Achievement in the Foundation Stage

A new research report entitled <a href="http://www.education.gov.uk/research/data/uploadfiles/DFE-RR034-WEB.pdf" target="_blank"><span style="font-style: italic;">Achievement of Children in the Early Years Foundation Stage Profile</span></a> has been published today by the Department of Education; it's a detailed analysis of children's progress in the EYFS' six areas of learning and development, comparing progress in different areas of England and examining the reasons behind the performance of high and low achievers.

Achievement in the Foundation Stage

A new research report entitled Achievement of Children in the Early Years Foundation Stage Profile has been published today by the Departme...

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The Finish Line

<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKUh-njIp-dBjr-yUC_2B1icr07AaCeHx7w72V-_c6QLydzCVRgguixm6MDfwyUFgoL9haG858k9JjxD4tWExwMt65ZS6f5yLEDp1oXYNNjuz_-jaOWDiqtENkT0tlDsGL_-FQnmVay2g/s1600/me.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5522362151418107202" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKUh-njIp-dBjr-yUC_2B1icr07AaCeHx7w72V-_c6QLydzCVRgguixm6MDfwyUFgoL9haG858k9JjxD4tWExwMt65ZS6f5yLEDp1oXYNNjuz_-jaOWDiqtENkT0tlDsGL_-FQnmVay2g/s200/me.jpg" style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 134px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 200px; CURSOR: hand" /></a><br /><div>I ran my first half-marathon on Saturday. I just have one thing to say, "13 miles is a long way!" I try to avoid <em>driving</em> 13 miles. My daughter-in-law encouraged me to run the race with her and it was fun to have company. At times during the race I felt like I could conquer the world. At other times I felt every year I have passed on the age calendar. As I was running, I thought about how close running a race is to actual life. At times you can run with others who will encourage you along the way. There are other times when you need to go it alone (my daughter-in-law and I parted company after 6 miles). The most important factor, however, is to keep going so that you make it to the finish line.</div><br /><div>We early childhood educators are doing just that for young children. We should be helping children become resilient and strong enough to sometimes 'go it alone.' If we teach them well, they will not only succeed during their alone times, but may help others along the way. My daughter-in-law helped me get started on Saturday so that I could stick to the task and make it to the finish line on my own.</div>

The Finish Line

I ran my first half-marathon on Saturday. I just have one thing to say, "13 miles is a long way!" I try to avoid driving 13 miles...

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Teaching Resources

A big welcome to all of the new PGCE students at UCB. As promised in this morning's session, here are some of the websites out there which have particular relevance to your chosen course...<br /><br />Hopefully you've already realised the importance of the <span style="font-style: italic;">Times Educational Supplement</span> (aka <span style="font-style: italic;">TES</span>). The <span style="font-style: italic;">TES</span> <a href="http://www.tes.co.uk/" target="_blank">website</a> gives you free access to thousands of news stories and feature articles on all aspects of school life that have appeared in the weekly publication since 1994. The site also contains job listings, lesson plans, a discussion forum, and other interactive features. For further news and features about the profession, try looking at the <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/teaching" target="_blank">teaching section</a> of the <span style="font-style: italic;">Guardian</span> website.<br /><br />The previous Labour government set up the <a href="http://www.teachernet.gov.uk/" target="_blank">Teachernet</a> website to support the teaching profession, and it contains a mass of information about all aspects of the job, from classroom management and ICT to whole school issues and continuing professional development. The site also contains plenty of links to other useful sites, and can be used to download official education-related publications. Like many government webpages its future is currently uncertain, but for now at least it remains a useful resource.<br /><br />Also very useful is <a href="http://www.teachers.tv/" target="_blank"><span>Teachers TV</span></a>, which broadcasts programmes on all aspects of school life, and often has themed weeks where a series of programmes on a particular topic are shown. Although the service is now based purely on the internet (until earlier this year it could be watched on Freeview), the channel <span style="font-style: italic;"></span>continues to produce new programmes of a high standard.<br /><br />The <a href="http://www.ttrb.ac.uk/" target="_blank">Teacher Training Resource Bank</a> contains materials to help support your professional development; these can include news stories, research reports, government guidance documents, QTS standards and much more. The 'Glossary' section of the site is also very useful in helping you to make sense of all of the jargon that you'll need to get to grips with during your training.<br /><br />Other teaching-specific websites that may come in handy include the <a href="http://www.tda.gov.uk/" target="_blank">Training and Development Agency for Schools</a> (TDA), which is responsible for the professional development of the school workforce, and the <a href="http://www.gtce.org.uk/" target="_blank">General Teaching Council for England</a> (GTCE) , the professional body for teachers; again, both of these organisations face uncertain futures, with the GTCE likely to be abolished by the end of the year. Also worth a look is <a href="http://www.teachingexpertise.com/" target="_blank">Teaching Expertise</a>, an "information and learning website for teachers and other education professionals" which has been put together by the publishers Optimus Education.<br /><br />As the PGCE contains a significant element of SEN content, you may want to familiarise yourself with the work of the <a href="http://www.nasen.org.uk/" target="_blank">National Association for Special Educational Needs</a> (NASEN). Students can access their publications through the library's online resources, but the NASEN site is also worth viewing as it provides news stories, research summaries, and links to the websites of similar organisations. Teachernet also has an <a href="http://www.teachernet.gov.uk/wholeschool/sen/" target="_blank">SEN area</a> with important information, and the Guardian's <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/specialeducationneeds" target="_blank">Special Educational Needs area</a> contains relevant news stories.<br /><br />For reference purposes, you may also want to occasionally check the <a href="http://curriculum.qcda.gov.uk/" target="_blank">National Curriculum</a> and <a href="http://nationalstrategies.standards.dcsf.gov.uk/earlyyears" target="_blank">Early Years Foundation Stage</a> sites; these contain detailed information on what skills children are taught at different levels, as well as providing supporting materials.<br /><br />A recent publication which has caused a stir is <a href="http://www.cfbt.com/evidenceforeducation/pdf/15349_ECE-Blocks_v5.pdf" target="_blank"><span style="font-style: italic;">A Systematic Review of Research on Early Childhood Programmes: A Best Evidence Synthesis</span></a>. This is a report which was published by the <a href="http://www.cfbt.com/" target="_blank">CfBT Trust</a> that examines 28 different early education programmes around the world and concludes that <a href="http://www.cypnow.co.uk/news/ByDiscipline/Childcare-and-Early-Years/1026376/Instruction-outshines-play-says-study/" target="_blank">instructive and teacher-led programmes are more effective than play-based ones</a>. Some organisations have already queried the findings, what do our readers think?<br /><br />Finally, don't forget to check this blog regularly for details of new reports on teaching as and when they're published. You can view a list of previous posts relating to teaching by clicking on 'Teaching' in the 'Hot Topics' list on the right-hand side of this page<span style="text-decoration: underline;"></span>, while the 'Links' page available at the top of the screen contains more generic education and child-related sites which are worth a visit.<br /><br />That should keep you all going for now. If any readers are aware of a particularly useful teaching-related site that isn't mentioned here, why not share it by putting a link to it below this post in the form of a comment? Here's <a href="http://bcftcschildhoodeducation.blogspot.com/2007/06/leave-comment.html" target="_blank">how to do it</a>.

Teaching Resources

A big welcome to all of the new PGCE students at UCB. As promised in this morning's session, here are some of the websites out there wh...

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Community Family Support Resources

A big welcome to all of the new Community Family Support students at UCB. If you'd like to know about websites which will be invaluable to helping with research during your course then read on...<br /><br />Sites containing free research information in your subject area are plentiful. I really can't praise the <a href="http://www.jrf.org.uk/" target="_blank">Joseph Rowntree Foundation</a> enough, as their website is packed with news stories, reports and countless other resources on various social issues. Also well worth a look is <a href="http://www.scie-socialcareonline.org.uk/" target="_blank">Social Care Online</a>, a freely accessible database of research that can be either searched or explored through subject headings; this service is provided by the <a href="http://www.scie.org.uk/" target="_blank">Social Care Institute for Excellence</a>, who are also behind the relatively new <a href="http://www.scie.org.uk/socialcaretv/default.asp" target="_blank">Social Care TV</a>.<br /><br />Other free sources of detailed reports and much besides include the <a href="http://www.familyandparenting.org/" target="_blank">Family and Parenting Institute</a> and the <a href="http://www.cesi.org.uk/" target="_blank">Centre for Economic and Social Inclusion</a>, while the <a href="http://www.swap.ac.uk/" target="_blank">Social Policy and Social Work</a> gateway to research contains an impressive collection of links to sites covering all social issues. The website of the <a href="http://www.esrcsocietytoday.ac.uk/ESRCInfoCentre/index.aspx" target="_blank">Economic and Social Research Council</a> also contains information on both its own research and the projects of other organisations.<br /><br />Picking out official / government websites is a little tricky at the moment, as the change of government following this year's election means that it is difficult to work out at present which information on government websites represents current policy. However, the <a href="http://www.communities.gov.uk/" target="_blank">Communities and Local Government</a> website is worth bookmarking, and there should also be useful materials available from the <a href="http://www.equalityhumanrights.com/" target="_blank">Equality and Human Rights Commission</a>.<br /><br />Other organisations you may find useful include the the <a href="http://www.thefamilycommission.org.uk/" target="_blank">Family Commission</a>, which is carrying out research into family life in the UK, and <a href="http://www.family-action.org.uk/" target="_blank">Family Action</a>, a charity which supports disadvantaged and socially isolated families. Also useful is the <a href="http://www.esds.ac.uk/longitudinal/access/facs/l4427.asp" target="_blank">Families and Children Study</a>, which provides very detailed statistics on family issues.<br /><br />If you'd like a couple of sites which will help you keep up to date with your topic then you can read the archives of <em><a href="http://www.communitycare.co.uk/" target="_blank">Community Care</a></em> online for free. Similarly, all of the new and past content of the Guardian's <em>Society</em> supplement can be accessed from <em><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/society" target="_blank">SocietyGuardian</a></em>; the site also contains additional features which are not available in the print publication.<br /><br />And finally, here are some recent reports on family-related topics which may be helpful in bringing you up to speed with current topics affecting your subject area. <a href="http://www.familyandparenting.org/Filestore/Documents/publications/10_Years_of_Family_Policy_WEB_FINAL.pdf" target="_blank"><span style="font-style: italic;">Ten Years of Family policy: 1999–2009</span></a> is a useful briefing of government initiatives over the last decade; <a href="http://www.education.gov.uk/research/data/uploadfiles/DCSF-RR113.pdf" target="_blank"><span style="font-style: italic;">Impact of Family Breakdown on Children’s Well-Being</span></a> is an evidence review carried out for the (then) DCSF in 2009; similarly, <a href="http://publications.education.gov.uk/eOrderingDownload/Families%20Evidence%20Paper%20v0%2032%20181202.pdf" target="_blank"><span style="font-style: italic;">Families in Britain: an Evidence Paper</span></a> was published in 2008 - while many of the policy outlines it contains will now have altered, it is full of facts and figures which highlight issues facing families in the UK today. Or for something a little shorter, follow this link to download a copy of <a href="http://www.ippr.org/members/download.asp?f=%2Fecomm%2Ffiles%2Fwhen_times_are_tough.pdf" target="_blank"><span style="font-style: italic;">When Times Are Tough</span></a>, a brief insight into how four low-income families manage their daily lives.<br /><br />I'm off for a lie-down...

Community Family Support Resources

A big welcome to all of the new Community Family Support students at UCB. If you'd like to know about websites which will be invaluable ...

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Classroom Management

<a href="http://www.discountschoolsupply.com/Product/ProductDetail.aspx?product=28426&es=10490500000"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5518735565605926162" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim1CtB9Q8I5ZpB0WW2LhmQK2hhLiE3GKfxZXzWkxgQIugf_Xmej-txIMiYEByuiynohUVMGbbF3-qZKKPeD_Wwm4F6iqe_AP3VIslwKyKgJcJ2KAX9MC1DsmjFuEN_3V0bDNewBrZVP5k/s200/28426b.jpg" style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 136px; CURSOR: hand" /></a> I was instructing my student teachers this week about setting up a classroom to avoid negative behaviors. I often use information learned from the Center on the Social and Emotional Foundations for Early Learning (CSEFEL) at Vanderbilt University. I mentioned in earlier posts that I was trained by the center when we were working on social and emotional strategies in Head Start. We saw a marked increase in the ability of teachers to curtail negative behavior in the classroom, when they used the strategies suggested by CSEFEL's research.<br /><br />This past week we were talking about classroom setup and how important it is to have a well thought-out schedule and a concrete way for children to know what is expected during the day. I love having a schedule in the room (horizontal and visual for PreK-2), but I also mentioned the success I had using a 'Center Board,' similar to the <a href="http://www.discountschoolsupply.com/Product/ProductDetail.aspx?product=28426&es=10490500000" target="'_New">commercial one you see above</a>. Children in classrooms which are set up in centers can identify what centers are open and available for the day. I've seen a form of this used in upper grades, as well, showing the children visually what activities/assignments they need to work on for the day.<br /><br />I think a center or assignment board, coupled with a solid posted daily schedule helps children feel stable in the setting. Stable children do not exhibit negative behaviors as often as children who don't know what is going to happen next (CSEFEL, 2006).

Classroom Management

I was instructing my student teachers this week about setting up a classroom to avoid negative behaviors. I often use information learned f...

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NCB Blog

The <a href="http://www.ncb.org.uk/" target="_blank">National Children's Bureau</a> (NCB) has recently started a blog to share information about the work of the organisation and generate discussions about general children's issues. Early signs are that it'll be a useful resource, with posts on topics such as the closure of the ContactPoint database, the importance of protecting playgrounds, and the recent report from the School Libraries Commission (see <a href="http://bcftcschildhoodeducation.blogspot.com/2010/09/school-libraries.html" target="_blank">previous post</a> for details). Given that the NCB acts as an umbrella for organisations such as the <a href="http://www.anti-bullyingalliance.org.uk/" target="_blank">Anti-Bullying Alliance</a>, <a href="http://www.playengland.org.uk/" target="_blank">Play England</a>, the <a href="http://www.ncb.org.uk/sef/home.aspx" target="_blank">Sex Education Forum</a> and many others, it's probably reasonable to assume that the blog will touch on a range of subjects of interest to all who study or work with young children.<br /><br />To view the NCB blog, <a href="http://blogncb.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">click here</a>.

NCB Blog

The National Children's Bureau (NCB) has recently started a blog to share information about the work of the organisation and generate d...

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Progressive Education in the 1940s

Something a little different today. The video below is a 1940s newsreel from the US which covers the topic of 'progressive education'. If you've got 7 minutes to watch it in full, it's a fascinating and entertaining snapshot of some of the ideas which were gaining credence in education at that time, some of which are still applicable to the modern day. There's also an appearance from the renowned theorist John Dewey.<br /><br />For further information about historical approaches, Derek Gillard's website <a href="http://www.educationengland.org.uk/" target="_blank">The History of Education in England</a> is packed with useful articles and the full text of such important publications as the <a href="http://www.educationengland.org.uk/documents/warnock/index.html" target="_blank">Warnock Report</a>, the <a href="http://www.educationengland.org.uk/documents/plowden/index.html" target="_blank">Plowden Report</a>, and many others.<br /><br /><object height="385" width="480"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/opXKmwg8VQM?fs=1&hl=en_GB"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/opXKmwg8VQM?fs=1&hl=en_GB" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" height="385" width="480"></embed></object>

Progressive Education in the 1940s

Something a little different today. The video below is a 1940s newsreel from the US which covers the topic of 'progressive education...

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School Libraries

A report from the School Library Commission draws a link between successful schools and well-run libraries, but argues that at present many such facilities <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-11304759" target="_blank">are a wasted resource</a>. To tackle this issue, the report calls for library staff to work more closely with teachers and other support staff, and for schools to designate a governor who is responsible for overseeing the development of library facilities.<br /><br />To read the full text of <span style="font-style: italic;">School Libraries: A Plan for Imp</span><span style="font-style: italic;">rovement</span>, <a href="http://www.literacytrust.org.uk/assets/0000/5718/School_Libraries_A_Plan_for_Improvement.pdf" target="_blank">click here</a>.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdjek_N_5W-sVLWWW74s-wHiJbAz0HS64QVvbr9Ah12FJ7UHF9X_7LCOwkJ7Yogm2svn0ssXzUD4aHrcs1UA1j7ji_5lHanhCYBX1t-efr3ZFOCUuSoXpgkUG4NKjjkRNj_hoFYRHnKw/s1600/ChildReading.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5517086099160681570" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdjek_N_5W-sVLWWW74s-wHiJbAz0HS64QVvbr9Ah12FJ7UHF9X_7LCOwkJ7Yogm2svn0ssXzUD4aHrcs1UA1j7ji_5lHanhCYBX1t-efr3ZFOCUuSoXpgkUG4NKjjkRNj_hoFYRHnKw/s200/ChildReading.jpg" style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 126px; height: 168px;" /></a>

School Libraries

A report from the School Library Commission draws a link between successful schools and well-run libraries, but argues that at present many ...

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The Special Educational Needs and Disability Review

A major review from Ofsted has grabbed the headlines this morning, after it concluded that thousands of pupils are being <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-11287193" target="_blank">wrongly labelled as having special educational needs</a>. The report argues that as many as half of the 1.7 million children regarded as having special educational needs are wrongly diagnosed, and simply need <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2010/sep/14/half-special-needs-children-misdiagnosed" target="_blank">better teaching or pastoral care</a>.<br /><br />The full text and a summary version of <span style="font-style: italic;">The Special Educational Needs and Disability Review</span> can be accessed from <a href="http://www.ofsted.gov.uk/Ofsted-home/Publications-and-research/Browse-all-by/Documents-by-type/Thematic-reports/The-special-educational-needs-and-disability-review" target="_blank">this link</a>.

The Special Educational Needs and Disability Review

A major review from Ofsted has grabbed the headlines this morning, after it concluded that thousands of pupils are being wrongly labelled as...

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New from OnTheWeb

The latest edition of OnTheWeb (see <a href="http://bcftcschildhoodeducation.blogspot.com/2007/05/be-alert.html" target="_blank">previous post</a> for details) is as usual packed with details of new reports and research relating to education. Here's some of the highlights:<br /><ul><li><a href="http://www.ofsted.gov.uk/content/download/11407/134357/file/Children%20missing%20from%20education.pdf"><span style="font-style: italic;">Children Missing from Education: The Actions Taken to Prevent Children from Missing Education or Becoming ‘Lost to the System’</span></a> is a new report from Ofsted.</li><li>Another recent publication from Ofsted is <a href="http://www.ofsted.gov.uk/content/download/11399/134289/file/Outstanding%20local%20authority%20children%27s%20services%202009.pdf"><span style="font-style: italic;">Outstanding Local Authority Children’s Services 2009</span></a>, which contains case studies of best practice in children's services departments which have been rated as 'excellent'.</li><li><a style="font-style: italic;" href="http://www.education.gov.uk/research/data/uploadfiles/Report_CWF4.pdf" target="_blank">The Children’s Workforce: A Data Scoping Study</a> is a detailed examination of the make-up of staff who work in children's services.</li><li><span style="font-style: italic;"><a href="http://www.barnardos.org.uk/unlocking_the_gates.pdf" target="_blank">Unlocking the Gates: Giving Disadvantaged Children a Fairer Deal in School Admissions</a> </span>is a new briefing from Barnardos.</li><li>The Children's Society has published a major new study entitled <a href="http://www.childrenssociety.org.uk/resources/documents/Research/21485_full.pdf" target="_blank"><span style="font-style: italic;">Safeguarding</span> <span style="font-style: italic;">Young People: Responding to Young People Aged 11 to 17 Who are Maltreated</span></a>.</li><li>Participation Works has published <a href="http://www.participationworks.org.uk/files/webfm/files/npf%7E/npf_publications/An%20Equal%20Place%20at%20the%20Table_jun10.pdf" target="_blank"><span style="font-style: italic;">An Equal Place at the Table for Children and Young People</span></a>, which investigates how children's views can be taken into account when designing services which may impact on them.<br /></li></ul>

New from OnTheWeb

The latest edition of OnTheWeb (see previous post for details) is as usual packed with details of new reports and research relating to educ...

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Effective Early Childhood Education Programmes

New research from the <a href="http://www.cfbt.com/" target="_blank">CfBT Education Trust</a> examines the effectiveness of 28 different early education programmes. The broad conclusion from the report is that <a href="http://www.cypnow.co.uk/news/ByDiscipline/Childcare-and-Early-Years/1026376/Instruction-outshines-play-says-study/" target="_blank">instructive and teacher-led programmes are more effective than play-based ones</a>, although other bodies have raised questions about the findings. The report comes at a sensitive time, in light of the <a href="http://bcftcschildhoodeducation.blogspot.com/2010/08/eyfs-review.html" target="_blank">ongoing review of the EYFS</a>.<br /><br />To read the full text of <span style="font-style: italic;">A Systematic Review of Research on Early Childhood Programmes: A Best Evidence Synthesis,</span> <a href="http://www.cfbt.com/evidenceforeducation/pdf/15349_ECE-Blocks_v5.pdf" target="_blank">click here</a>.

Effective Early Childhood Education Programmes

New research from the CfBT Education Trust examines the effectiveness of 28 different early education programmes. The broad conclusion from...

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Positivity in Practice

While dealing with a recent enquiry I came across a new(ish) report from the <a href="http://www.nfer.ac.uk/" target="_blank">NFER</a> which may be of interest to some readers. <a href="http://www.nfer.ac.uk/nfer/publications/PYC01/PYC01.pdf" target="_blank"><span style="font-style: italic;">Positivity in Practice: Approaches to Improving Perceptions of Young People and their Involvement in Crime and Anti-Social Behaviour</span></a> is a response to previous research which has highlighted negative attitudes towards young people, and examines how local authorities are seeking to tackle this issue.

Positivity in Practice

While dealing with a recent enquiry I came across a new(ish) report from the NFER which may be of interest to some readers. Positivity in P...

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Practitioners' Experiences of the Early Years Foundation Stage

A new detailed study into the Foundation Stage has found that early years practitioners are <a href="http://www.nurseryworld.co.uk/news/rss/1025260/Dont-change-EYFS-practitioners-say/" target="_blank">strongly in favour of the EYFS framework</a>. The research, which was carried out by the Institute of Education between September 2008 and March 2010, set out to tackle such questions as how the EYFS influences daily practice with children and families, and whether it has helped to offer improvements in care and education. To read the full report, <a href="http://www.education.gov.uk/research/data/uploadfiles/DFE-RR029.doc">click here</a>.<br /><br />Also new from the Department of Education is <a href="http://www.education.gov.uk/research/data/uploadfiles/FinalChildDFEwebsite.pdf" target="_blank">Childhood Wellbeing: A Brief Overview</a>, which summarises the literature in an area which has attracted growing interest in recent years. For previous posts on this topic, <a href="http://bcftcschildhoodeducation.blogspot.com/search/label/wellbeing" target="_blank">click here</a>.

Practitioners' Experiences of the Early Years Foundation Stage

A new detailed study into the Foundation Stage has found that early years practitioners are strongly in favour of the EYFS framework . The r...

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