Do you have a child starting school in September? Having spent the majority of my teaching career in Reception and Year One I have welcomed a lot of “new starters” into my class. I also have two daughters of my own who are now at primary school, with one starting pre co**d mania and the … Read more
In the last week I have read three mainstream media articles about phonics “failing” primary school pupils. I wanted to dig deeper, is it phonics failing children or the system? Reading in the Early Years is crucial to developing a wide range of skills and is the new DfE focus on phonics narrowing the curriculum? … Read more
The EYFS has changed… but has this changed your own personal planning? Medium term EYFS planning has always been very personal and linked to your own pedagogy. Now more than ever is a chance to seize the opportunity to try something different. In the EYFS there is such a huge variety of teaching pedagogies . … Read more
The EYFS has changed… but has this changed your own personal planning? Are you continuing with what you know or seizing the opportunity to try something a bit different. Where do I start? For me, planning always starts with the learning environment. The continuous provision… thinking about what is always available to engage the children … Read more
The changes to the EYFS for 2021 have brought many questions for us all… but the burning questions currently surround EYFS assessment. What do we record? How do we evidence it? Are written records no longer required? I sat down a few days ago and brain dumped my thoughts! I wanted to consider my own … Read more
The building blocks of reading and writing Phase One Phonics Reading and Writing- two of the key skills that young children build when they begin their school journey. As a parent and teacher I find the reading journey astounding! Within a few short years children move from single letter sounds to being able to read … Read more
Back in June I created a blog post on EYFS Assessment under the revised framework and my approach. It was hugely popular and I’m happy to say that the range of assessment check point trackers goes from 2 year olds through to ELG, with an optional add on for 5 term preschoolers. I am also … Read more
As we all move finish our half term break, it is a good time to reflect on what is going well and we would still like to implement in line with the new EYFS and our updated curriculums. These are the questions I have been asking myself and other members of staff about how they … Read more
I have been a advocate of structured play based learning in the classroom for many years, in both the EYFS and beyond. So imagine when I heard this recently… “In Reception they just play. Children in Year One have to be doing more formal, focused work.” Hold on…! Stop the bus a minute…! Just playing? … Read more
Continuous or Enhanced Provision? For me… ⭐️ Continuous Provision refers to the resources and learning areas that are available all the time. ⭐️ Enhancements are things that you add into those areas to promote engagement, link to a theme or book or as a way of addressing identified needs or areas of focus. An example … Read more
The changes to planning, assessment and observation for the EYFS 2021 have got me reflecting on how we will be approaching next year… I had my first planning meeting in preparation for next year this week. Lots of changes afoot for us (change in class dynamic to Reception/ Year 1 alongside the EYFS reforms). I … Read more
With the introduction of the EYFS 2021, one of the biggest issues right now across Early Years seems to be ASSESSMENT and TRACKING How will we do it? Will we track? Do we need supporting evidence? What will OFSTED and our LA want to see? How do we manage workload and SLT expectations? It is … Read more
