Physical development is one of the three prime areas of the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS), alongside communication and language and personal, social and emotional development. These three areas have equal status, are interdependent and together form the very heart of all learning and development. In this free extract from Alliance publication, Moving Right […]
By Rachel Lawler With the government releasing a list of employers caught paying their staff less than the minimum wage, we’ve had a look at the current rules to help you ensure that your setting is compliant with the rules. What is the new National Living Wage? The National Minimum Wage […]
This is a sponsored guest blog from our friends at Kompan Schools, sharing their top tips when planning a new or updated outside play area for your setting. Creating an outdoor play area is a considerable investment, so careful consideration needs to be taken before you embark on such a project. 1) Trust […]
Summer is here and the weather’s hotting up, so now is the perfect time to share some tips and inspiration for making the most of water play in your setting during the lovely warmer weather. In this guest post, Mary Horn, founder and director of Curious Fox Company, shares her suggestions on keeping water play activities […]
Rebecca Reilly-Cooper, senior policy officer at the Information Commissioner’s Office, clears up some common data protection myths in this piece, which originally featured in the Alliance’s membership magazine Under 5. The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) is responsible for regulating, advising and providing guidance on the new enhanced data protection laws, the General Data […]
This article originally appeared in the June issue of Under 5. These are good times to be working in the early years sector. The quality of provision is very high. The most recent Ofsted statistics show that more than nine out of 10 nurseries, childminders and others on the early years register were judged good […]
By Rose Luckin, Professor of Learner Centred Design and Director, EDUCATE London If technology has not made it into your pre-school setting yet, then it soon will. It’s not just about the whiteboard and the lone computer in the corner of the room. In the future, all children will be learning with hand-held devices, loaded […]
Ali McClure is a respected, experienced early years consultant who specialises on development in boys, learning and behaviour. Her unique workshops, delivered over the past two decades, support practitioners to improve outcomes for boys. We’re delighted that she will be running a practical session at the Alliance’s annual conference on the 1st June, titled Making it better […]
Childcare Expo Manchester is once again set to take over EventCity this June. If there is one show guaranteed to give you inspiration, this is it. Running over two days, 15 – 16 June, the third northern event promises a bumper agenda with a full exhibitor line-up, as well as a range of interesting […]
Jessica Gosling, founder of Step to Pre-school, has years of experience teaching in both the early years and primary schools, in the UK and internationally. In this blog, she talks about her differing experiences of working with both the early years and primary cirriculums, and how an understanding of child development and the EYFS can help […]
Mary Medlicott is a professional storyteller, storytelling trainer and storytelling workshop leader with over 30 years’ experience. In this blog for the Alliance, she explains the benefits of storytelling with young children, and how both practitioners and parents can help children get the most out of storytime whilst having fun and creating a stronger […]
Sonia Mainstone-Cotton, early years nurture and wellbeing trainer, and early years consultant, explains how you and your staff can take care of children’s mental health. This article orginally appeared in the Alliance’s Under 5 membership magazine. Wellbeing is a term we hear a lot when discussing adults and young people – but we don’t often think about […]
