This week I launched a project that I am doing in the North West of England in conjunction with our Ofsted Big Conversation steering committee. The idea for the project came about after Ofsted released their findings in relation to the number of children who achieve a Good Level of Development (GLD) at the end of the Reception year. This is their Good Level of Development by Local Authority map for 2017/18. You can find it here The North West region, where I live and worked for my entire teaching career, has a high number of Local Authorities where the attainment of GLD is in the lowest National band. The idea of the project is to provide some really cost … Read More
Common Play Behaviours – A Continuous Provision Tool.
I talk about Common Play Behaviours in my Excellence in Early Years training. Lots for people say that they find it really helpful when it comes to establishing their Continuous Provision. It takes a bit of thinking about, but is well worth the effort! Have a read and see what you think… Good Continuous Provision can be tricky – all too often children will just visit in an area of provision that they like, where they will choose a resources that they are familiar with and then engage in low level tasks, often for a considerable period of time. This is great for their levels of engagement, but not so much for their levels of progress or attainment. Of course, we … Read More
Complimentary Bum Wash!
Not long now until the Child Care Expo in Manchester. It all starts on the 16th June when I have the great honour of opening the show (I cannot lie, I am hoping for dancing girls and confetti cannons!). I am also running a seminar that you can book onto. Entry tickets are FREE and you can register for yours here. You can see the costs and availability of all of the seminars and workshops on the Expo web page here. On the Expo web page, you will also find their blog full of interesting bits of info and this blog post by me! Complimentary Bum Wash? Easter is over and we are now in the FINAL term of the school year. … Read More
Transition – Making the Unfamiliar, Familiar.
When I first started to teach, transition never really struck me as being an issue. Children just move on to the next year group, the next classroom and the next teacher. Lots of times I was that ‘next teacher’ and I knew how lovely I was (!), so it never occurred to me that my lack of preparation for that transition could have been detrimental to children’s development. The greatest inhibitor to attainment in schools is children’s self-confidence and level of anxiety. When children feel comfortable and ‘at home’ in their environment they are far more likely to succeed. When they are subjected to significant change, it can take many children a long time to adjust to their new situation. … Read More