Books to Encourage Conversation in the Early Years

Alistair Bryce-CleggChild Initiated Learning, Diversity, Gender, Race, Reading, Talk4 Comments

This week on my Facebook Page I posted some books that I’ve found useful when talking to younger children about identity. In my view children are never too young to have these (age appropriate) conversations. As Early Years educators we are in the privileged position of working with children right at the beginning of their journey through education. We can encourage an open mindset, foster a culture of acceptance and show children how to celebrate difference. We can have a HUGE impact. It’s vitally important that children see themselves and their familiar culture reflected in books but equally important that they read (and listen to) stories that broaden their knowledge of identity, providing them with an informed, rich view of … Read More

What Now?

Alistair Bryce-CleggUncategorized16 Comments

Regardless of our individual views on whether schools and settings should be returning in June or not I think it’s safe to say that no one working in Education expected the return to start with Early Years! That said – it looks like we are going to be living with this virus for some time to come so at some point we have to think about how we can best do this. Everyone’s situation is going to be different, both in terms of what your setting looks like and how it is staffed but also the expectations of Leadership teams and possibly parents. It’s definitely going to be tricky and no doubt challenging, in ways we might not even know … Read More

A Brain-Based Approach to Supporting Children’s Transitions – Guest Post.

Alistair Bryce-CleggChild Initiated Learning, Transition33 Comments

In a time before Covid 19, I asked Mine Conkbayir to write a guest blog post for me  from the point of view of the psychological impact that effective and not so effective transitions can have. In these now uncertain times when children will be returning to a very different ‘version’ of school life, it is more important than ever that effective transitions are at the forefront of our thinking. Whether children return before the Summer break or in the Autumn term, it is really crucial that (as much as is possible) the provision  they return to is centred on their wellbeing . There will huge uncertainty for children and staff, but it is imperative that we avoid a ‘catch … Read More

Travel to learn – return to inspire! Guest post by Geraldine Leydon

Alistair Bryce-CleggUncategorized2 Comments

Hello, my name is Geraldine. I am a Primary Partnership Tutor working in primary teacher training. For the most part, during my twenty years working as a teacher and senior manager in primary schools in the North West of England, I felt fulfilled and always eager to be in the early year’s classroom surrounded by the children and their families.  I felt privileged to be part a community and was very aware of the impact I could have on these young lives. Over the years, as I grew in confidence and experience however, I found my values and developing beliefs about effective pedagogy did not align comfortably   with some successive national educational initiatives.  I was frustrated as I passionately wanted … Read More