Early Years

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

Many in the early years sector were unhappy with the changes in 2021 but a year or so on and desire, and energy for change, are in the air, writes Julian Grenier

Knowing what executive functions are (and are not) is helpful, but this bit of psychology doesn’t explain how teachers should teach, warns Megan Dixon

Young children are naturally curious about the world around them, but to build scientific knowledge we need to go beyond creating opportunities to explore, says Julian Grenier

Summer-born children arrive at school with a disadvantage – but how can teachers tell if a struggle is due to maturity, or if something else is going on? Helen Pinnington shares her advice

When developing their own assessment approaches, EYFS settings must ensure they are inclusive, responsive and adaptable, says Stephen Kilgour

In the early years, curriculum shouldn’t be either play-based or adult-led, but a mixture of both, writes Julian Grenier

Rising costs are making school trips more difficult, and money’s not the only barrier, says Helen Pinnington, who shares her advice on how to find the ‘magic’ in planning a trip

In EYFS children need lots of opportunities to explore and play with numbers in order to develop number sense - here one early years lead shares the activities she uses

Looking at the way children learned thousands of years ago may be the key to encouraging today’s EYFS pupils to drive innovation and fight the climate crisis in their later lives, says Paul Howard-Jones