This is part three in Kerry’s series around Neurodiversity. You can find parts one and two below. “Play must be the right of every child. Not a privilege. After all, when regarded as a privilege, it is granted to some and denied to others, creating further inequities. Play as a right is what is fair and just. Although children will engage in play differently, play is a child’s right” (Souto-Manning, 2017) The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (1989) states in Article 31 that play is the right of all children, yet if we think about it, play is something that we continually have to defend. Through self-directed play, children gain many things, including joy, learning, … Read More
Ways to Develop Celebratory Approaches to Observation, Assessment and Planning
Introduction When it comes to children with “special educational needs” (SEN) and disabilities, we tend to see a focus on observing for concerns only, leading to valuable threads of learning being lost. This is often because we are taught that early intervention is key, and the sooner we spot those “red flags”, the sooner we can prevent a delay or SEN. However, what may initially appear to be a delay could be a gateway to a developmental difference, including autism, dyslexia, or a developmental language profile, such as being non-speaking. Our initial concerns for some children may lead to adaptations in our practice that support neurotypical progress, but for other children, we may require a more permanent change in approach … Read More
Getting Creative in Blackpool
Blackpool today. Heads in the morning, EYFS practitioners in the afternoon! With heads we were looking at how to recognise attainment in FS and with practitioners, how to show challenge in the environment and continuous provision. I really enjoyed the day but a really weird thing happened at the end of the day. First my left ear went bright red and then my right one. They are still a bit hot and luminescent. What does that mean? Have I got red ear disease? I hope not! For all of you who were there today – thanks for a great day and here are the documents we looked at (all in one place) Came home to the first ' real ' … Read More
Den Making Take Two!
We had another great morning making dens with the Y5/6 children. Some were coming to help for the second time and you could really see that they had learned a great deal from working with the children yesterday. I put out Art Straws and various joining items in the afternoon and was chuffed to see that a number of children replicated their dens in straws! When we had finished working this morning I asked the Y5/6 if they wanted to stay and play with the children – which of course they did! When I say play ' with ' that is a bit of an over statement! We ended up with Y6 in the water tray, the compost and in full … Read More
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