Early Years

Too often, computers are deployed in early years classrooms with little thought about the quality of learning opportunities they provide, says Helen Pinnington

Research shows that teacher belief in a child’s abilities can act like ‘rocket fuel’ for those growing up in poor communities, so staff must take conscious steps to challenge deficit narratives, says Julian Grenier

A new research project hopes to improve the potential of children in the first five years of life - by adding lessons to the key stage 3 science curriculum about how to talk to babies and toddlers. Christina Quaine speaks to the researchers behind the project

Whole-class story time is still very popular in schools, but research shows that sharing a story in small groups of three or four children is much more beneficial for language development, says Julian Grenier

Too often, the information provided by the progress check is rarely considered by teachers in nursery or Reception classes, warns Julian Grenier, as he argues for change

Starting with gross and motor skills, sorting out pen grip and concentrating on tiny and tall letters are key in supporting EYFS pupils in learning to write, says Sophie Lamb

When her school decided it needed to adopt a systematic synthetic phonics scheme, Helen Pinnington was reluctant about the benefits – and as she researched further, she became even less convinced

Learning to read is complex, so teachers need to consider both the implicit and explicit parts of the process, suggests Megan Dixon

Age-related assessment bands simply don’t work for children with SEND, says Julian Grenier: instead, we need to use a structured process of formative assessment

Play helps young children to develop crucial self-regulation skills – but some will need extra support to get there, says Julian Grenier

Sophisticated play is crucial for children’s later development and attainment, but the pandemic has resulted in many deferring to low-level play, warns Helen Pinnington. Here, she sets out how EYFS teachers could help resolve the issue

While research shows that guided play has its benefits, teachers shouldn’t rush to change their practice just yet, says Thomas Martell