Family Child Care

Sure Start Children's Centres

Sure Start Children's Centres

The Parliamentary Education Committee has just published a new report about Sure Start Children's Centres. The MPs' report argues th...

2:10 AM

Two days after you write a review of the year (see <a href="http://bcftcschildhoodeducation.blogspot.co.uk/2013/12/review-of-2013.html" target="_blank">previous post</a>), two more important reports come out that should probably have made the cut [Sigh...]. Today sees the publication of Ofsted's annual report, which is split into several different sections. You can <a href="http://www.ofsted.gov.uk/annualreport1213" target="_blank">view them all here</a>, though the one of most interest to readers of this site is probably the <a href="http://www.ofsted.gov.uk/resources/ofsted-annual-report-201213-schools" target="_blank">Schools Report</a>. Also new today is Establishing Free Schools, a report from the National Audit Office which is the first major assessment of the Free School programme to date. The <a href="http://www.nao.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/10314-001-Free-Schools-Book.pdf" target="_blank">full report</a> can be read online, and an <a href="http://www.nao.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/10314-001-Free-Schools-Book-Copy.pdf" target="_blank">executive summary</a> version is also available.

Ofsted & Free Schools

Two days after you write a review of the year (see previous post ), two more important reports come out that should probably have made the c...

3:37 AM

Poverty and Social Exclusion 2013

Poverty and Social Exclusion 2013

The 2013 edition of Monitoring Poverty and Social Exclusion has just been published. This is an annual report from the Joseph Rowntree Foun...

7:38 AM

Review of 2013

If it's nearly Christmas, it must be time for a review of major developments and new research published in the children's sector during the last year. After all, you might have missed some of these the first time around... It's probably best to start with the DfE, as they've produced a number of important documents this year. January saw the publication of <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/219660/More_20Great_20Childcare_20v2.pdf" target="_blank">More Great Childcare</a>, which outlined the government's proposals for changes to the childcare sector - a <a href="http://offlinehbpl.hbpl.co.uk/newsattachments/WRN/More%20great%20childcare.pdf" target="_blank">useful summary</a> of the main points was provided by Nursery World. This was followed in July by <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/212671/More_Affordable_Childcare.pdf" target="_blank">More Affordable Childcare</a>, which sought to explain how the proposals in the previous report could be implemented - again, Nursery World came to the rescue with a <a href="http://www.nurseryworld.co.uk/nursery-world/news/1107185/affordable-childcare-key" target="_blank">summary of the key points</a>. Other important publications from the DfE include: the <a href="http://www.education.gov.uk/aboutdfe/departmentalinformation/childrenandfamiliesbill/b00221161/children-families-bill" target="_blank">Children and Families Bill 2013</a> (February); the new <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-curriculum-in-england-framework-for-key-stages-1-to-4" target="_blank">National Curriculum Framework for Key Stages 1 to 4</a> (applicable from next September); the latest version of the <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/early-years-foundation-stage-profile-handbook-2014" target="_blank">Early Years Foundation Stage Handbook</a>. In addition to these, the DfE continues to publish official surveys and reports on various issues - some of the most useful from 2013 include: <ul><li><a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/childcare-and-early-years-survey-of-parents-2011" target="_blank">Childcare and Early Years Survey of Parents 2011</a> and <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/childcare-and-early-years-providers-survey-2011" target="_blank">Childcare and Early Years Providers Survey 2011</a> (despite their dates they were published this year!)</li><li><a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/parents-views-and-experiences-of-childcare" target="_blank">Parents' Views and Experiences of Childcare</a> </li><li><a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/a-comparison-of-international-childcare-systems" target="_blank">A Comparison of International Childcare Systems</a></li><li><a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/252223/SFR43_2013_Text.pdf" target="_blank">Early Years Foundation Stage Profile Results in England 2012/13</a> (the first set of results under the new Profile)</li></ul>One of the consequences of the various debates around how childcare should be delivered and funded, was that a number of reports appeared which debated the current state and future role of nurseries and children's centres. If this is an area that interests you, then some of the following should be of use: <ul><li><a href="http://www.ndna.org.uk/Resources/NDNA/Generic%20Folders%202/06/business%20performance%20survey%20FINAL.pdf" target="_blank">The Nursery Sector in England, Scotland and Wales</a> (NDNA, published in January)</li><li><a href="http://www.ndna.org.uk/Resources/NDNA/Public%20Factsheets/BPS%20Insight%20Report%202013%20FINAL.pdf" target="_blank">UK Nursery Insight Report</a> (NDNA, June) </li><li><a href="http://www.4children.org.uk/Files/cffc42fe-49eb-43e2-b330-a1fd00b8077b/Best-Practice-for-a-Sure-Start.pdf" target="_blank">Best Practice for a Sure Start: the Way Forward for Children's Centres</a> (All Party Parliamentary Sure Start Group, July)</li><li><a href="http://www.policyexchange.org.uk/images/publications/centres%20of%20excellence.pdf" target="_blank">Centres of Excellence: the Role of Children's Centres in Early Intervention</a> (Policy Exchange, September)</li><li><a href="http://www.childrenssociety.org.uk/sites/default/files/tcs/breaking_barriers_report.pdf" target="_blank">Breaking Barriers: How to Help Children's Centres Reach Disadvantaged Families</a> (Children's Society, September)</li><li><a href="http://www.4children.org.uk/Files/db76a8fc-5a38-48fd-b4c5-a2650112b3a9/Children_Centre_Census_2013.pdf" target="_blank">Children's Centres Census 2013: a National Overview of Developments in Children's Centres</a> (4Children, October)</li><li><a href="http://www.ncb.org.uk/media/1092182/partnerships_for_a_better_start.pdf" target="_blank">Partnerships for a Better Start: Perspectives on the Role of Children's Centres</a> (NCB, November)</li><li><a href="http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201314/cmselect/cmeduc/364/364.pdf" target="_blank">Foundation Years: Sure Start Children's Centres</a> (House of Commons Education Committee, December) </li></ul>It's probably worth pausing for a moment to note that a couple of new organisations appeared in the sector this year. In March the National Childminding Association rebranded itself as the <a href="http://www.pacey.org.uk/" target="_blank">Professional Association for Childcare and Early Years</a> (PACEY), in a move designed to allow nursery workers to become members too. While April saw the merger of the Daycare Trust and the Family & Parenting Institute to form a new body called the <a href="http://www.familyandchildcaretrust.org/" target="_blank">Family and Childcare Trust</a>. On an international note, there were the usual set of annual reports from well known organisations. In April UNICEF published its latest <a href="http://www.unicef-irc.org/publications/pdf/rc11_eng.pdf" target="_blank">Report Card</a> comparing the wellbeing of children in industrialised countries, while May saw the publication of its annual <a href="http://www.unicef.org/sowc2013/files/SWCR2013_ENG_Lo_res_24_Apr_2013.pdf" target="_blank">State of the World's Children</a> report - this year the central theme was 'disability'. In June the OECD released it's latest <a href="http://www.oecd.org/edu/eag.htm" target="_blank">Education at a Glance</a> figures, and if you were watching the news at all last week you can't have failed to learn a little about the <a href="http://www.oecd.org/pisa/keyfindings/pisa-2012-results.htm" target="_blank">latest PISA results</a>. However, a one-off publication you may have missed was released by the International Bureau of Education (IBE) in April - <a href="http://www.ibe.unesco.org/fileadmin/user_upload/Documentation/Alerts/ECCE2013.pdf" target="_blank">Early Childhood Care & Education: a List of Resources</a> is a really useful document with hundreds of links to detailed information about early years provision around the world. Here's a few other really useful publications from 2013 which I couldn't fit easily into any of the categories above! <ul><li><a href="http://www.daycaretrust.org.uk/data/files/Research/costs_surveys/Childcare_Costs_Survey_2013.pdf" target="_blank">Childcare Costs Survey 2013</a> (Daycare Trust, published in March)</li><li><a href="http://educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk/uploads/toolkit/Teaching_and_Learning_Toolkit_%28Spring_2013%29.pdf" target="_blank">Teaching and Learning Toolkit</a> (Sutton Trust, March)</li><li><a href="http://www.nspcc.org.uk/Inform/research/findings/howsafe/how-safe-2013-report_wdf95435.pdf" target="_blank">How Safe Are Our Children?</a> (NSPCC, April) </li><li><a href="http://www.childrenssociety.org.uk/sites/default/files/tcs/good_childhood_report_2013_final.pdf" target="_blank">The Good Childhood Report 2013</a> (Children's Society, July)</li><li><a href="http://www.ofsted.gov.uk/resources/getting-it-right-first-time-achieving-and-maintaining-high-quality-early-years-provision" target="_blank">Getting it Right First Time: Achieving and Maintaining High Quality Early Years Provision</a> (Ofsted, July)</li><li><a href="http://www.ippr.org/images/media/files/publication/2013/08/early_developments_August2013_11073_11073.pdf" target="_blank">Early Developments: Bridging the Gap Between Evidence and Policy in Early Years Education</a> (IPPR, August)</li><li><a href="http://www.crae.org.uk/media/64143/CRAE_England_Report_WEB.pdf" target="_blank">State of Children's Rights in England</a> (CRAE, November)</li></ul>And to finish, a shameless plug for this site. Here are some of the posts on here which have attracted a lot of attention from search engines / Twitter links in the last year: <ul><li><a href="http://bcftcschildhoodeducation.blogspot.co.uk/2013/04/childcare-in-france.html" target="_blank">Childcare in France</a> (published in April)</li><li><a href="http://bcftcschildhoodeducation.blogspot.co.uk/2013/07/theorists-in-140.html" target="_blank">Theorists in 140</a> (July)</li><li><a href="http://bcftcschildhoodeducation.blogspot.co.uk/2013/10/early-years-education-blogs.html" target="_blank">Early Years / Education Blogs</a> (October)</li><li><a href="http://bcftcschildhoodeducation.blogspot.co.uk/2013/11/the-early-years-international.html" target="_blank">The Early Years: an International Perspective</a> (November)</li><li><a href="http://bcftcschildhoodeducation.blogspot.co.uk/2013/11/childhood-education-collection-of-open.html" target="_blank">Childhood & Education: a Collection of Open Access Journal Articles</a> (November)</li></ul> If there's anything significant that you think I've missed, please leave a comment below to let other site visitors know about it. And get in the festive spirit by enjoying the seasonal clip below - merry Christmas! <iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="236" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/CHIx6ViBplo" width="420"></iframe>

Review of 2013

If it's nearly Christmas, it must be time for a review of major developments and new research published in the children's sector dur...

7:01 AM

Childhood & Education: A Collection of Open Access Journal Articles

<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMn39G0aHMJs26KGKC_BfH8L5h7eBm0yNptfL7NP0Ynm5078DyJ4Mj47RtSZJCj6jGJyaftsetWDsQceFKAnp3yrIO0fZK3NMKRtRG_Q93N51IIMOntRVznbfL8zFc1ZNGpm-EcIrExw/s1600/JournalPic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMn39G0aHMJs26KGKC_BfH8L5h7eBm0yNptfL7NP0Ynm5078DyJ4Mj47RtSZJCj6jGJyaftsetWDsQceFKAnp3yrIO0fZK3NMKRtRG_Q93N51IIMOntRVznbfL8zFc1ZNGpm-EcIrExw/s200/JournalPic.jpg" width="200" /></a>I've written on here before about the usefulness of Open Access research (see <a href="http://bcftcschildhoodeducation.blogspot.co.uk/2012/09/open-access-research-for-childhood.html" target="_blank">previous post</a> for details), but today's post is specifically about journal articles which are freely available. Traditionally it's been quite difficult to access high quality research which is published in journals - you either need to hope that you're attached to an institution which subscribes to the item you're after, or be prepared to pay a usually quite hefty fee to obtain it. Increasingly though, a growing number of academic authors are choosing to publish their articles in an Open Access format - this means that while their work still appears in recognised journal titles, it is also available to anyone who wishes to read it, usually either from the journal's website, or through an online repository hosted by the institution where they work. Sometimes these items will be a 'pre-print' version of the final article, which may undergo some changes before publication, but they're unlikely to differ significantly from the final version. At the bottom of this post is a list of 35 of these articles, together with a link to the full text of each one. It's by no means a comprehensive list of Open Access articles - instead I've tried to choose items which contain material relevant to many of the topics which I get enquiries about on a regular basis. There is plenty more out there where this came from! It's worth noting that Open Access doesn't have to mean 'low quality'. Most Open Access journals still require articles to undergo peer review before they are published, and if you look at the list below you'll see works by well known authors such as Kathy Sylva or Iram Siraj-Blatchford, as well as long established journals such as Child Development or British Journal of Educational Psychology. It's also the case that a growing number of new Open Access online journals are being established. So far I've come across 5 titles which deal specifically with childcare and early years issues, but it's likely that in time more will appear. Or if you're aware of a useful publication that I've missed, please share it with other site visitors by leaving a comment on this post. Anyway, without further ado, here are 5 Open Access journals that may be of interest: <ul><li><a href="http://www.journalofplay.org/" target="_blank">American Journal of Play</a></li><li><a href="http://www.hindawi.com/journals/cdr/" target="_blank">Child Development Research</a></li><li><a href="http://www.childhoodstoday.org/" target="_blank">Childhoods Today</a></li><li><a href="http://www.wwwords.co.uk/ciec/" target="_blank">Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood</a> (articles become free to access 3 years after publication)</li><li><a href="http://ecrp.uiuc.edu/" target="_blank">Early Childhood Research & Practice</a></li></ul>And here is a list of Open Access articles covering various aspects of childhood & education: Anthony, G. & Walshaw, M. (2009) Mathematics education in the early years. Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood. Vol. 10, No. 2, pp. 107-12. <a href="http://bit.ly/IxCq9M" target="_blank">http://bit.ly/IxCq9M</a> (requires you to enter a code) Bath, C. (2013) Conceptualising listening to young children as an ethic of care in early childhood education and care. Children & Society. Vol. 27, No. 5, pp. 361-71. <a href="http://bit.ly/IrRh52" target="_blank">http://bit.ly/IrRh52</a> Bergen, D. (2002) The role of pretend play in children's cognitive development. Early Childhood Research & Practice. Vol. 4, No. 1. <a href="http://bit.ly/oz3Jsc" target="_blank">http://bit.ly/oz3Jsc</a> Bourke, L. & Adams, A. (2012) Is it differences in language skills and working memory that account for girls being better at writing than boys? Journal of Writing Research. Vol. 3, No. 3, pp. 249-77. <a href="http://bit.ly/1eynORH" target="_blank">http://bit.ly/1eynORH</a> Burnett, C. (2010) Technology and literacy in early childhood educational settings: a review of research. Journal of Early Childhood Literacy. Vol. 10, No. 3, pp. 247-70. <a href="http://bit.ly/1im4r3L" target="_blank">http://bit.ly/1im4r3L</a> Button, S.W. & Millward, P. (2005) Talking and literacy in the early years. Forum. Vol. 47, No. 1, pp. 34-8. <a href="http://bit.ly/IxD8Uu" target="_blank">http://bit.ly/IxD8Uu</a> Campbell, T. (2014) Stratified at seven: in-class ability grouping and the relative age effect. British Educational Research Journal. <a href="http://bit.ly/18Od1T3" target="_blank">http://bit.ly/18Od1T3</a> Cartmell, K.M. (2011) Educational transitions within the UK: what is known and what needs to be investigated? The Psychology of Education Review. Vol. 35, No. 1, pp. 27-32. <a href="http://bit.ly/199FNd2" target="_blank">http://bit.ly/199FNd2</a> Cortazar, A. & Herreros, F. (2010) Early attachment relationships and the early childhood curriculum. Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood. Vol. 11, No. 2, pp. 192-202. <a href="http://bit.ly/1dGDMws" target="_blank">http://bit.ly/1dGDMws</a> (requires you to enter a code) Davis, J.M. (2005) Educating for sustainability in the early years: creating cultural change in a child care setting. Australian Journal of Environmental Education. Vol. 21, pp. 47-55. <a href="http://bit.ly/1eHsPrC" target="_blank">http://bit.ly/1eHsPrC</a> Dockrell, J., Stuart, M. & King, D. (2010) Supporting early oral language skills for English Language Learners in inner city preschool provision. British Journal of Educational Psychology. Vol. 80, No. 4, pp. 497-515. <a href="http://bit.ly/18OdynM" target="_blank">http://bit.ly/18OdynM</a> Forman, G. & Hall, E. (2005) Wondering with children: the importance of observation in early education. Early Childhood Research & Practice. Vol. 7, No. 2. <a href="http://bit.ly/16tmqem" target="_blank">http://bit.ly/16tmqem</a> Glazzard, J. (2011) Assessment for learning in the Early Years Foundation Stage. Early Years Foundation Stage Forum. <a href="http://bit.ly/1dGE6vr" target="_blank">http://bit.ly/1dGE6vr</a> Glazzard, J. (2012) Inclusion in the Early Years Foundation Stage. Early Years Foundation Stage Forum. <a href="http://bit.ly/1afa5e2" target="_blank">http://bit.ly/1afa5e2</a> Grantham-McGregor, S. et al. (2007) Development potential in the first 5 years for children in developing countries. Lancet. Vol. 369, No. 9555, pp. 60-70. <a href="http://1.usa.gov/1afacpS" target="_blank">http://1.usa.gov/1afacpS</a> Haney, M. & Bissonette, M. (2011) Teachers' perceptions about the use of play to facilitate development and teach prosocial skills. Creative Education. Vol. 2, No. 1, pp. 41-6. <a href="http://bit.ly/1cRvi0o" target="_blank">http://bit.ly/1cRvi0o</a> Hartas, D. (2011) Children's language and behavioural, social and emotional difficulties and prosocial behaviour during the toddler years and at school entry. British Journal of Special Education. Vol. 38, No. 2, pp. 83-91. <a href="http://bit.ly/IwAu0p" target="_blank">http://bit.ly/IwAu0p</a> Likierman, M. (2008) Spanning presence and absence: separation anxiety in the early years. In: "What can the matter be?" Therapeutic Interventions with Parents, Infants and Young Children. The Tavistock Clinic Series. Karnac Books, London, pp. 99-104. <a href="http://bit.ly/1j21D9P" target="_blank">http://bit.ly/1j21D9P</a> Lloyd, E. & Hallet, E. (2010) Professionalising the early childhood workforce in England: work in progress or missed opportunity? Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood. Vol. 11, No. 1, pp. 75-88. <a href="http://bit.ly/18ceVZJ" target="_blank">http://bit.ly/18ceVZJ</a> (requires you to enter a code) Maynard, T. (2007) Forest schools in Great Britain: an initial exploration. Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood. Vol. 8, No. 4, pp. 320-31. <a href="http://bit.ly/IlpeEy" target="_blank">http://bit.ly/IlpeEy</a> (requires you to enter a code) Moss, P. (2007) Bringing politics into the nursery: early childhood education as a democratic performance. <a href="http://bit.ly/1b25UH" target="_blank">http://bit.ly/1b25UH</a> Moss, P. (2010) We cannot continue as we are: the educator in an education for survival. Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood. Vol. 11, No. 1, pp. 8-19. <a href="http://bit.ly/1dGEKJl" target="_blank">http://bit.ly/1dGEKJl</a> (requires you to enter a code) Reebye, P. (2005) Aggression during early years: infancy and preschool. The Canadian Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Review. Vol. 14, No. 1, pp. 16-20. <a href="http://1.usa.gov/18cfcMg" target="_blank">http://1.usa.gov/18cfcMg</a> Rose, J. & Rogers, S. (2012) Principles under pressure: student teachers' perspectives on final teaching practice in early childhood classrooms. International Journal of Early Years Education. Vol. 20, No. 1, pp. 43-58. <a href="http://bit.ly/1c1VLqz" target="_blank">http://bit.ly/1c1VLqz</a> Sandseter, E. (2009) Children's expressions of exhilaration and fear in risky play. Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood. Vol. 10, No. 2, pp. 92-106. <a href="http://bit.ly/IwB6mv" target="_blank">http://bit.ly/IwB6mv</a> (requires you to enter a code) Siraj-Blatchford, I. (2009) Conceptualising progression in the pedagogy of play and sustained shared thinking in early childhood education: a Vygotskian perspective. Educational & Child Psychology. Vol. 26, No. 2. <a href="http://bit.ly/1b4JW57" target="_blank">http://bit.ly/1b4JW57</a> Swain, J. & Brooks, G. (2014) The benefits of family literacy provision for parents in England. Journal of Early Childhood Research. Vol. 12. <a href="http://bit.ly/1cRwiBT" target="_blank">http://bit.ly/1cRwiBT</a> Sylva, K. et al. (2011) Effects of early child-care on cognition, language and task-related behaviours at 18 months: an English study. British Journal of Developmental Psychology. Vol. 29, No. 1, pp. 18-45. <a href="http://bit.ly/199GT8D" target="_blank">http://bit.ly/199GT8D</a> Sylva, K. & Evangelou, M. (2007) Evidence on effective early childhood interventions from the United Kingdom: an evaluation of the Peers Early Education Partnership (PEEP). Early Childhood Research & Practice. Vol. 9, No. 1. <a href="http://bit.ly/gADjLx" target="_blank">http://bit.ly/gADjLx</a> Tomas, C. (2008) Childhood and rights: reflections on the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. Childhoods Today. Vol. 2, No. 2. <a href="http://bit.ly/1bvXwS2" target="_blank">http://bit.ly/1bvXwS2</a> Vandell, D.L. et al. (2010) Do effects of early child care extend to age 15 years? Results from the NICHD study of early child care and youth development. Child Development. Vol. 81, No. 3, pp. 737-56. <a href="http://1.usa.gov/1b4KjwK" target="_blank">http://1.usa.gov/1b4KjwK</a> Waldfogel, J. & Washbrook, E. (2011) Early years policy. Child Development Research. pp. 1-12. <a href="http://bit.ly/1cEDotA" target="_blank">http://bit.ly/1cEDotA</a> Walker, S. et al. (2011) Early years teachers' epistemic beliefs and beliefs about children's moral learning. Teachers and Teaching: Theory and Practice. Vol. 18, No. 2, pp. 263-75. <a href="http://bit.ly/18cgbfD" target="_blank">http://bit.ly/18cgbfD</a> Wyver, S. et al. (2010) Ten ways to restrict children's freedom to play: the problem of surplus safety. Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood. Vol. 11, No. 3, pp. 263-277. <a href="http://bit.ly/18cgdnE" target="_blank">http://bit.ly/18cgdnE</a> (requires you to enter a code) Zevenbergen, R. (2007) Digital natives come to preschool: implications for early childhood practice. Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood. Vol. 8, No. 1, pp. 19-29. <a href="http://bit.ly/12sug9L" target="_blank">http://bit.ly/12sug9L</a> (requires you to enter a code) It's also the case that Open Access is making it possible to easily access more and more theses which researchers will find useful, which will be the subject of a future post on this site.

Childhood & Education: A Collection of Open Access Journal Articles

I've written on here before about the usefulness of Open Access research (see previous post for details), but today's post is speci...

3:55 PM

The Role of Children's Centres

The Role of Children's Centres

The National Children's Bureau has today published a set of essays which should be of interest to most readers of this site. Partnership...

7:35 AM

Children and Young People's Writing

The <a href="http://www.literacytrust.org.uk/" target="_blank">National Literacy Trust</a> has just published Children and Young People's Writing, a new report which looks at data from its annual literacy survey - overall almost 35,000 children aged 8 to 16 took part. As you might expect it's quite a detailed document, though it mainly seems to have made headlines for its claim that boys are more than twice as likely as girls to <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-25033771" target="_blank">say they hate writing</a>. You can read the full report by <a href="http://www.literacytrust.org.uk/assets/0001/9245/Young_people_s_writing_2012.pdf" target="_blank">clicking here</a>. Also new today from the Trust  is <a href="http://www.literacytrust.org.uk/assets/0001/9256/Transforming_Writing_Final_Report.pdf" target="_blank">Transforming Writing</a>, the final report of a project which developed a model for the teaching and learning of writing with a greater focus on formative assessment. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfOalZNL6TbPUxZ4Ml9OjdiwuyrTrtAtdBxiVhszSe62SsZiURkc2Kliu05YIOw7aTjo1HTV1Z26dz16AWlzz0SNutBkzL2VdKySAGeNqSmH6aNWVBm0KicCybXY9YOninnhpQwVMDyg/s1600/Writing1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfOalZNL6TbPUxZ4Ml9OjdiwuyrTrtAtdBxiVhszSe62SsZiURkc2Kliu05YIOw7aTjo1HTV1Z26dz16AWlzz0SNutBkzL2VdKySAGeNqSmH6aNWVBm0KicCybXY9YOninnhpQwVMDyg/s200/Writing1.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>

Children and Young People's Writing

The National Literacy Trust has just published Children and Young People's Writing , a new report which looks at data from its annual l...

5:07 AM

The Early Years: an International Perspective

Tonight's #EYTalking topic on Twitter (see <a href="http://bcftcschildhoodeducation.blogspot.co.uk/2012/12/eytalking.html" target="_blank">previous post</a> for details) is all about sharing ideas and suggestions on what an international e-portal devoted to early years might look like. This follows a <a href="http://www.leyf.org.uk/blog/welcome-to-the-institute-of-early-years-a-global-portal-connecting-ey-colleagues-help-us-shape-it-to-meet-your-interests/" target="_blank">recent post</a> on June O'Sullivan's blog outlining the reasons why such a site would be useful. So today's post attempts to draw together some of the most useful existing sites and recent reports to help you learn about early years practices from an international perspective. You could do a lot worse than starting with the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. This is the most widely ratified human rights convention in history, and can be accessed online either in <a href="http://www.unicef.org.uk/Documents/Publication-pdfs/UNCRC_PRESS200910web.pdf" target="_blank">full text</a>, or a <a href="http://www.unicef.org.uk/Documents/Publication-pdfs/UNCRC_summary.pdf" target="_blank">summary version</a> is also available. You may also want to look at a UNICEF study from last year, which studied how the Convention has been <a href="http://www.unicef.org.uk/Documents/Publications/UNICEFUK_2012CRCimplentationreport.pdf" target="_blank">legally implemented in 12 countries</a>. Looking at the topic from a European perspective for a moment, the Eurydice website has a <a href="https://webgate.ec.europa.eu/fpfis/mwikis/eurydice/index.php/Early_Childhood_Education_and_Care" target="_blank">page devoted to Early Childhood Education and Care</a> which will give you some basic information on the early years setup in 36 different countries. On a similar note, the organisation has information on <a href="http://www.nfer.ac.uk/shadomx/apps/fms/fmsdownload.cfm?file_uuid=3B48895C-E497-6F68-A237-BCD7AB934443&siteName=nfer" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Compulsory Age of Starting School in European Countries</a>. Still on a European note, earlier this year the European Commission published a report entitled <span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><a href="http://ec.europa.eu/justice/gender-equality/files/documents/130910_egge_out_of_school_en.pdf" target="_blank">Childcare Services forSchool Age Children: a Comparative Review of 33 Countries</a>, and their 2009 report - <span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><a href="http://eacea.ec.europa.eu/about/eurydice/documents/098EN.pdf" target="_blank">Tackling Social and Cultural Inequalities through Early Childhood Education and Care in Europe</a> - may also be of interest. <span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Looking further afield, the International Bureau of Education recently published a fantastic resource entitled <span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><a href="http://www.ibe.unesco.org/fileadmin/user_upload/Documentation/Alerts/ECCE2013.pdf" target="_blank">Early Childhood Care & Education and the Curriculum: a List of Resources</a>, which pulls together links to all sorts of early years documents from around the globe. The OECD also has a page devoted to <a href="http://www.oecd.org/edu/school/" target="_blank">Early Childhood and Schools</a>, and its series of reports entitled <a href="http://www.oecd-ilibrary.org/education/quality-matters-in-early-childhood-and-education_22269673" target="_blank">Quality Matters in Early Childhood and Care</a> should also be of interest. The <a href="http://www.bernardvanleer.org/" target="_blank">Bernard van Leer Foundation</a> website is another place worth visiting for information on all sorts of childhood issues. <span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"> <span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">There have been quite a few reports from various other organisations over the last few years which could also prove interesting. It might just be easier if I list these! <ul><li><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">DfE (2013) <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/212564/DFE-RR269.pdf" target="_blank">A Comparison of International Childcare Systems</a></li><li><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">International Initiative for Impact Evaluation (2013) <a href="http://www.3ieimpact.org/media/filer/2013/09/10/wp_20.pdf" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Quality Education for All Children? What Works in Education in Developing Countries</a></li><li><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Scottish Government (2013) <a href="http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Resource/0041/00416230.pdf" target="_blank">Early Childhood Education and Care Provision: International Review of Policy, Delivery and Funding</a></li><li><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Economist Intelligence Unit (2012) <a href="http://www.lienfoundation.org/pdf/publications/sw_report.pdf" target="_blank">Starting Well: Benchmarking Early Education Across the World</a></li><li><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">DECET (2012) <a href="http://www.decet.org/fileadmin/decet-media/publications/Diversity-and-Social-Inclusion.pdf" target="_blank">Diversity and Social Inclusion: Exploring Competences for Professional Practice in Early Childhood Education and Care</a></li><li><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">CfBT (2010) <a href="http://cdn.cfbt.com/~/media/cfbtcorporate/files/research/2010/r-integrated-childrens-services-2010.pdf" target="_blank">An International Perspective on Integrated Children’s Services</a></li></ul><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">If you know of any useful websites or reports that I've missed, please share them with other readers by leaving a comment at the bottom of this post. You can also look at all previous posts on this site relating to international issues by clicking on 'International Resources' in the Hot Topics menu on the right-hand side of this page. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1tzCYXq3vpbjZH_Jp5H9VZIipbyOUQ8NQ8zXRMycA9gYNsfu0BGdS_V1PArSW7u-ty-D-tvqHYhTFEyKKatXIsXCzHbhBMkZMUq_gm-92f5EKvIXO5yOKpdcIB3PrLh8URydwVK_LLg/s1600/BlogPic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1tzCYXq3vpbjZH_Jp5H9VZIipbyOUQ8NQ8zXRMycA9gYNsfu0BGdS_V1PArSW7u-ty-D-tvqHYhTFEyKKatXIsXCzHbhBMkZMUq_gm-92f5EKvIXO5yOKpdcIB3PrLh8URydwVK_LLg/s200/BlogPic.jpg" width="150" /></a></div><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">

The Early Years: an International Perspective

Tonight's #EYTalking topic on Twitter (see previous post for details) is all about sharing ideas and suggestions on what an internation...

9:35 AM

Anti-Bullying Week

Anti-Bullying Week

Next week (18-22 November) is Anti-Bullying Week , an annual event established by the Anti-Bullying Alliance . If you've got an interest...

8:03 AM

Children's Centre Census 2013

Children's Centre Census 2013

Yesterday the 4Children charity published Children's Centre Census 2013 . This document tries to present a detailed picture of the curr...

8:47 AM

The Impact of Fostering

An interesting new publication from the University of Oxford examines an area that perhaps rarely receives attention. <a href="http://reescentre.education.ox.ac.uk/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/ReesCentreReview_ImpactOfFosteringOnCarersChildren.pdf" target="_blank">The Impact of Fostering on Foster Carers’ Children</a> argues that when foster children enter a new family, it is in fact the whole of the host family that fosters, and so the existing children of the foster parents also have an important role to play in this process. The research was carried out by <a href="http://reescentre.education.ox.ac.uk/" target="_blank">The Rees Centre for Research in Fostering and Education</a>, which has also released several other freely available reports. For further reading on fostering, <a href="http://bcftcschildhoodeducation.blogspot.co.uk/2011/05/foster-care-fortnight.html" target="_blank">this previous post</a> contains a number of suggestions (most of the links still work!), or you may want to look at the NFER's 2012 report: <a href="http://www.nfer.ac.uk/nfer/publications/LGFR01/LGFR01.pdf" target="_blank">The Experiences of Fostering and Adoption Processes: the Views of Children and Young People</a>.

The Impact of Fostering

An interesting new publication from the University of Oxford examines an area that perhaps rarely receives attention. The Impact of Fosterin...

7:32 AM

International Reports

3 separate recently published international reports have popped up in my feeds today, which seems as good an excuse as any for a themed blog post. <ul><li>The European Commission has published <a href="http://ec.europa.eu/justice/gender-equality/files/documents/130910_egge_out_of_school_en.pdf" target="_blank">Childcare Services for School Aged Children</a>, which compares provision across 33 different countries.</li></ul><ul><li> On a similar note, the Commission has also recently updated <a href="http://eacea.ec.europa.eu/education/eurydice/documents/facts_and_figures/education_structures_EN.pdf" target="_blank">The Structure of the European Education Systems</a>, which provides an easy to view breakdown of the different systems in use across the continent.</li></ul><ul><li> The International Initiative for Impact Evaluation has just published <a href="http://www.3ieimpact.org/media/filer/2013/09/10/wp_20.pdf" target="_blank">Quality Education for All Children? What Works in Education in Developing Countries</a>.</li></ul> If you're interested in international children's issues, other recent reports which may interest you include the DfE's <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/212564/DFE-RR269.pdf" target="_blank">A Comparison of International Childcare Systems</a>, the OECD's <a href="http://www.oecd.org/edu/eag2013%20%28eng%29--FINAL%2020%20June%202013.pdf" target="_blank">Education At a Glance 2013</a>, and UNICEF's <a href="http://www.unicef.org/sowc2013/files/SWCR2013_ENG_Lo_res_24_Apr_2013.pdf" target="_blank">The State of the World's Children 2013</a>.

International Reports

3 separate recently published international reports have popped up in my feeds today, which seems as good an excuse as any for a themed blog...

3:38 AM

They Took Us to the Sea

They Took Us to the Sea

If you have 25 minutes to spare, today's post is a real treat. Below is They Took Us to the Sea , a charming but also very moving 1963 f...

2:04 AM

EYFS Results

EYFS Results

Today sees the release of the first set of results for the new Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) Profile, which was introduced in Septembe...

2:13 AM

The Right to Play

The Bernard van Leer Foundation (see <a href="http://bcftcschildhoodeducation.blogspot.co.uk/2012/11/bernard-van-leer-foundation.html" target="_blank">previous post</a> for details)has just published the latest edition in its Early Childhood in Focus series. The new publication is entitled The Right to Play, and contains "short summaries of theory, research and policy issues that can inform the implementation of Article 31 of the UN Convention on Children's Rights" - <a href="http://bernardvanleer.org/The-Right-to-Play?pubnr=1849&download=1">click here</a> to read it in full. I have also just noticed that the Foundation's magazine Early Childhood Matters now has its <a href="http://www.earlychildhoodmagazine.org/" target="_blank">own dedicated website</a>, where you can read articles for free. The magazine has an international focus, and one item that caught my eye was a <a href="http://vps.earlychildhoodmagazine.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/4-ECMnr120_A-Vygotskian-perspective.pdf" target="_blank">recent article</a> about Vygotsky and child development - very useful if you're currently learning about theorists...

The Right to Play

The Bernard van Leer Foundation (see previous post for details)has just published the latest edition in its Early Childhood in Focus serie...

3:40 AM

Investing in Our Future

Investing in Our Future

A common theme of research reports on early years education is the impact that such programmes have on the child in later life. Now another ...

3:19 AM

Early Years Foundation Stage Handbook 2014

Early Years Foundation Stage Handbook 2014

The DfE has just published the latest version of the Early Years Foundation Stage Handbook . This is designed to support early years practit...

4:55 AM

Ofsted Social Care Annual Report

Ofsted Social Care Annual Report

Today sees the publication of Ofsted's first Social Care Annual Report . The report has already made headlines for concluding that child...

3:17 AM

Free Research Seminar

Free Research Seminar

I don't usually promote training events on this site, but this one's free and local so... On Tuesday 5th November the Centre for Res...

5:51 AM

Early Years / Education Blogs

A few years ago I did a mini-research project about Web 2.0 with our undergraduate students. One of the questions on the survey was "Do you find your subject blog [that's this site!] useful?" I was delighted that almost every student answered 'yes'. But then the next question asked "Do you read other blogs?", and almost every student replied 'no'. When I spoke to a few of the respondents about this, the general response was essentially 'most blogs aren't up to much.' Whether you agree with that statement or not, it seems a shame to dismiss so many websites so easily - a few years ago the <a href="http://technorati.com/" target="_blank">Technorati</a> website used to have a tagline which read "55 million blogs, some of them MUST be good." <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFBGPHUs2OOA87V6equ_WKz8BpOgS1cxKFQ_W0wDtxdCWnrQSrH6GujFvR3Y0fbSbYNaSQTrq0xEXm1APMIaYTY2zizR1i6Q8ZF37r5f63_TtYdk7tX_kApzTRQqxBK2s4ezbO2FobjQ/s1600/Blog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" height="100" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFBGPHUs2OOA87V6equ_WKz8BpOgS1cxKFQ_W0wDtxdCWnrQSrH6GujFvR3Y0fbSbYNaSQTrq0xEXm1APMIaYTY2zizR1i6Q8ZF37r5f63_TtYdk7tX_kApzTRQqxBK2s4ezbO2FobjQ/s200/Blog.jpg" title="" width="200" /></a>So today's post contains some links to a selection of early years / education blogs that I think are worth looking at, and they come in all shapes and sizes. One of the best things about having a blogging space is that its content is only limited by your imagination. So while some of the sites here are full of personal opinions, others take a more detached view of professional issues; some are quite academic in tone, while others are more light-hearted; some provide practical advice and tips for practitioners, others document class activities for parents and other family members. And if you run out of inspiration, you can always invite someone else to write a guest blog on your site. If you can think of a topic, there's probably a blog for it! The list below is really only a tiny snapshot of the useful blogs out there, but should give you a flavour of the sort of information that's available. So without further ado: <a href="http://www.communitycare.co.uk/blogs/childrens-services-blog/" target="_blank">Children's Services Blog</a> - information on social care, children and families from Community Care <a href="http://www.rosendale.cc/?page_id=15" target="_blank">Class Blogs at Rosendale Primary School</a> - documenting learning through blog posts <a href="http://www.earlylearninghq.org.uk/blog/" target="_blank">The ELHQ Blog</a> - teaching resources and practical advice articles <a href="http://suecowley.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">Freeing the Angel</a> - personal reflections on education and classroom issues <a href="http://thefullmontessori.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">The Full Montessori</a> - personal reflections and practical information on Montessori education <a href="http://mr-shrek.blogspot.co.uk/" target="_blank">Identity Crisis? No, I'm a Nursery Teacher!</a> - reflections on classroom activities <a href="http://juliangrenier.blogspot.co.uk/" target="_blank">Inside the Secret Garden</a> - discussion of various early childhood and care issues <a href="http://www.kathybrodie.com/" target="_blank">Kathy Brodie</a> - personal and professional reflections on various early years issues <a href="http://laurachildcare.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">LauraChildcare</a> -  personal and professional reflections on various early years issues <a href="http://nosuchthingasbadweather.blogspot.co.uk/" target="_blank">Learning for Life</a> - reflections and photos of creative play activities <a href="http://www.leyf.org.uk/blog/" target="_blank">London Early Years Foundation Blog</a> - personal and professional reflections on various early years issues <a href="http://newteachersblog.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">New Teacher's Blog</a> - reflections on teacher professionalism <a href="http://rethinkingchildhood.com/" target="_blank">Rethinking Childhood</a> - thoughts on outdoor play / education and risk in early childhood <a href="http://technologyinearlychildhood.com/" target="_blank">Technology in Early Childhood</a> - using technology in kindergarten and preschool classrooms <a href="http://tracyseed.blogspot.co.uk/" target="_blank">Tracy Seed</a> - personal and professional thoughts on training and development in education and early years If all this gets you interested in starting your own blog, from my experience there's a couple of things you should bear in mind. First of all, ask yourself what you want to achieve with it - if you just start a blog because you feel you ought to, you're not likely to keep it up for long, and there's no 'hook' to keep readers coming back for more. Also, remember to post often - again, if you're not providing a regular stream of new material, there's little reason for people to visit your site regularly. Finally, if you know of a really excellent early childhood / education blog, please share it with other readers of this site by leaving a comment below (Rule Number 3 of blogging - only a fraction of site visitors ever leave comments!). I'd love to get a good response so that I can put together a further list of great blogs for a future post on here.

Early Years / Education Blogs

A few years ago I did a mini-research project about Web 2.0 with our undergraduate students. One of the questions on the survey was "Do...

9:13 AM

Too Young to Fail

Too Young to Fail

A new report from Save the Children examines how children from low-income families can be affected by falling behind in school from a young...

2:06 AM

1940s Childhood

3 videos for the price of one today... Below are some film clips from the <a href="http://film.britishcouncil.org/british-council-film-collection/about-the-collection" target="_blank">British Council Film Collection</a>, each depicting different aspects of children's lives in the 1940s. If you enjoy these, there are plenty of similar clips on this site - just click on the 'Educational Films' link in the Hot Topics menu on the right of the page. You may also be interested in a previous post entitled <a href="http://bcftcschildhoodeducation.blogspot.co.uk/2013/02/historical-childhoods.html" target="_blank">Historical Childhoods</a>. <iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="375" mozallowfullscreen="" src="//player.vimeo.com/video/45868330" webkitallowfullscreen="" width="500"></iframe> <a href="http://vimeo.com/45868330">Child's Play - Life in the 1940s</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/user10739281">British Council Film</a> on <a href="https://vimeo.com/">Vimeo</a>. <iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="375" mozallowfullscreen="" src="//player.vimeo.com/video/52555811" webkitallowfullscreen="" width="500"></iframe> <a href="http://vimeo.com/52555811">A 1940s Childhood - In Wartime</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/user10739281">British Council Film</a> on <a href="https://vimeo.com/">Vimeo</a>. <iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="375" mozallowfullscreen="" src="//player.vimeo.com/video/52552461" webkitallowfullscreen="" width="500"></iframe> <a href="http://vimeo.com/52552461">A 1940s Childhood - In Peacetime</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/user10739281">British Council Film</a> on <a href="https://vimeo.com/">Vimeo</a>.

1940s Childhood

3 videos for the price of one today... Below are some film clips from the British Council Film Collection , each depicting different aspects...

2:20 AM

School Readiness

School Readiness

A common theme of many reports and debates this year has been the subject of at what age children should start school, or what sort of provi...

9:25 AM

Finding Information for your Dissertation

It’s that time of year again when final year students flood into the library asking questions about finding information for their dissertations. Actually the same concerns tend to crop up every year, so here’s a few answers to some of the most common enquiries: <ul><li>Do try to read as much as possible, as soon as possible, in relation to the topic you have in mind. Many students worry that until they’ve got a fixed title, they might waste time reading the ‘wrong’ material. It is true that you might not end up directly using everything that you read in the early stages, but it all increases your knowledge of the topic you’re looking at. </li></ul><ul><li> One of the most common comments heard at this time of year is, "I'd like to research this topic, but I'm not sure that there's enough information available." While your tutor will be the person to speak to with regards to selecting your final title, I can assure you that it's incredibly rare for anyone to pick a topic which cannot be studied due to a lack of relevant information or research.</li></ul><ul><li>That said, consider what you already know from your course before selecting a topic. Some students will say “I know that this topic hasn’t really been researched so I’m going to look at it.” You may well be able to write your dissertation on your chosen area, but if it really is a brand new area for study then it’s going to make your literature review harder. </li></ul><ul><li>Be wary of writing a dissertation about the latest piece of technology being used in schools or nurseries. While you might see the item being mentioned a lot in magazines or newspapers, the length of time required to carry out detailed research and get it published means that you’re unlikely to find much in the way of relevant ‘academic’ research. </li></ul><ul><li> Don't have access to a particular article which sounds really useful? Have a look to see if the author has written other pieces on the same topic – often you will find that they have published similar items in different journals, some of which you may have access to. Or you can always ask your library to order an item in for you, for a small fee.</li></ul><ul><li>Don't automatically discount articles published outside of the UK. If you are writing (for example) a dissertation about the National Curriculum or legislation, then naturally you’ll need something ‘local’. But if you’re writing more widely about (for example) child development, the fact that the articles you’ve found are from the USA is not necessarily a problem – two year olds in America are not so different from two year olds in England. </li></ul><ul><li>Do get in the habit of writing down all your references as you go along – it’s amazing how many students use several quotes from the same source, then find that a few months later, when they’re getting ready to submit their work, they don’t have the details to hand. Spending 30 seconds on getting the referencing details down can save you so much trouble later on.</li></ul><ul><li> And finally… Use the library! This should be an obvious one, but however good you are at finding information on Google, your library will contain both print and online information that won’t be freely available on the Web. And it has staff who can help you access that information quickly and easily.</li></ul>There are of course many other aspects of writing a dissertation, which your tutor will be able to advise you on. But you may also find the following articles useful: <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/education/mortarboard/2012/may/02/dissertation-top-ten-tips" target="_blank">Ten Things I Wish I'd Known Before I Started my Dissertation</a> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/education/series/dissertation-dos-and-don-ts" target="_blank">Dissertation Dos and Don'ts</a>  (A series of articles on different aspects of writing your dissertation) Good luck! <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/foxcitiesbookfestival/4557307607/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="Students at Work by Fox Cities Book Festival, on Flickr"><img alt="Students at Work" height="240" src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3395/4557307607_a1c8c63b39.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>

Finding Information for your Dissertation

It’s that time of year again when final year students flood into the library asking questions about finding information for their dissertati...

6:59 AM

1940s English School

1940s English School

It's a slow news day and there haven't been any film clips on this site for a while, so take a look at the below. It's a 1940s v...

6:40 AM

Centres of Excellence?

Centres of Excellence?

A new report from the Policy Exchange think tank looks at how Children's Centres are coping with the cuts that have hit the public sect...

3:09 AM

Best Practice for Schools

Best Practice for Schools

This week the CfBT Education Trust has published a series of reports that may be of interest to readers of this site, particularly if you...

8:01 AM

When Should Children Start School?

There are currently a lot of headlines and a lot of noise on social networks relating to a letter which has appeared in today's Telegraph newspaper. The letter, which is signed by 127 childcare experts (<a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/comment/letters/10302844/The-Government-should-stop-intervening-in-early-education.html" target="_blank">click here</a> to read it), calls on the government to alter its approach to early years policy, and move away from plans to test children at a young age. Further headlines have been generated by the <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-24058227" target="_blank">government's response to the letter</a> as "misguided". Wherever you stand on this argument, there's certainly a big debate now going on! The letter forms part of the launch for <a href="http://www.toomuchtoosoon.org/" target="_blank">Too Much, Too Soon</a>, a campaign from the Save Childhood Movement (see <a href="http://bcftcschildhoodeducation.blogspot.co.uk/2012/06/save-childhood.html" target="_blank">previous post</a> for details). Their call for less emphasis on formal learning in the early years is not a new one - to give just one example, back in 2007 the Professional Association for Teachers suggested that the age at which children start school should be <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/6925642.stm" target="_blank">raised to six or seven</a>. As you might expect, there is some information and research freely available on this topic. <a href="http://www.nfer.ac.uk/shadomx/apps/fms/fmsdownload.cfm?file_uuid=3B48895C-E497-6F68-A237-BCD7AB934443&siteName=nfer" target="_blank">This table</a> lists the compulsory starting age of starting school in European countries (correct as of January 2013) so that you can see how the UK compares to other places. You can also get more detail about the early years curriculums of the different countries by looking at their individual entries on the <a href="http://eacea.ec.europa.eu/education/eurydice/eurypedia_en.php" target="_blank">Eurypedia website</a>. For actual research on the effects of starting school early, there's a 2011 briefing paper entitled <a href="http://www.niassembly.gov.uk/Documents/RaISe/Publications/2011/Education/9711.pdf" target="_blank">Arguments on the School Starting Age</a> which should be of interest. On a similar note (although a little older), Caroline Sharp's 2002 paper entitled <a href="http://www.nfer.ac.uk/nfer/publications/44410/44410.pdf" target="_blank">School Starting Age: European Policy and Recent Research</a> is worth a read. It's also worth looking at the following 2011 document from TACTYC - <a href="http://www.tactyc.org.uk/occasional-papers/occasional-paper2.pdf" target="_blank">School Readiness: a Critical Review of Perspectives and Evidence</a> - or for a 'human interest' angle, try <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/education/2009/apr/21/early-years-education" target="_blank">this article</a> from the Guardian. This <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-22271466" target="_blank">BBC article</a> from April this year is also relevant. Of course, it all gets more complicated when you consider the fact that some children are effectively starting earlier than their peers as they are born in the summer months. <a href="http://www.ifs.org.uk/bns/bn122.pdf" target="_blank">Does When You Are Born Matter?</a> and <a href="http://www.cambridgeassessment.org.uk/images/109784-birthdate-effects-a-review-of-the-literature-from-1990-on.pdf" target="_blank">Birthdate Effects: A Review of the Literature from 1990-on</a> are two relatively recent research reports which deal with this subject.

When Should Children Start School?

There are currently a lot of headlines and a lot of noise on social networks relating to a letter which has appeared in today's Telegrap...

5:56 AM

New National Curriculum Framework

New National Curriculum Framework

If you're a teacher or trainee teacher, you're going to need to read today's post... The DfE has just published the framework fo...

8:53 AM

Teachers' Standards

Following a request from one of our new PGCE students yesterday, here's a <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/208682/Teachers__Standards_2013.pdf" target="_blank">link to the Teachers' Standards</a> which you'll need to familiarise yourselves with during your course. The Standards were initially introduced in September 2012, and revised in June of this year. Further relevant information about the Standards is <a href="http://www.education.gov.uk/schools/teachingandlearning/reviewofstandards/a00205581/teachers-standards1-sep-2012" target="_blank">available here</a>. Don't forget that you can read previous teaching related posts by clicking on 'Teaching' in the Hot Topics menu on the right of the screen. There is also a Teaching section on the Links page of this site. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3XcaSdWj7Y3PrWJs80QZocAzbfLvY6KBxoIM8yIk4_UioamOmBm6WiiZ-pM76IeIt19xW1zfKBR3gLAfS83jQVk80OCHE2m4VLgUHYo2leYdYTONdjgSnXuPkQ52G2JaNExpGzgrzQA/s1600/Teaching.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3XcaSdWj7Y3PrWJs80QZocAzbfLvY6KBxoIM8yIk4_UioamOmBm6WiiZ-pM76IeIt19xW1zfKBR3gLAfS83jQVk80OCHE2m4VLgUHYo2leYdYTONdjgSnXuPkQ52G2JaNExpGzgrzQA/s200/Teaching.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>

Teachers' Standards

Following a request from one of our new PGCE students yesterday, here's a link to the Teachers' Standards which you'll need to ...

2:42 AM

Breaking Barriers

Breaking Barriers

Breaking Barriers is a new report from the Children's Society which examines the impact of budget cuts on children's centres, and ...

5:39 AM

Early Years Outcomes

On a similar note to my previous post, the DfE has just published Early Years Outcomes, a piece of non-statutory guidance which sets out the various developmental milestones which a child might be expected to achieve during the first five years of their life. The document is intended for both practitioners and inspectors, but would also serve as a useful reference sheet for students - very handy if you're just starting your course! To view Early Years Outcomes in full, <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/237249/Early_Years_Outcomes.pdf" target="_blank">click here</a>. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8vSgWhLB4LKLoP5gO6PMi9PLFHF2-tz63ztuXoM26gLsqxkWdkqapzG8kn-f6RGm6GPA-LYx4A6g282t-Lf27qOiAbWXv7aCiSgI6YbChQYHu5WCyu5p93Xy-uv694GtABRumUPooGg/s1600/BlogPost.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="149" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8vSgWhLB4LKLoP5gO6PMi9PLFHF2-tz63ztuXoM26gLsqxkWdkqapzG8kn-f6RGm6GPA-LYx4A6g282t-Lf27qOiAbWXv7aCiSgI6YbChQYHu5WCyu5p93Xy-uv694GtABRumUPooGg/s200/BlogPost.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>

Early Years Outcomes

On a similar note to my previous post, the DfE has just published Early Years Outcomes , a piece of non-statutory guidance which sets out th...

2:16 AM

Universally Speaking

Universally Speaking

The Communication Trust has just released a really useful set of booklets which outline where children should be with their communication s...

6:11 AM

Requires Improvement

Requires Improvement

A new publication from the Centre for Social Justice examines disadvantage in the education system in England. Requires Improvement: The Ca...

3:29 AM

Greater Expectations

Greater Expectations

Last week the National Children's Bureau published Greater Expectations: Raising Aspirations for our Children . This is a detailed repor...

8:12 AM

Greatest Hits!

There's been very little to report in the last couple of weeks - perhaps all the policy makers and researchers are on holiday, hence the lack of new childcare and education reports. So before I go on my own break, here are links to some of the posts on this site that have attracted the most traffic over the last few months, in case you missed them the first time around: <ul><li><a href="http://bcftcschildhoodeducation.blogspot.co.uk/2012/09/support-materials-for-new-eyfs.html" target="_blank">Support Materials for the New EYFS</a> gathers up the important documentation practitioners need to know about. The post should also be read in conjunction with <a href="http://bcftcschildhoodeducation.blogspot.co.uk/2012/11/early-years-foundation-stage-profile.html" target="_blank">Early Years Foundation Stage Profile Handbook</a></li><li><a href="http://bcftcschildhoodeducation.blogspot.co.uk/2013/01/early-years-education-in-uk-brief.html" target="_blank">Early Years Education in the UK: a Brief History</a> points readers to the full text of influential early years and primary school reports on the Education in England website. The site also hosts the full text of the <a href="http://www.educationengland.org.uk/documents/warnock/index.html" target="_blank">Warnock Report</a>, which is a topic that generates regular enquiries</li><li><a href="http://bcftcschildhoodeducation.blogspot.co.uk/2013/01/childcare-provision-recent-history.html" target="_blank">Childcare Provision: A Recent History</a> is a post from January which gathers together policy documents on childcare from the last couple of years. As childcare has been in the news a lot in the last few months, you may want to see what's subsequently been published by clicking on the Childcare link in the Hot Topics menu on the right of this page</li><li><a href="http://bcftcschildhoodeducation.blogspot.co.uk/2013/04/childcare-in-france.html" target="_blank">Childcare in France</a> was written in April following Liz Truss' comments that the UK should attempt to adopt a childcare model similar to the French system. The post attempts to point readers to informative resources which will allow them to make up their own minds about the topic</li><li><a href="http://bcftcschildhoodeducation.blogspot.co.uk/2013/07/theorists-in-140.html" target="_blank">Theorists in 140</a> explains the series I've been tweeting over the last year, as well as the entire collection of links I've put together</li><li><a href="http://bcftcschildhoodeducation.blogspot.co.uk/2012/09/open-access-research-for-childhood.html" target="_blank">Open Access Research for Childhood / Education</a> contains details of high quality, free sources of information</li><li><a href="http://bcftcschildhoodeducation.blogspot.co.uk/2012/11/eyes-search.html" target="_blank">EYES Search</a> contains an explanation about the customised search box on the right hand side of this page, and why researchers might find it useful</li><li><a href="http://bcftcschildhoodeducation.blogspot.co.uk/2012/09/outdoor-play-learning.html" target="_blank">Outdoor Play & Learning</a> gathers together useful links on an incredibly popular topic for student dissertations. I've just noticed that a couple of the links it contains are now broken, I'll attempt to get these fixed in the near future</li></ul>Happy reading!

Greatest Hits!

There's been very little to report in the last couple of weeks - perhaps all the policy makers and researchers are on holiday, hence the...

6:37 AM