singing a few favourite songs. The concepts underpinning converting our spoken language system to print are complex, requiring a consistent, systematic and fun approach. To prepare our children well for Phonics we need to know that their ears, eyes, mouths, and brains are in peek condition! Like running a marathon, they need to have the core elements in place to be primed for success. Useful Resources Prephonic Progression FREE ebook for Nursery and Preschool Become a master in Prephonics to prepare you preschoolers to be Ready for Reading https://learninglady.co.uk/ready-for-reading-training/ Super Sounds- a Nursery and Preschool Prephonic programme to use before ANY Phonics Programme https://learninglady.co.uk/phase-1-phonics

What is STEM and why is it important? STEM is a neat little acronym for Science Technology Engineering & Maths. One idea behind grouping these broad disciplines into something memorable, is to draw attention to an emerging policy choice within schools, focused on increasing educational interest within STEM. By stimulating interest in STEM early on, we can begin to motivate more young people to study STEM at an advanced level and to enter STEM related industries. This is particularly important for Black individuals who at university for example, only represent 6.2% of students enrolled onto STEM related subjects*. Why is it important to spark this passion for STEM when children are very young? STEM subjects create the inventors, leaders and innovators of tomorrow. So we feel it’s important to spark the interest for these subjects early on. It’s also the highest paying industry. A study by the World Economic Forum done in 2021 showed the top 25 university subjects by demand and pay are all STEM related subjects. The demand for STEM skills in jobs is very high. Our society is forever evolving rapidly, for example, climate change and technology. STEM subjects will give children the skills, such as critical thinking and problem solving, to deal with these challenges once they leave education. We believe introducing STEM early on can help to foster a life-long love of learning and help them perform better in school. STEM in early childhood The idea of introducing STEM to children in the early years is to begin the process of creating scholarly minds. Little children who ask questions, seek out answers, solve problems and become innovators who go onto contribute to the human story. The sooner we get our little ones to see that our world is filled with shapes, materials, forces and numbers, is the start of something special in the form of inquisitive minds. Learning STEM enhances the below core skills for young children: · Critical thinking and problem solving skills - encouraging children to ask questions and seek out answers. Problem solving is a critical skill in the early years · Collaborative learning - as STEM subjects often encourage children to work together · Enhances a child’s memory through experimental learning · Improves communication skills - learn new vocabulary · Exposes children to real world challenges and experiences For example, a child taking part in a simple sink or float experiment may just look like they’re playing in water but they’re carefully considering whether the item will sink or float, making predictions and then analysing the item's features which could have caused it to sink or float. How early years educators can nurture STEM in their teaching and learning with very young children Encouragement and exposure to broad experiences is a good place to start. Try to nourish as best as you can the little sparks of interests you may see early on in the children in your setting. Introduce new ideas continually, invest in wide-ranging books and learning resources that stimulate an interest for STEM. From early on, some simple but effective things you can do include: · Questions - ask ‘why,’ ‘what’ and ‘how’ as a way of getting children to explain their thinking · Language - use words which link to STEM related topics like: balance, hard, soft, hot, cold, push, pull, high, low · Exploration - encourage exploratory play, by introducing messy play with different textures and liquids of varying consistency · Imagination - create experiments which include role-playing, scenarios and task specific activities · Explanation - explain how simple objects and tools around the setting work What families can do to encourage interests in STEM for their young children Introducing STEM at home doesn’t have to be expensive. We created a pack of STEM activity cards where parents can create STEM activities and experiments using simple items from around the home or items from the supermarket. Simple science experiments using baking soda, vinegar and food colouring are always a hit with young children. Make it fun. If you're able to, activities like cooking help to develop early maths skills for example. The list below shows how you can incorporate learning maths when cooking/ baking at home: 1️) Counting - simple things like counting the right number of ingredients needed when baking can help improve maths skills 2️) Ratios - making pancakes is a fun way to practice ratios, by using the 3:2:1 ratio (300ml milk, 2 eggs, 100g flour) 3️) Geometry - children can explore the properties and names of different shapes and match the identical shapes through baking biscuits 4️) Fractions - making pizza is a fun way for children to learn fractions, they can divide the dough into different fractions How creativity plays a part in STEM STEM can also help to boost a child’s creativity; we usually associate creativity with art. However, learning STEM can help to spark a child’s creativity. When doing a STEM related activity children have to be creative when they come up with their solutions to problems. For example, creating a bridge using toothpicks and blu tac in our STEM activity cards. It’s an engineering challenge. But children also have to be creative with what their bridge looks like. Or creating a boat that floats, they have to be creative with the materials that they use. You may even hear some people refer to STEM as STEAM, where A for Art has been included. An example of STEM in the real world If you think about the many technological advances humankind has achieved over the centuries, you should be able to appreciate the importance of STEM in our everyday lives. The aeroplane for example is Denhue’s favourite technological advancement. It has transformed our ability to be connected globally. The thirst for flight has been achieved by combining maths and science, and by applying engineering skills to find technological solutions. Continuing with the theme of flying, we want to introduce you to Dr Mae C. Jemison, an American engineer, doctor, and former NASA astronaut. She became the first Black woman to travel into space when she served as a mission specialist aboard the Space Shuttle Endeavour in 1992. Mae’s story is one of high achievement and adventure. Mae’s introduction to STEM came from her uncle, who encouraged her interests for science, anthropology and astronomy. As parents and caregivers, the impact of your encouragement and feeding a child's curiosity can pay off massively, as we’ve just seen in the example of Mae. *Stat according to the Black British Professionals in STEM Denhue and Natalie have recently launched a STEM range, which includes a pack of 32 STEM activity cards using everyday items from around the house or items from the supermarket, great for both parents and early years educators, a STEM inventors journal: a little book of ideas to show children how new inventions are created and their latest book STEM inventors: Black inventors and innovators who changed the world. Visit www.littlescholarsplayground.com for more information. You can also listen to Natalie and Denhue discussing STEM in the early years in this episode of the FSF and Tapestry podcast.

It was normal for children to walk to school until quite recently. It is certainly what happened when I was at primary school in the 1970s. Owning a car was not the norm in the part of Yorkshire where I grew up. The school run wasn’t a thing, just running to school. In some of the more affluent parts of the country things were different - the school run was becoming a thing. Over time, driving to school became commonplace. By the time my daughter went to school in the 2000s, cars jammed the local streets. At both ends of the school day car doors were flung open for children to fly in and out. For the last few years many councils in the UK have been taking measures to get children to walk to school again. The grave effects of traffic on air quality and the health and safety of children are generally accepted as unsustainable. It seems that we need to go full circle and revert to how things used to be. School Streets is a council programme aimed at transforming the roads outside schools. Italy was the first to introduce school street schemes in 1989. Scotland was the first in the UK in 2015. Camden and Hackney were the first in London in 2017. Why School Streets? According to the School Streets website, school related traffic accounts for a quarter of cars on the road. This leads to an increase in collisions, road rage, illegal parking and traffic jams. In 2018 the Department of Transport reported that 14% of child fatalities on the UK’s roads happened between 7am and 9am and 3pm and 5pm. Traffic collisions fall by 43% during the school holidays at those times. The negative impact of the school run is in little doubt. The catalyst of the School Streets initiative is clear. The basic premise of a School Street. The streets around the school become a Pedestrian and Cycle Zone at set times before and after the school day. Vehicles cannot to enter this zone during these times, unless they have an exemption. After a trial period, usually of six to nine months, schools can become a permanent School Street. The Pioneers of School Streets. Hackney council in London has pioneered the School Streets initiative since 2017. Councillor Mete Coban MBE is the Cabinet member for Energy, Waste, Transport and Public Realm. He reports, “The benefits of school streets are clear - with big increases in walking and cycling to school and reduction in emissions outside schools. The latest six School Streets are part of our plans to rebuild a greener Hackney in the aftermath of the pandemic.” Mete continues, “As with all our plans to rebuild a greener Hackney, these School Streets are being implemented as trials, with residents able to have their say online and in writing once they’re implemented.” School Streets in action in Hackney. William Patten Primary School has had a School Street since January 2020. Karen Law, the Headteacher, explains how it benefits the school community. “Before we had the School Street in place, the Leadership team used to stand outside the school at both ends of the day to check it was safe. We were especially concerned about older children who walked to school alone. Quite often we’d have to stand in the middle of the road to stop traffic. We were even offered marshalling training by the council.” The school has two entrances – one on a busy road and one on a cul-de-sac. They are both School Streets. Karen describes some of the teething problems. “Though the cul-de-sac is small, van drivers and taxis were entering it to turn round during the prohibited times. We spoke to the council and they installed cameras, so that car users would incur fines. We’ve not had any problems since.” The parents at William Patten are great supporters of the initiative, with only very few unhappy that they couldn’t drive to school. “A group of parents got together and applied for the scheme to be extended to some of the side streets. They got it! This is really positive as it means that parking near school is much more difficult. Parents use alternative modes of transport such as cycling or walking.” Karen considers the scheme a great success and urges all schools to apply. “The environment just outside the school is safer, quieter and cleaner. I’d say that 99% of the children now walk, cycle or scoot to school. Those few parents who were initially reluctant to give up driving found other ways of getting here. It makes arriving at school and going home a much more pleasant prospect.” London Fields Primary School also has permanent status as a school street. Parents welcome this vociferously. One parent comments, “It has made the most enormous difference coming to school in the morning and afternoon. Before the programme started there was a huge amount of traffic. There was also the hazard of trying to cross the road – they’re busy junctions.” Another parent echoes this, “The school’s just so much better. The best thing about the School Streets programme is the dramatic decrease in polluting traffic outside the school gates. I find it’s a lot safer too. I can have my little two year old walking beside me along the road. We can have conversations that we couldn’t have before because of the traffic noise.” Hackney Council has launched a guide to support councils across the country. The Hackney School Streets Toolkit goes step-by-step through the process. Further support for School streets. Kay Rowe Nursery School in the London Borough of Newham has welcomed having a school street since May 2021. Sarah Porter, the Headteacher, says, “There were lots of delays due to Covid – it kept getting pushed back. Newham was very supportive though, and keen to get it done.” Sarah explains how the school did a lot of preparatory work with families. “Most were really encouraging, but there were a few parents who weren’t very happy. They complained about getting fines or having to walk from where they had parked.” In terms of the local residents, no complaints were made to the school, but the council did receive some. Sarah continues, “We have an undertaker at the end of the road and a doctor’s surgery - neither were keen, so this was a bit difficult. Some residents also complained about deliveries.” On the whole, the staff are in favour of School Streets. In some cases, exemptions have been granted. “We asked for exemptions for two members of staff who needed it. However, there is a loophole. If members of staff had bought themselves a business parking permit they could then apply for an exemption. This has been a bit tricky as they shouldn’t get a business permit for driving to and from school.” Kay Rowe would like to make more of their reclaimed street. Having planters or a pocket park by the zig-zag lines would be a start, but lack of funding is currently a problem. Sarah deems the scheme a success for Kay Rowe. “This year most parents have taken it in their stride to come to school on foot or by scooter – we have never had so many scooters parked at school!” However, Sarah has one concern. “There’s still a number of cars driving up and down. Local residents’ permissions, including those on neighbouring streets, make this possible. This is an issue I need to go back to Newham with.” An unconvinced voice The majority of parents and school leaders I spoke with praised the School Streets initiative and considered it a success. As might be expected, this was not unanimous. Jali, a parent from one of the primary schools in Waltham Forest, is a supporter. She agrees that the school drop off and pick up is now a very different experience. “Walking to school and crossing the roads is easier. There are fewer cars idling near the school gates which I guess has probably improved air quality”. Having said that, Jali does not think that the scheme is an unalloyed success. “There are still loads of parents driving to school. Now they just park on different roads. If the aim of the programme is to get those who drive to school to walk instead, I’d say it has failed.” Finally… We need to reduce traffic emissions. We need to make streets safer for children. We need to reclaim the street from traffic. The School Streets initiative is taking this on board and clearly making a difference. Of course, there is further work to be done and loopholes to be tackled, as with any new programme. It is not possible to revert to how things were in a small Yorkshire town in the 1970s, but we can do something. The School Streets programme demonstrates this. Further Information: School Streets - all the info you need

Early Years Practitioner and Tiney home nursery leader, Alicia Wilkins, shares her experience of looking for a school for her son, with advice for families and reminding early years educators of all the emotions that parents/carers feel. Motherhood is certainly teaching me all about the rapid speed of a child’s growth and development. My son was born in 2018, and in the blink of an eye, he is now 4 years old and attending school full time. I had heard it all before: they really do grow fast… …and here I am, a parent waking up extra early, navigating the morning routine as calm as a pro, but frantic on the inside, worrying if my son has eaten enough breakfast, will he engage with his peers, is his hair braided too tightly, and will we make it to the door without him needing the toilet (which will set us back those valuable extra minutes if we’re running behind schedule)! So far so good, but I did not think I would be handling this transition as well as I am. I was that parent who cried in the school playground on my child's first day at school as he kissed me goodbye. My son confidently half galloped/skipped into his new classroom to be the first child on the carpet, enthusiastically waiting for his new classmates to join him. I lingered at the window hoping that he was happy and that we had made the right choice to send him to this school. I clung on to every second, until it was time to leave the playground, and then buried my face into my partner’s chest, my mind full of flashbacks of my son’s toddler years. That was one of the longest 3 hours of my life! It was only a short day for the ‘settling in’ period, but I wasn't prepared for how it would feel to have a silent house, knowing that this was the start of an actual full time education routine. Beginning the process Initially, I was overwhelmed with the thought of “starting over” and choosing a school for my son, because he was happy at his day-care. I felt as though I would be ripping him away from his loving, caring, happy place, where he was nurtured and all of his learning and developmental needs were fully met. I had doubts that any school could match his nursery education experience and I was nervous about the four months I had left to decide between three potential schools. I was in denial and procrastinating on making the big decisions. But I needed to research schools and begin the application process before the final decision date in January. The school selection was a difficult process to initiate because I still felt relatively new to the area and did not know where to begin, other than research schools I had seen locally on my way to my son's day-care. I had heard great things about the school next to the day-care and had noticed how well resourced the school looked and the celebration of the children's work displayed at the windows. That was an easy choice to consider but I still didn't feel that it was enough to tick the box, because I had fundamental criteria to fulfil… Thinking about what was important to us as a family My starting point was thinking about my child's needs, our expectations as a family and finding out what the school's ethos and values were. We decided to not send our child to a private school, and although highly considered, home-schooling was no longer an option. A local school within 20 minutes walking distance with easy access by transport if needed, was what suited us. Having spoken to local parents, we knew we were fortunate to have Ofsted rated ‘good’ and ‘outstanding’ schools within the area. I have an insight into school ratings because of my experience as a teacher. In my opinion an OFSTED rated ‘good’ school can be a great choice, or a possible better choice, than an ‘outstanding’ school. Whilst choosing schools for my son, I wasn't likely to be persuaded by the ratings to only choose ‘outstanding’ schools. I have worked in various ‘outstanding’ schools that did not have what I would consider to be fundamental aspects that valued and considered the differences of the children, staff and visitors to the school. For example, doors, classrooms and toilets not accessible for wheelchair users, a lack of representation/celebration of various cultures displayed in the corridors and an absence of books written by Black or Brown authors, or any books that featured Black people. I understand that there are criteria to fulfil for an OFSTED rating, but in my opinion the observations that I've outlined should be considered important in all schools, not to simply tick boxes but because the school cares and aims to demonstrate a true reflection of the wide, culturally diverse community where all abilities are valued. What would we be teaching our son about our society, by choosing a school that segregates the children's abilities and cultures? I often think about the child that I once had the privilege to tutor. A bright, enthusiastic, talented child who couldn't access her ‘outstanding’ school's main entrance with her peers because the ramp was too narrow and the double doors were always locked, not providing space for her wheelchair to fit through. She was unable to access certain lessons in classrooms which were based on the above level floors that did not have access via a lift. She could not even gain safe access to the toilets because the accessible toilet was used as a storeroom. Her school experience had a negative psychological impact - as a result of this poor treatment she didn't feel valued and was made to feel different and separated from her peers. I would advise parents/carers to choose a welcoming school that is child-centred, inclusive and values the children and staff. ‘Whistles and bells’ as they say, can be a distraction, and we can be distracted by the new resources, technology and what's currently trending in education, but we have to go beyond what a school is presenting and ask the questions and look for aspects that will be conducive to the child's needs. We can gain further insight by talking to parents/carers of children who already attend a school, and if not in person, there are many local online forums to communicate with parents/carers and learn more about the school. If possible, attend a tour of the school or attend the welcome presentation that most schools hold during the deciding months. The selection process for our son was during a time when access was limited due to the pandemic, therefore I attended a Zoom meeting for one school, a private one to one tour of another school, and a limited capacity meeting in the school hall at another. Perhaps the Zoom meeting altered my feeling about the school that was initially the first choice because I didn't get the true feeling that I wanted. I wanted to see the environment and observe the children, the resources, and as mentioned before, go beyond what was presented to me. Through my personal observation, I noticed that the staff and children at the school that we have chosen looked happy and relaxed. Everyone was polite and genuinely welcoming. It was a warm feeling to be there. The school held a presentation in the hall - a collaborative introduction presentation that involved two Year 5 children. They shared their own experience with confidence and were open to questions about the school, revealing through ‘the child's eyes’ what it's like to attend this school. We chose this school, because during the introduction presentation, I could see through the gap in the curtain that separated the hall and the surrounding classrooms, happy children engaging with their teachers and peers, with a freedom that all children should have. They truly looked as if they wanted to be at school and the staff looked as if they enjoyed their place of work. Of course, the school met our fundamental criteria and the values and ethos are what we expected. And so the journey of school begins… Fast forward to the summer term, our son had been accepted, and we were invited to attend the school's summer fair and jumble sale. We were blown away by the community feel, and the woodland area was even better in real life than in the photos on the school’s website. Perfect for our little boy who enjoys being in nature. Our son absolutely loves his school. He fell in love with his teacher and early years practitioner from the day they came to visit us in our home as part of the introduction to the new school transition. He is free to be himself and I believe that the school is inclusive and values the children from various backgrounds, cultures and faiths. It's important to choose a school that nurtures the free thinking of children and the freedom that they naturally possess. A school should be a welcoming and embracing place to attend away from home. I now can enjoy the silence at home with a peace of mind that my son is in a safe, caring environment and continuing his excellent start in early years education.

Pen Green Centre for Children and Families is at the heart of community life in Corby. Under threat of closure earlier this year, extensive public outcry resulted in the council making a last-minute decision to keep it open. Pen Green is central to improving the aspirations and quality of life for many in this former Northamptonshire steel town. Tess McQuade is just one of many locals whose life has been transformed by Pen Green. She testifies, “Without Pen Green I would not be where I am today. I can honestly say that the wonderful advocates who work at Pen Green gave me strength and support when I needed it most.” Tess turned up at Pen Green aged 17 with twins born 11 weeks prematurely. The support she was given not only enabled her to deal with an abusive relationship but return to her studies. Tess is now the headteacher of a local primary school. Pen Green changes lives. The ethos and approach of Pen Green The philosophy at the heart of Pen Green’s work is that each of us has a unique potential. Their work is based on the premise that all individuals are able to succeed in their own particular way. This empowers everyone to feel they have a valuable place in society, irrespective of any mitigating circumstances. How does this translate into practice? Integrated care at Pen Green Corby is an area facing considerable economic and social challenges. These include child poverty, poor health, limited adult skills and high levels of unemployment. The pandemic has exacerbated these making Pen Green’s work even more critical. Tracy Gallagher, Joint Head of Pen Green, comments, “The breadth of expertise on our team of 120 staff enables us to provide both universal and targeted services for families. This is especially important for those living in vulnerable circumstances.” Tracy continues, “We have a multi-disciplinary team. This includes teachers, early years educators, social workers, group workers and others from related disciplines.” The Centre is open from 8 am to 6pm for 48 weeks of the year. The families also have the option of wrap around care before, between and after the two daily sessions. Tracy explains, “Demand for flexible opening is high. We always try to work with the needs of the families and support them as best we can. We want our services to be even more responsive in the coming year as we support our community through these more challenging times.” As well as nursery provision, the centre offers additional spaces for the early years. These include: ● The Nest: a space offering education and care for children 0-3 years ● The Couthie: another 0-3 years space ● The Nook: a creche provision used by parents taking part in groups or accessing services at Pen Green ● The Kingswood Community Nursery: an off-site satellite provision. It is specifically for children who are eligible for 2 year funding Partnership with parents Partnership with parents is essential to the whole enterprise. Angela Prodger, the Joint Head, says, “Parents have a key role as their child’s first educators, so we work closely with them to build on their knowledge of their child’s interests. This helps us to offer the children a rich learning experience.” She continues, “We make strong links with each family through our home visits. By doing this we can improve our understanding of the child and support them accordingly.” Angela explains, too, how integral the parents are to the running of the centre. “The parents are involved in making decisions about the day to day matters as well as the more extensive developments. This has been the case since we opened in 1983. When recruiting, parents are involved in short-listing and interviewing. They are also represented on the governing body and give lots of feedback and evaluation of our services. We rely on this for our ongoing progress.” Family Support Every child has a Family Support Worker who advocates for them. They try to make sure that each child’s emotional and developmental needs are consistently met. The family workers keep records of children’s achievements and monitor their progress against the Early Years Foundation Stage framework. The Family Support Team offer a wide range of services to families. These include: ● 1:1 work with the families, including working in the family home ● Universal groups such as Messy Play and Baby Massage ● Targeted groups for specific needs, including Domestic Violence support, Music therapy and support groups for young parents ● Workshops such as employment skills, photography, arts and crafts, healthy eating ● Health services including a Health Visitor clinic, peri-natal team visits and a premature babies group Elaine Young is one of the family support workers. She explains, “We work in close collaboration with colleagues across the Centre and external partners to offer responsive and timely support to children and families.” Adult and community education, training and development Pen Green offers a comprehensive programme of courses for the local community and Early Years practitioners. Adult community education courses and groups include: · Functional skills, Maths, English and ESOL · Parental involvement in their children’s learning · Parent support · Parent discussion groups · Family learning programmes · HomeStart training · New start Volunteer courses · Group work training Professional qualifications range from NFCE CACHE Level 1 to PhD. Details of these can be found here. Voices from the community “I have used Pen Green with all my children. It’s provided fun, support, routine, advice and laughter. I always recommend it to new mums as a helping hand. Going to Pen Green can make some of the hardest days as a mother into some of the best ones.” “I first visited the centre for a breast-feeding support group and since then my three daughters have all been to Pen Green. We’ve used many groups as a family, and I have also accessed some of the groups for parents whilst my daughters used The Nook. I am now a volunteer co-leader in some of the SEND groups and sit on the Governing Body." “Pen Green is a safe place of no judgement. A place for sound advice and support, to nurture parents and their children equally. It has been a great support for us as a family, providing support groups during pregnancy, breastfeeding and postnatal groups. The drop-in sessions are great and the crèche is currently supporting me to help with my youngest's separation anxiety due to the lockdowns we've had to endure.” “My son is 6 now. When he was around 6 months old I attended a mums’ and tots’ group at Pen Green, I was suffering with PND at the time and it was a big step for me. I had tried to attend many times and didn’t feel strong enough. I remember feeling very anxious on the day, but I was met with warmth by the staff and the other parents.” “Pen Green has been a lifeline of guidance and support for me from pregnancy to nursery school. Me and my husband attended parenting classes at the Centre which was so helpful to us and many other families. We also did baby massage and messy play which enabled my daughter to meet other babies and was great for her development. These services are so important to our community and help so many families.” “Pen Green has done so much for my family right from when I was a little girl to now as a mum myself. They have done amazing things for my little boy who started nursery delayed in his development. He is now thriving and almost ready for school. It is such an amazing environment to be surrounded by. When I've needed guidance and support the staff have been there. They don't just check on my son, but they also check up on me as a parent. If ever I’ve needed anything they are the first to pull together to help me. We get so much care and love; the centre really is like one big family.” Pen Green Centre for Children and Families is a fine example of Asset Based Community Development. They recognise that every community has strengths as well as needs. The primary intention of their work is about building on these strengths, not focussing on the deficits. This is invaluable to the community of Corby. The testimonies speak for themselves: Pen Green is a life-changing community hub.

Race and racism is a reality that so many of us grow up learning to just deal with. But if we ever hope to move past it, it can't just be on people of colour to deal with it. It's up to all of us - Black, white, everyone- no matter how well-meaning we think we might be, to do the honest, uncomfortable work of rooting it out. Michelle Obama It’s coming up to October, the month to celebrate and focus our attention on the contributions of Black people around the world. An opportunity to shine a spotlight on the outstanding people within our community, that make us proud to be British. We celebrate ‘Black History Month’ and the various cultures, traditions and practices derived from the rich history that dates back thousands of years. October, the month where stories are retold and awakened, captivating audiences of all ages. The UK swells with pride with the promotion of black culture and we see this everywhere, from the adverts and scheduled programmes on the television, art and museum exhibitions, theatre performances, documentaries, books, films, music and more. This is the month for education settings to squeeze into the calendar, the annual Caribbean storyteller, African drumming troupe, Afro Dance & Drama workshop, steel pan band (for the carnival party at the end of the month) and a theatre trip to watch a show featuring Black artists. Just one month. This is the month (or 3 weeks and 1 day, due to the Autumn half term starting on 25th October) to dust off “THE Topic box” and explore the exciting objects that should have been left way in the 90’s. I say this because I have witnessed first-hand on many occasions how these boxes are reused within a setting, despite the contents inside of the box being outdated, stereotypical and racist. As a Black woman working within a setting or institution, who is already the minority within the setting, to then encounter resources that do not include Black people, has been quite disappointing to say the least. It is abhorrent to me, that these topic boxes even exist and that my culture and worthy existence as part of a community has been reduced into a 7 litre plastic storage container box as part of ‘Black History Month’, which then gets shoved to the back of the cupboard at the end of October, until next year. Unless it makes its unwelcomed yet strategic reappearance as part of the brief lesson plan about Kwanzaa, during the Christmas season, or literally relabelled as “The Africa box” when learning about...Africa. It's disrespectful to use this box and its contents for display purposes because it lacks creativity and context. Its sole purpose is for the contents to be on display either on a table or on the wall to become part of the “tick box” of inclusion for settings to look good/welcoming. However, in my experience, it made me feel even more isolated and silenced. I did not see my culture represented with respect, and sometimes I did wonder if I was placed in the setting as part of the “tick the box” to gain credibility for the setting. Was it a coincidence that I often only felt valued at this time of the year, more so than any other time where my ideas, enthusiasm, opinions and existence were at times overlooked? I've worked in education for over 13 years, teaching and supporting children in various settings from the Foundation Stage, up to secondary school level, in SEN and mainstream. I have been inspired by amazing teaching practices and the ethos of many settings, but I have also been disappointed and even discouraged at times, by what has been presented and is available to those working and studying within the learning space. I have many friends who work in education, and we stand together from different cultures, races and backgrounds who believe that more needs to be done for settings to uphold anti-racist policies to support and protect Black staff and children. I am aware that there are education settings that should be applauded for how diverse and inclusive their curriculum and environment is. Unfortunately, these incredible settings remain outnumbered by those that are not inclusive yet can be highly acclaimed and given Ofsted ratings of “good” or “outstanding”. It is no wonder the Topic Box was considered to be acceptable. But it does not elevate or celebrate Black children, who already have topics, historical events and important leaders who represent them erased from the curriculum. Do you remember in 2013, the controversy about the possibility of the study of Mary Seacole and Olaudah Equiano becoming erased from the curriculum? There is stereotypical and racist practice in settings that has become the norm and is widely accepted. However, it is unacceptable that in 2021 Black children recognise that they aren't as valued as their white peers. The environment and certain attitudes towards them reflect this bias. More needs to be done to ensure that educators stand up for what is right and take responsibility for suggesting ways to become more inclusive and celebrate diversity through the resources they offer to encourage children’s learning and development. It is not my role as a Black woman in an education setting, or any Black person or person of colour in a setting, to be what is classified as the inclusion resource, and to be the designated Black person to suggest activities and resources for this month. It demonstrates a lack of interest to want to learn about Black history, culture and traditions if I am the one-stop-shop for ideas, themes and resources. When I am working as part of a team, it isn’t solely my responsibility – as mentioned before, we can and must all speak up to ensure that there are antiracist policies which require resources and activities to be diverse, representative, unbiased, engaging, and not based on stereotypes. Black History Month is an integral celebration in October, but Black history and culture should also be acknowledged throughout the year. The activities that I mentioned at the beginning of this article should absolutely be included as part of the children's learning experience and I feel that these exciting, engaging activities would be beneficial to explore throughout the year. This would be the perfect opportunity for educators to create a context around what's taking place, for the child to understand and ask questions about something that is new to them. It's not about simply placing the stereotypical items onto a beautiful Kente cloth draped table, with a few baskets, a Black doll and books neatly arranged on the table. It's not relatable and there is limited learning taking place in a corner that's uninspiring. The topic box needs to be replaced with real life experiences, with resources that are tangible and will awaken children's ideas and creativity. Community involvement is key for all children to become inspired and engaged in learning. To step away from the stereotype of children only seeing successful Black people in the sporting, Arts and entertainment industries, but that Black people can also be successful in other industries such as in medicine, engineering, education and business. The Black history display table and display wall aren't there to look aesthetically pleasing. It is there to serve a purpose, to educate and inspire to coincide with the real-life experiences of exciting activities that have depth and context during the month of October and beyond. Can we please move away from the topic boxes that contain “African mud hut” sculptures and wild animals? There are other continents, countries and cultures of people around the world to explore - not just Africa. There is so much emphasis on Africa, that children assume Africa is the only place in the world that has wild animals roaming around! Let's show the many faces of African children and learn about the African countries that the children within the setting may come from. Make space for them to talk about their backgrounds and facilitate and encourage the conversation amongst their peers and as part of the group. If they speak a different language, why not celebrate this and allow them to become the educator by teaching a few high frequency words such as “hello’, “goodbye”, “thank you” and “friends” – these words can also serve a purpose displayed on the wall throughout the year. Let’s learn about the Caribbean and share with children and families in our settings who have Caribbean heritage. There is so much to learn about the roots of music and dance styles, the food and spices and the unity of people from the Caribbean islands. There's so much to be learned and so many ideas to evoke excitement and conversation without assumptions and stereotypes. The 7 litre storage box should only contain items that need to be stored away for safekeeping, because they are precious and valued and they contribute significantly to the learning. The items will not be placed in this box to be reused as part of an old uninspiring 10-year-old lesson / activity plan. I challenge everyone to scrap the topic box, in exchange for real life, exciting experiences derived from listening and taking an interest in the children’s backgrounds and cultures. We must put thought into what we display and be mindful of every detail, that not only engages and educates the children, but also ignites that fire of excitement for us as educators also.

The North West now has its first care village with a fully integrated Nursery, in an inspiring new initiative in Chester. Delayed for over two years due to the pandemic, the Nursery in Belong opened its doors at the beginning of August, with intergenerational charity, Ready Generations, running the nursery. Its founder, Sue Egersdorff, is jubilant, she says, “We are all so excited about this ground-breaking project, and very busy!” Ready Generations has been working with Belong Villages for over five years planning a nursery where both young and old live and work alongside each other. This is the first large intergenerational project for both organisations. How it all began Sue Egersdorff describes how all this got started. “The seedling emerged when I met with Tracy Paine, then Deputy CEO of Belong, over five years ago. Tracy had just won a Winston Churchill research fellowship, enabling her to travel to visit innovative care settings in the USA, Australia and Japan and explore new concepts involving intergenerational living. “We both knew this was something exciting that we wanted to pursue,” Sue continues, “Ever since we have been planning an integrated model with a bespoke curriculum that reflects the needs of both children and older people. Our specifically-designed Mirrored Curriculum Framework meets all EYFS requirements and reflects the United Nations Principles for Older People.” Sue outlines the main aims as: ● Connecting people in sustainable ways ● Prioritising relationships ● Reducing social isolation and loneliness for both young families and older people ● Supporting self-awareness and emotional development ● Developing executive functioning skills in children and older people ● Creating an environment that meets individual needs irrespective of age ● Providing a research-into-practice centre for intergenerational pedagogy (linked with a number of UK universities) ● Working within the UNICEF Sustainable Development Goals to facilitate the voice of the community around issues that affect them The care village Located just a few minutes’ walk from Chester railway station, the state-of-the-art development offers a mix of independent living apartments and households. Round the clock support, including specialist dementia and nursing care, is provided. Belong’s home care service, Belong at Home, also operates from the site. All customers, as well as members of the public, have access to a vibrant village centre. The facilities on offer include a bistro, specialist gym, hair salon, therapy room, library and an entertainment venue with licensed bar. Belong Chief Executive, Martin Rix, summarises: “The beauty of the village model is that we offer a range of spaces and experiences, giving people the choice to join in as much or as little of village life as they choose. We are particularly excited that Belong Chester will have the integration of a nursery – this is a very special and new element for us.” A snapshot of the Nursery The care village has a number of outdoor spaces for both children and older people to use, as in any local village. The Nursery is situated on the ground floor, allowing free-flow access to the secure gardens. Exploring, playing and developing friendships in the context of the natural world is at the heart of all planning. Using an approach developed on Froebelian and High Scope principles, outdoor learning is integral to everyday life. Children are not divided by age – they are all together alongside the older people. All resources are carefully selected with children and older people in mind, with sensory stimulation being a priority. The colour schemes and furniture are chosen to appeal to both age groups. There is a peace room for anyone that wishes to use it. “The main areas where experiences are planned for all ages are the library, the garden room and the outdoor areas. The children and their older friends have snacks, drinks and meals together in the bistro area,” explains Sue. Other shared activities include storytelling, music making, a choir, block play and problem-solving with technology sessions led by the children. These are planned sympathetically so that the older people can participate easily. Sue explains, “We believe that older people are only different from children in size and experience. They need very similar things.” Sue considers these to be: ● personalised consideration and understanding ● respect for their effort and work ● opportunities to share and progress their ideas ● to be valued for what they bring and contribute Getting a taste of the Nursery in Belong Throughout July, the team have been welcoming the local community to a series of open days. Sue reports, “These have been very well attended with a spectrum of ages from 8 months to 93 years.” She continues, “Prospective residents have joyously welcomed the Nursery as part of their daily lives, many already signing up for various activities. We’ve also had people offering to volunteer and even been offered help from two amazing pianists. It seems there will be a lot of singing and music making!” The carers of people living with dementia have visited several times to further their understanding of the approaches that will be used. “They are thrilled that the range of resources will allow their loved ones to enjoy opportunities that have been sensitively tailored to allow them full access and participation,” says Sue. The Nursery parents are attracted by: ● the smallness of the nursery with free flow to the garden ● the family groupings ● the daily interactions with older people ● the sense of community and belonging ● the opportunity to be part of something different ● the focus on nurturing ,playful relationships What the community say about the Nursery Prospective residents’ comments … As soon as I came into the Nursery, I got goosebumps. I will be here every day if I can be! The joy of seeing children again will change my life for the better! We’ll all be busy playing together – the days will rush by! These blocks are just beautiful! And parents … This is exactly what I want for my child – the opportunity to spend time with older people. My child is going to be so nurtured here. We will be a real family and community. And from a 3-year-old … I like this old lady’s chair! I can fit on here too! These voices say it all: a remarkable and hope-inducing model for all generations. You can read part one of this series here. Part two of the series is available here.

Love and Play for Building Brains Play is the occupation of children; it is how they interact with the world, and how they learn their part within it. Play has a significant impact on a child’s future outcomes and ability to meet their full potential not only in childhood, but in adulthood too. Play is a vital part of early childhood development, enabling children to thrive by promoting exploration, movement, problem-solving, responsive relationships and having FUN. When a child engages in playful interactions with a caregiver, a responsive two-way interaction known as “serve and return” occurs. This interaction is crucial in building a baby's brain. At birth, babies’ brains are around 20% developed; by the time they are one, their brain has doubled in size; by age three it has reached around 80-90% of their adult size brain; and by five it is nearly fully grown. The growth is the result of the connection of axons and dendrites that have been stimulated by the sensory experiences received through touch, movement, and loving playful interaction: babies’ brains are built through their experiences of the world. Genes provide the blueprints for the architecture, but nurture offers the experiences the child needs for these genes to be expressed. This brain sculpting supports the foundations for the rest of a person’s life and helps us to survive the environment we are in. The more responsive, safe, secure, and loving our environment, the more the child’s brain will be sculpted to expect this type of experience. Thus, the child becomes more confident, curious, and eager to explore the world. Children are most susceptible to environmental influences from 0-3; this is when parent-infant relations are crucial. The neurological biology of the human brain is built for social interaction first and foremost. This is how we learn how to be human; by interacting with the humans around us. It is paramount to have access to loving, interactive and responsive humans (parents or caregivers) over and above the latest baby gadget or toy. Exposure to touch, movement, and early playful interactions such as talking, singing, giving eye contact, and enjoying moments together helps to release feel-good hormones or neurochemicals such as oxytocin that help to build the brain. These chemicals facilitate increased resilience, supporting children with far better outcomes when it comes to physical and mental health, as well as improving immunity, and enhancing their ability to form relationships well into adulthood. This is why it is crucial to work with and empower parents, who ultimately make up an infant’s environment and their world of experience. As a baby grows and develops, they build up pictures and maps in their mind based on the experiences received, and so any deprivation of these experiences restricts and prevents connection. Early development and play Playful interactions can start as early as in the womb. Babies respond, enjoy, and are soothed by talking and singing from familiar voices before they are even born, exploring their movement by pressing their limbs against the uterine wall, feeling out their womb world whilst toning their muscles, and experiencing new sensations. Once a baby is earth side, play begins in the form of natural, loving interactions - facial expressions, sing-song sounds and the creating of anticipation such as peekaboo. It can become more object orientated as they grow more interested in the world around them and can physically interact with age-appropriate books, toys, and objects. Babies learn everything through play and interaction with others, themselves and their environments - in order for babies to strengthen not only their physical bodies, but also their fine motor skills (skills coordinating the hands and fingers), gross motor skills (skills coordinating larger body parts mainly the limbs), problem solving skills, visual perceptual skills (ability to make sense of the information we receive through our eyes – more than just seeing), and sensory processing skills (registering and accurately interpreting sensory input from the environment and from the body itself). Play is all about being able to explore and experience sensations and movement. As babies are born with limited coordination, a lot of their early movements are reflex based, which helps the birth process and acts as a protective mechanism. However, as a baby learns to explore through movement, higher functioning postural reflexes can start to take over, building the connections between their brains and body. This helps them to learn where their limbs are in relation to one another, and how their bodies can move. They begin to explore the cause and effect that moving their body has, as well as learn to judge distances, adjust their movements dependent on the activity, and understand that objects are separate or can create a whole. Exploring through movement helps to practice coordination and isolation of body parts, as well as support the development of the skeletal system – something that has a lifelong impact. In our western society, babies and children are living increasingly sedentary lifestyles. Babies spend more time in “containers” than ever before – car seats, buggies, walkers, activity saucers, Bumbo style seats, all of which impact on crucial time that could be spent in free (supervised) movement play. Of course, in reality, sometimes children need to be contained – car seats for safety reasons, or simply for those moments when a parent needs to know that their baby is safe whilst they attend to another task. However, baby containers force babies into positions that their bodies aren’t developmentally ready for yet and do not encourage the recruitment of muscles required for sitting or standing. Therefore, supervised tummy time, as well as side lying and back play, are essential for the development of these skills. When babies are given opportunities to explore movement freely, to push up and move against gravity and to receive multimodal sensory stimulation it will support all of their physical milestones, sensorimotor skills, coordination with the skills that motivate to learn and move more. Movement allows for vestibular input (the balance mechanism inside the inner ear that provides information about head position and balance) as well as proprioceptive feedback (deep pressure to receptors in the joints and muscles that feeds back to the brain about body awareness and how to judge force of movements) which enables a child to feel safe in their body and with their movement. Getting down onto the ground with babies, or in the early stages, using parents’ body for positions such as baby’s tummy to parent’s chest, is a great way to encourage babies to begin the journey of developing their bodies and minds through movement and sensation, whilst also enjoying the love and connection of being close to their caregiver. Play for Emotional Regulation, Confidence, and Joy Dr Stephen Porges reports that play helps to tone the vagal nerve – this nerve has a huge role in our recovery from stressful events, and in enabling us to come back to a relaxed rest and digest state (a calm nervous system), helping to support our mental and emotional wellbeing as well as our physical health. In his polyvagal theory, he suggests that play enables us to enter our social engagement system – or connection mode - allowing us to read and respond to invitations to play and helping to regulate the nervous system. Studies have shown that in play, our fight or flight responses can be activated but without the release of cortisol – stress hormones. This helps us to practise handling danger and dealing with intense emotions which supports our emotional resilience in the long term. Porges (2015) describes play as “mobilisation without fear” downregulating fight/flight behaviours and allowing us to feel safe and confident to explore, play and learn. Sadly, not all babies and children have the same access to quality, loving, safe play or to a sense of playfulness. Trauma, generational trauma, PTSD, systemic racism, poverty, war, and disability can all impact on access to play and playfulness and the feeling of safety that a young child needs - when we feel safe, loved and like we have a place in the world, we feel confident to discover our place within it. We feel secure enough to be creative, to take educated risks, and to try again. Babies and children who have limited access to play are at higher risk of delayed development, difficulty adapting to change, poorer self-control and regulation and a greater risk of anxiety, depression, and tendency towards addictions. Supporting children to play and be playful, as well as to interact with themselves, others and the world knowing that they are loved and safe is, in my view, incredibly important, and something that those working in the Early Years, and Health and Social Care sectors must continue to promote amongst the families they support. Playfulness is joy, it is hopeful, it is an openness, it is a feeling and it is action. Yet it does not come naturally to all. Encouraging parents to be curious and invite babies and children into their world can help to bridge the gap for those who find being playful more challenging. Going for a walk, talking about what they see, looking at books together, singing to songs in the car, making a game of folding laundry, and bringing playfulness to the mundane are some of the ways we can achieve play without it feeling forced or structured. In this way, parents are constructing playful connections, building their babies’ brains with love and play, supporting their own wellbeing as well as that of their child’s. To create a more loving, playful and connected society, it is my belief that we need to allow and support parents and children to connect through play, however that looks to them. Play is unique, it changes, it grows and it has the potential to change lives: play is a serious business, and one that we can all benefit from. With love and play, Carly Budd Specialist Children’s Occupational Therapist Founder of Carly Budd Developmental Play Academy

Apples and Honey Nightingale is the first Intergenerational Nursery in the UK. Transforming the lives of many, this initiative is well worth knowing about. It is in the grounds of Nightingale House, a care home for older people. Opened in 2017 for children from three months to five-years-old, it is flourishing, as are all those involved. Judith Ish-Horowicz MBE, co-founder and Director of Apples and Honey Nightingale, spoke to me about how it all began. “A motivating factor was to address the challenges of living in a fractured society. Many of us live in age segregated communities and the effects of loneliness, isolation and depression are all around us.” When young children visited the care home Judith was struck by the relationships she saw developing between the residents and children. This prompted her to approach Nightingale Hammerson, the care home provider, to ask if they would agree to having a nursery in their garden. It took off from there. The vision of this enterprise is to bring the generations together for purposeful and mutually beneficial activities. The care home residents and the young children participate in a daily programme of activities. These include cooking, caring for animals, singing, growing vegetables. There is always a choice of things to do both indoors and out. The advantages of Intergenerational care at Apples and Honey Many of the residents say that having children on site has transformed their lives. Judith told me, “The average age of residents entering Nightingale Hammerson is 92 years. Many of them have never had children and have either no family or a very small extended one. Watching them bottle feed a baby for the first time and being ‘adopted’ by a nursery family is amazing. The lives of the residents have been enhanced beyond measure.” Judith highlights the main benefits for the older generation: · it gives them purpose and motivates them to get up in the morning · it helps them to feel valued and useful as they get involved doing purposeful things · it raises their spirits, helping them not to feel depressed · it makes them feel they still have a place in society · seeing movement all around them is energising · they are involved in interesting activities, not just things ‘to keep them busy’ for the sake of it · they are being occupied beyond attending to their basic daily needs · they have things to talk about to their visitors and each other Equally, the younger generation have a lot to gain. Judith points out, “The generational mix enables them to see themselves as part of the chain of life. This helps give them a sense of security and place in the world. The children develop special friendships with a generation that they might otherwise not meet”. Judith outlines the main benefits for the younger generation: · many of them don’t have extended family living nearby or even in the same country, so they can have ‘adopted great-grandparents’ · they are learning from living history daily · they experience aging as a natural process · their development in all areas of learning is well supported · parents and staff notice their communication and language skills improve exponentially · they develop spatial awareness and body control through having to be careful when with the residents · all engagements have a specific learning objective from the EYFS · they learn to wait and cope with a different pace of doing things Multi-generational involvement It is not only these two generations that benefit, but those in between too. Judith explains, “The inclusion of young children on site has been beneficial to the families of the residents. They speak with me about how it can help relieve some of the guilt they feel at not being able to look after their loved ones at home. Seeing how rich and varied their lives are has made the world of difference to their families. The families can also join in the programme and share in the activities. This helps them feel more connected to each other.” The volunteers, too, find the work satisfying and the relationships fulfilling. Their help in supporting the care staff to take the residents to the sessions is crucial. It is also a great opportunity for the local families to become part of a big extended family. This develops social cohesion and enables Apples and Honey to be a community hub for all ages. As well as this, it helps break down barriers around age, culture, social background and faith. The main challenges As with any community-based work, none of it happens without a great deal of work, especially in certain areas. Judith considers communication to be at the top of her list of challenges. “It can be so hard to keep everyone in the loop. Liaising between two organisations, each with different shift patterns, can prove difficult. As well as this, care homes are large organisations and can have a high staff turnover, so dealing with change can be tricky.” An interesting, though satisfying, challenge is changing people’s perceptions. Judith comments, “If you don’t understand, and haven’t experienced a programme like this, it can feel intimidating and strange. Once people get used to it and realise how welcoming it is things becomes less threatening.” However, Judith is convinced that the rewards far outweigh the difficulties. “Challenges can be overcome – the benefits are just amazing!” Favourite moment I asked Judith if she would name just one moment that has stayed with her during her time at Apples and Honey. Probably her greatest challenge of the year! “One grandfriend who never had children and is now 94 was adopted by a family at our weekly baby and toddler group. She has been part of his growing up ever since. He joined the nursery and then went off to primary school. The family kept in touch via phone and zoom throughout lockdown and he and his parents still visit her. He was the first baby she ever bottle-fed!” Judith couldn’t resist mentioning one more, “Just a couple of weeks ago we were glass painting together when one of our grandfriends exclaimed ‘It’s so messy! I haven’t had so much fun for 40 years!’ " It is important that we get to know about such incredibly heart-warming and inspiring work. It seems that this is the way to go. You can read part one of this series here. Part three is available here.

The number of young children with English as an Additional Language (EAL) entering early years has risen sharply over recent years. DfE report on Attainment of pupils with English as an additional language, 2019, highlights that at the end of Key Stage 2 in 2017/18, 17% of all pupils had EAL and 79% of these had joined in Reception. Children with EAL come from a diverse range of ethnicities, cultures, backgrounds, experiences, and situations. Families can range from asylum seekers to economic migrants and there can be high mobility until they are eventually able to settle. Like many young children, learners of EAL may find it difficult to settle into a new setting. In addition to the English language support need, they may not have any prior experience of early years settings. Parents’ own English and experience of early years and the British Education system may be limited. So, meeting their unique and individual support needs effectively within the early years provision can be a complex and daunting task. Definition of EAL To deliver a successful provision, we need to first understand the definition of EAL and how it relates to the children it characterises. ‘EAL’ is an umbrella term used to describe children acquiring English within the education context. This group of learners are not homogenous and are represented through a range of dimensions, development, learning levels and linguistic experiences. Some children are newly arrived with little or no English, some are born in the UK and have varying degrees of English, for some English is the dominant language whilst others are competent bilinguals. We cannot assume children do not have existing knowledge and language skills needed for cognitive development because they do not speak English. “Young children within the broad development span of 0-5yrs may be anywhere along the language development continuum in one or more languages. Some will be beginners in one language, but proficient in another; others will be on varying stages of fluency in one or more languages. The term EAL also recognises that many children learning English in settings are already developing more than one home language and adding English to their repertoire.” PNS Guidance for EYFS, Supporting children learning EAL, 2007 Though an old definition, it is still the best fit for early years as it captures not only the rich language repertoire but also the breadth, fluency, and competency of each language. It acknowledges the prior knowledge and skill. Identifying and assessing EAL support needs Young children learn an additional language in very much the same way as they learn their first language. However, they have a double task of learning a new language (English) and learning to learn in it (content of the curriculum). This is an uneven and contextually dependent process. EAL pedagogy and strategies are distinct in meeting both the language and learning needs of the children with EAL across the curriculum. In early years, learners of EAL will express their understanding of the world in one or more languages, or they may be “silent”. Some children can be silent for many months and may be processing the new language whilst still developing their home language. It is important for practitioners to identify all the languages the children are exposed to and the levels within them. Thus, they are better placed to provide the appropriate language development support, and differentiating between EAL and other support needs such as SEND and SLCN. Good provision ensures that effective and holistic assessment is in place to identify key English language acquisition gaps alongside the learning (ELGs). EAL assessments such as NASSEA (The Northern Association of Support Services for Equality and Achievement) are effective tools to use alongside observational assessment and are linked to the ELGs so that priorities can be identified to develop English language acquisition alongside knowledge and concepts across the areas of learning in EYFS. Within the current EYFS framework, it is only development in the Communication, Language and Literacy ELG that requires assessment in English only. As other ELGs do not require children to show their understanding through English, opportunities should be provided for learners of EAL to hear and use their home language to show their understanding and progress in these areas of learning. Practitioners may only get a partial picture in contexts where English is the sole medium of communication. Parents in Partnership Research by Education Endowment Fund shows that children’s successful outcomes are highly dependent on effective parental engagement and involvement. Early years settings are required to involve parents/carers in their child’s development, learning and assessment and must have cohesive systems in place to initiate good working relationships. Provision must ensure that parents with EAL have the same access to parental involvement as all parents. Potential barriers may be limited English, knowledge of the British education system, different educational experiences, mismatch of expectations, understanding of play-based learning and trauma from their circumstances. They may have misconceptions that English should be prioritised at the expense of their home language. Top strategies for success Create a warm, welcoming, and culturally inclusive environment · Everyone should be seen, heard, and valued equally. · Resources and displays will tell their own story about your setting. Know your children · Make a point of discovering the languages spoken and heard by the children at home so they can be included within your setting. · Check the level of development in home language as well in English to establish a starting point for support. This will assist with early identification of support needs as well as highlight the children’s interests, prior experience, skills, talents, language, culture, and learning, all integral to building on continued new learning. Allow children the silent period · Do not pressurise the children to talk, but involve them. Provide visual or non-verbal communication where possible. · Ensure that the child is not silent at home as that would raise exploration into other support needs. Parents in partnership · Build an accurate picture of the children and families and ‘really know’ them. Meet the parents early on to collect detailed information about their cultural and linguistic backgrounds. · Involve the key person in all the information gathering and sharing. They will be crucial for developing those positive and safe relationships and enabling the parents to be truly involved in their child’s development, learning and assessment. Parents will disclose more if they feel understood and trust you. · Create opportunities for practitioners to be available to talk to parents and support them in their children’s learning so they feel valued and heard. · Offer drop-ins and parent workshops to build parental confidence. · Invite parents to read a book in their home language, share their stories and experiences, attend stay and play sessions. · Signpost to relevant services, e.g., community groups, libraries, toddler groups – parents with EAL may be unaware of these peripheral services. · Develop ways of communication such as interpreters, translations, same language parent champions. · Contact local supplementary (faith, language & cultural) schools and community groups for support and to learn about the communities. Keep the home language alive · A fundamental approach to supporting children with EAL is to build on existing language acquisition skills from the home language. By actively helping to maintain and develop the home language, you are supporting the skills and concept development in both languages. Home language becomes the ‘hanging pegs’ for building new learning through existing knowledge and skills. · Home language is also central to developing and maintaining self-esteem and identity. Getting the pronunciation of the children’s name correct will making them feel welcome. Raise the status of home languages so children and parents feel included and are proud of their cultural and linguistic heritage. · Show parents/carers the benefits of bilingualism so they understand the significant role it plays in their child’s development. Encourage parents to maintain home language so it is not lost . Bilingual welcome walls, displays and books are a great way of reinforcing the importance of home language. Use an EAL assessment system to identify the gaps in language and learning · Introduce and embed critical EAL assessment within the core assessment practice to inform, plan and deliver the next steps in language progression via a contextualised provision. Critical language support · Speaking and listening must be central to all activities. Plan language focused and practical activities to support concept building and to introduce, model and rehearse new vocabulary in context. Use visual prompts such as pictorial timetables and dual language resources to link existing learning to new learning. Rhymes, songs, book related talk and stories with repetitive language patterns are very useful to encourage exploratory talk and support the language demand. Social language will be acquired through regular exposure so focus on the development of academic language needed to access the learning. Children with EAL have the potential of being high achievers and successful lifelong learners. By creating a culturally inclusive early years provision, which values the significant role of the first language, we can lay solid foundations of learning.