---
title: Early Years Digest - 116 edition
description: Welcome to the 117th Early Years Digest. Every fortnight we provide a summary of some of the work published in the EY sector.
image: https://info.kindredsquared.org.uk/hubfs/EY%20Digest.gif
---

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# Early Years Digest

## 05 May 2026

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PRESS & MEDIA 

Dads push for better paternity leave - [Sky News](https://news.sky.com/video/dads-push-for-better-paternity-leave-13539472) 

Research to improve home learning environment for young children backed by £32m Government fund - [Nursery World](https://www.nurseryworld.co.uk/content/news/research-to-improve-home-learning-environment-for-young-children-backed-by-32m-government-fund%20 )

All Party Parliamentary Group for Early Education and Childcare closes after Conservative MP leaves-[Nursery World](https://www.nurseryworld.co.uk/content/news/all-party-parliamentary-group-for-early-education-and-childcare-closes-after-conservative-mp-leaves)  

Why teachers need a better guide to speech and language support - [Tes Magazine](https://www.tes.com/magazine/teaching-learning/general/how-can-schools-improve-speech-and-language-support) 

Dangerous baby-sleep advice given to parents by self-described experts, secret filming reveals - [BBC News](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/ce84e1vn1l2o)   

 

FEATURE STORIES  

Early years pioneers, part 5: Lev Vygotsky and Jerome Bruner – How children learn - [Nursery World](https://www.nurseryworld.co.uk/content/features/early-years-pioneers-part-5-lev-vygotsky-and-jerome-bruners-how-children-learn) The ‘Wait Until Ready’ Approach to Potty Training Is Under Fire - [Bloomsberg](https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-05-01/why-uk-guidance-is-shifting-on-potty-training?)  

The complex story behind rising suspensions in primary schools - [Tes Magazine](https://www.tes.com/magazine/news/general/rise-primary-school-suspensions-worries-school-leaders)

Why are so many schools making children learn on screen? - [The Guardian](https://www.theguardian.com/education/2026/may/03/why-are-so-many-schools-making-pupils-learn-on-screens)

English children more likely to own a phone than be "able to throw a ball" - [Centre for Social Justice](https://www.centreforsocialjustice.org.uk/newsroom/english-children-more-likely-to-own-a-phone-than-be-able-to-throw-a-ball-warns-new-report)

 

RESEARCH & POLICY DEVELOPMENT

 

POLICY BRIEF: Knots in the continuum - the tangled perspectives of Early Childhood Education in England - [Policy Brief ](https://policybrief.org/briefs/knots-in-the-continuum-the-tangled-perspectives-of-early-childhood-education-in-england/%20 )

GUIDANCE: Safer Sleep, [DfE with collaboration from the Lullaby Trust](https://help-for-early-years-providers.education.gov.uk/health-and-wellbeing/safer-sleep)

RESEARCH: From teddies to tablets: New global research reveals that digital devices are being used to comfort babies and parents, [1001 Critical Days Foundation and iADDICT ](https://www.1001criticaldays.com/article/screen-time-research?utm_campaign=Newsletter&utm_medium=email&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-83MZ9GhZW9nNUiaRP3cpRFmx0PnMNqJroVWi8zaWPNUqF04J8VvoNHLmtsg9_X_uIhomDXcnDAKeIhB7gOOuVSBYGS6CPLh0LWTemC5kYOy-rFpvw&_hsmi=2&utm_content=2&utm_source=hs_email)

REPORT:  Building Strong Foundations for Life - [OECD](https://www.oecd.org/en/publications/building-strong-foundations-for-life_02bf8efe-en.html)

WORKING PAPER: From Resources to Routines: The Importance of Stability in the Developmental Environment - [Centre on the Developing Child, University of Havard](https://developingchild.harvard.edu/resources/working-paper/importance-of-stability-in-developmental-environment/) 

BLOGS, WEBINARS & MORE 

RESEARCH TRIAL: EEF and NFER are recruiting Reception classes for an effectiveness research trial assessing the impact of OxEd Whole Class and NELI starting Autumn 2026! – more information [here](https://oxedandassessment.com/uk/whole-class/effectiveness-trial/)

EVENT: [Libraries Rising Hybrid Conference: Belonging from the Beginning,](https://librariesrising.org.uk/product/hybridmay-conference-2026) 12 May, Birmingham or option to join online.

EVENT: [Nursery World's Big Day Out,](https://www.nurseryworldsbigdayout.com/)15 May, London  

 JOBS 

Chief Executive - [YMCA Derbyshire](https://www.campbelltickell.com/ct-current-vacancies/chief-executive-ymca-derbyshire/%20 )

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