Early Years

Ofsted has flagged executive function as an area that EYFS teachers need to understand more about. Three researchers draw out four key points from the research

Using a systematic synthetic phonics scheme has improved decoding at her school, but are the costs to engagement and reading for pleasure worth it, asks Helen Pinnington

With more pupils entering school with lower levels of speech and language, one trust set out to develop a strategy to address the problem

Play is important for children’s development, but it isn’t always easy to define – or to support. Julian Grenier looks at how early years teachers can cultivate this crucial practice

From furniture hacks to timetable juggling, EYFS teacher Jess Gosling says that, with careful planning, a small classroom doesn’t have to limit learning

Differentiation still has a place in the EYFS classroom but adaptive teaching can help us to reset expectations, writes headteacher Julian Grenier

An intervention aimed at improving children’s speech and language skills is helping to close York’s disadvantage gap, finds Kate Parker

Arts and crafts are an essential part of the EYFS classroom, but we need to stop obsessing over the end product and instead look at the process of creating, says this early years adviser

As the EEF updates its EYFS toolkit, Tes highlights four areas of research that every early years practitioner needs to know

Moving from multiple-form to one-form entry can be daunting, with planning, workload and opportunities for collaboration all reduced – but the advantages outweigh the challenges, says Jess Gosling

What happens in the years before school is a core focus of countries across the globe, with big promises of a return on investment when children reach adulthood. But Holly Korbey finds that things aren’t as clear-cut as many education ministers would hope

As the cost-of-living crisis bites, some have questioned the use of real food as teaching resources. But do the benefits of sensory food play outweigh these concerns? Irena Barker finds out