Embedding Communication in Creative Learning in a Specialist Setting
This article has been published as part of the Rethinking Curriculum project, kindly funded by The Helen Hamlyn Trust. Kari Anson, Headteacher at Brays School, Forward Education Trust, UK Introduction Brays School is a special school in Birmingham serving 91 children with profound multiple learning difficulties (PMLD), significant learning difficulties […]
Where the Wild Things Grow: Rewilding a Primary School in Birkenhead for Community, Compassion, Communication & Curriculum
This article has been published as part of the Rethinking Curriculum project, kindly funded by The Helen Hamlyn Trust. Charles Hewitt, Headteacher, Fender Primary School Overview Born from a desire to radically change our approach to curriculum and pedagogy, and rethink what schools can and should be, we transformed an […]
The use of AI in early years education
ANNELIESE SMITH, EDUCATION PROJECT SPECIALIST, CCT The early years of a child’s education lays the foundation for lifelong learning, but for educators working in nurseries and early years settings, this can come with significant challenges. From designing developmentally appropriate lesson plans to completing detailed observations and administrative reports, the demands on early years professionals are substantial. […]
Rethinking early childhood and the importance of play within the curriculum
This article has been published as part of the Rethinking Curriculum project, kindly funded by The Helen Hamlyn Trust. Andrew King, Headteacher of Riverhead Infants’ School in Sevenoaks, Kent. How we are refocusing our approach to teaching and learning for EYFS and KS1 children in response to changes bought about […]
Starting strong: Enhancing English competence in disadvantaged early learners in India
SONIKA PARASHAR, ASSISTANT PROFESSOR, SCHOOL OF ARTS AND SCIENCES (TEACHER EDUCATION), AZIM PREMJI UNIVERSITY, INDIA Introduction Despite early access to English-medium education under India’s Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (RTE) Act 2009, many children from disadvantaged backgrounds struggle to attain proficiency in English. A closer look at the content and strategies used to […]
Beyond age labels: Creating systematic approaches to resource assessment in inclusive education
SARA MURŠIĆ, FOUNDER, TOYSCOPE, UK Educational resources offer rich opportunities for learning and complement teaching at all levels of education, yet selecting and assessing these materials for an increasingly diverse population of students remains a complex challenge. With more than 1.6 million pupils in England identified as having special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) (DfE, 2024), […]
Validation and Reliability of an Early Number Knowledge Scale in Italian Preschool Children
In this webinar, Dr Francesco Sella (Loughborough University) will talk about the development and validation of an early numeracy scale designed to assess key numerical skills in preschool children. The scale includes eight tasks: Dots Comparison, Highest Count, Give a Number, Set Transformation, Number Naming, Number Comparison, Number Sequence, and Arithmetic. A sample of 675 […]
Children’s Agency in the National Curriculum: The Promise of Structured Freedom
This event is presented by Helen Hamlyn Centre for Pedagogy. An international seminar and book launch including new research on how children’s voices and choices shape their learning. There are two parts to this event – Hybrid international seminar (4:45pm-5:45pm BST) – In-person book launch event (5:45pm-6:30pm BST) If you are attending in person, tickets […]
Dan Wuori – The Early Years & School Success
Known the world over for his daily child development lessons on social media, Dr. Wuori will explore common misconceptions about the early years and make the case for why our experiences during early childhood influence our success – not only in school – but for a lifetime. This interactive session, featuring education from as early […]
CRN Curriculum & Pedagogy: Young Children’s Participative Rights in Schools
Join us for an online CRN seminar sharing findings from a three-year project, Children’s Participation in Schools, a research collaboration between UWE, Bristol (Sarah Chicken) Swansea University (Jacky Tyrie and Prof Jane Williams), University of Wales Trinity Saint David (Jane Waters-Davies and Alison Murphy) and Cardiff Metropolitan University (Jennie Clement). This project is funded by the […]
Ofsted Consultation Response Series- Workshop-Inclusion: What should be in the framework to ensure that inclusion is a central strand to all inspections?
To inform The Chartered College of Teachings’ Ofsted consultation response we would like to invite Primary and Early Years practitioners to attend a focussed workshop event. This will be focussed on the question ‘What should be in the framework to ensure that inclusion is a central strand to all inspections?’ We are looking for current […]
Ofsted Consultation Response Series- Workshop-Attendance: What should be in the inspection framework to support attendance?
To inform The Chartered College of Teachings’ Ofsted consultation response we would like to invite Primary and Early Years practitioners to attend a focussed workshop event. This will be focussed on the question ‘What should be in the inspection framework to support attendance?’ We are looking for current practitioners to share their thoughts and support […]
Taking the early years seriously: Rethinking workforce professionalism
JULIAN GRENIER, EARLY YEARS CONSULTANT AND AUTHOR, UK Children’s learning in the early years is hugely important: growing research evidence backs this up. The first three years of life are the most sensitive time for brain development, with over 80 per cent of the brain formed by the end of this period and 90 per cent […]
Engaging with research: Searching for, reading and appraising research literature
The content within this compact guide has been adapted from content originally produced for MyCollege by Gary Jones and Deborah Netolicky. What is a compact guide? Our compact guides are designed to provide an introduction to a specific topic or theme. The content within each guide includes an overview of core concepts related to the […]
Identification of strengths and difficulties in early executive functions amongst toddlers with a connection to autism or ADHD
Autism and ADHD are often associated with difficulties with Executive Functions (EFs) in childhood and adulthood, but due to measurement challenges, the prevalence and nature of these difficulties in early development is not well understood. Potential strengths have also been overlooked. In this talk I will describe the measures that colleagues and I have developed […]
Investing in the Early Years: priorities and challenges
The UK government’s latest policy on childcare will see more parents offered free access to provision from April 2024 with the intention of helping them stay in work (HM Treasury 2023). However, the increasing demand for affordable childcare services is happening in an evolving socio-economic landscape marked by a cost of living crisis and rising […]
The spatial reasoning toolkit: Enhancing children’s early mathematical learning
SARAH MCCARTHY AND EMILY K FARRAN, SCHOOL OF PSYCHOLOGY, UNIVERSITY OF SURREY, UK SUE GIFFORD, SCHOOL OF EDUCATION, UNIVERSITY OF ROEHAMPTON, UK Spatial reasoning – the ability to understand the properties of objects and how they relate to other objects – is important for supporting children’s development of mathematics understanding (Mix et al., 2016). Spatial reasoning […]
Become a Chartered College of Teaching Research Champion
Become a Chartered College of Teaching Research Champion Overview Are you passionate about advancing education through evidence-informed practices? Elevate your impact by becoming a Chartered College of Teaching Research Champion. This crucial role positions you as a liaison between the Chartered College of Teaching and your school, fostering a culture of evidence-informed practice and […]
Teaching Philosophy Statements: What are they and how do I write one?
Lewis A Baker, Faculty of Engineering and Physical Sciences, University of Surrey, UK Introduction The purpose of this article is to justify the engagement in developing a teaching philosophy statement and to scaffold the writing process. For those already familiar with such documents, this article will argue for the value of revisiting a teaching philosophy […]
Perceptions of risky play in early childhood education
NICOLA PEARCE, EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATOR, EDGE HILL UNIVERSITY, UK Theoretical framework Risky play in early childhood education is a concept that has seen a recent rise in popularity but remains a relatively new research area. Play is often defined as ‘risky’ based on the characteristics of where or how children play – at heights or […]