Early Years

Yesterday

16th Mar 2026

How schools can show parents the value of play
Some parents query why their child is still playing rather than engaging with formal teaching. Paul Ramchandani explains how EYFS professionals can help change their view
Paul Ramchandani on his bike

Thursday

5th Mar 2026

How to get early years specialist provision right
Hackney’s first early years additional resource provision opened in September. Its headteacher tells Tes how the specialist setting and curriculum are supporting some of the youngest children with complex needs
Child with puzzle

Friday

20th Feb 2026

Why we need workforce reform in the early years
The needs of children starting school now are different than they were a few decades ago. So it’s time for us to make staffing changes, too, suggests Julian Grenier
Young boy tying shoe laces

Wednesday

11th Feb 2026

Ofsted: We ‘could do more’ on early years safeguarding
MPs question senior Ofsted official on whether the safeguarding system in the early years is fit for purpose
Small child in a bubble

Friday

6th Feb 2026

School-readiness focus for new Best Start in Life ‘champion’
The DfE’s appointment of Sue Robb comes amid concerns that too many children are arriving in Reception lacking basic skills
Sue Robb

Wednesday

28th Jan 2026

Why SEND reform depends on the early years
Because the EYFS shapes children’s first learning experiences, it is where the SEND crisis begins – so it needs to be a key focus in fixing the problem, writes Julian Grenier, who offers three ways to improve practice
Child's footprints in sand

Thursday

22nd Jan 2026

Reception staff spend over an hour a day on toilet assistance
The first term of Reception is often ‘written off’ because of the need to give basic life skills to children who are not school-ready, staff warn
Children washing their hands

Thursday

15th Jan 2026

The transformative effect of reducing Reception class sizes
Shackleton Primary more than doubled the number of its children reaching a good level of development after cutting its Reception classes from 30 to 20. Ellen Peirson-Hagger hears how it achieved this improvement
EYFS: How reducing Reception class sizes helps young children's development

Tuesday

6th Jan 2026

Schools’ growing role in early education revealed
DfE research shows that school-based day nurseries are on the rise, and that schools have the most qualified staff
Data reveals growing childcare role for schools and nurseries

Wednesday

3rd Dec 2025

Why we teach without screens in Reception
When one early years class was relocated to a room without screens or wi-fi, it created the conditions to test the benefits of going screen-free, writes Lucy Fox
child with blocks

Tuesday

2nd Dec 2025

Embracing ‘risky play’ in early years to counter pandemic caution
Bangkok Patana School in Thailand explains why post-pandemic concerns led it to install ‘big play’ equipment to encourage more physical play – and how this is going so far
risky play

Monday

1st Dec 2025

Social media use in pre-school children ‘deeply alarming’
Former education minister’s comments come after research from Centre for Social Justice suggests more than 800,000 children aged 3 to 5 have used social media
Social media