Early Years Digest

Row of small children in art class at school sitting at a long desk drawing with colored pencil crayons, focus to a young girl in the foreground

The Independent - Affluent areas in England have ‘highest levels’ of childcare access – analysis

Affluent areas in England have the highest levels of childcare access, an analysis suggests. Households in areas with greater access to registered childcare places tend to have higher disposable incomes, according to Office for National Statistics (ONS) and Ofsted data. The analysis found “wide variation” in the potential level of access to registered childcare places across local areas in England in 2023.

The Guardian - Eight in 10 primary teachers in England spending own money to help pupils

Eight in 10 primary schoolteachers in England are spending their own money to buy items for pupils who are increasingly arriving at school hungry and without adequate clothing, according to new research.

BBC News - Toilet training and high anxiety - how schools are changing

Schools across the UK are under unprecedented pressure as they struggle to address a range of social issues unrelated to teaching. A group of schools in the West Midlands town of Telford illustrate the problems. Here, for a growing number of pupils, simply getting to school is an achievement in itself.

Nursery World Magazine - Oliver Steeper: Coroner urges DfE to strengthen nursery paediatric first aid requirements

Coroner Katina Hepburn has issued a Prevention of Future Deaths (PFD) report to the DfE following the inquest of nine-month-old Oliver who passed away in hospital after choking on food at Jelly Beans Nursery in Ashford, Kent in September 2021.

young man parent working on laptop computer at home office and take care of baby

The Independent - The UK has the worst paternity policy in Europe – here’s what that means for fathers

Childcare is shaping up to be one of the biggest issues of the election, says Katie Rosseinsky. With most fathers forced to return to work just a fortnight after their child is born, what actually needs to be done to make parenting more equal?

The Guardian - Children reading fewer, less challenging books, UK and Ireland study finds

The 2024 What Kids Are Reading Report surveyed more than 1.2 million pupils across the UK and Ireland, revealing a 4.4% decrease in the number of books read by pupils. According to the study, this decline in reading is “particularly acute” in secondary schools, and affects the difficulty of books being read as well as the volume.

happy child kids group have fun and play at kindergarden outdoor preschool education concept with teacher

Nursery World Magazine - New inquiry into play aims to give children back their childhoods

The Raising the Nation Play Commission has been launched by the founder of baby food brand Ella’s Kitchen, along with the Centre for Young Lives.The 12-month Commission will hear from experts in children’s play and wellbeing, as well as parents, children and young people across the country, to produce a report making recommendations for post-election government policy.

First steps in math education,childrens office

The Economic Observatory - How could the UK’s education system be reformed to equalise opportunities?

ine out of ten respondents to a recent UK poll by More in Common for the Sutton Trust agreed that it is important for young people to have equal opportunities, regardless of their background. While recent YouGov polling indicates that education is not top of all voters’ list of priorities in the 2024 general election, it is a priority among Labour voters. Within this group, it ranks seventh in terms of what they see as the most important issues in deciding their vote.

Close up of male hand putting vote into a ballot box, on grungy background

Money Week - Childcare policies: what the general election could mean for parents

As we race towards the 4 July general election, both major parties are handing out sweeteners to win votes. And it’s not just the grey vote that they are trying to charm. In recent weeks, Labour and the Conservatives have both announced a string of policies that could impact parents. According to the Office for National Statistics (ONS), 43% of all families in the UK have one or more dependent children. That is a significant portion of the population. Any party that can secure the mass support of parents is likely to see significant success at the ballot box.

Schools Week - A good start: Labour’s school nursery policy needs more detail

Nursery must be about more than just offering childcare and enabling parents to work. Sutton Trust research has shown that accessing at least 20 hours of high-quality early years education would help to close attainment and development gaps between children from low- and higher-income households. NEF analysis last year also showed that there would be significant economic returns from increasing access to early years education for children from low-income households.

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The Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) - The state of education: what awaits the next government?

Improving the educational outcomes of children and young people is an objective of political parties of all colours. This is important not only for young people themselves, but also for the economy – a better-educated workforce is a more productive workforce.

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The Centre for Progressive Policy - General election briefing: childcare and early years

Our research at CPP has long argued that childcare should be at the heart of an inclusive economy. It gives children safe, enriching learning environments, setting them up for success; helps parents back to work or study, supporting their financial stability; and ensures businesses have a reliable workforce and customer base.

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Crowd of children, different ages and races in front of the school, breaktime

UCL, Faculty of Education and Society - Broaden and balance the primary curriculum to foster children’s creativity and love of learning

To guarantee the future of primary education, a new government should prioritise children and teacher agency, widen the curriculum, and promote hands-on, experiential learning, recommends a new briefing paper from IOE, UCL’s Faculty of Education and Society.

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Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (U.S.A) - Science Update: Early childhood adversity may affect neurological and cognitive development, NICHD study suggests

Children exposed to early life adversity scored lower on neurological and cognitive tests than children who experienced minimal or no adversity, suggests an analysis by researchers at the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD). The authors called for further studies to develop interventions protecting children from the potential neurological effects of adversity.

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Portrait of a happy little girl in the park

Tech Explorist - Impact of heat and cold on early brain development

Brain scans of over 2,000 preteens demonstrate that early exposure to heat and cold can impact the white matter in their brains, particularly in underprivileged communities. This significant study, published in Nature Climate Change, underscores the vulnerability of fetuses and children to extreme temperatures.

Happy parents making home for kids in beautiful nature

Webinar: Aaron Bradbury & Tamsin Grimmer – Love and Nurture in the Early Years - Kinderly Learn (£5)

Wednesday 19th June 8:00-9:00pm - If ever there was a time for love and nurture it is now. Love and Nurture approaches are intertwined and impossible to focus on in isolation. In this webinar, Aaron and Tamsin will share ideas from their latest book Love and Nurture in the Early Years. They will touch on a few concepts from the book including: brain development and the science of nurture; the theory of love and nurture; how we can put these ideas into practice.

Surprised child reading a book with letters flying away from it isolated on grey wall background. Face expression. Education concept

Webinar: The power of a story: talking to young children about mental health - Anna Freud (free)

Thursday 27th June 4:30-6:00pm - Storytelling can be a powerful way to connect adults and children, introducing new ideas and concepts. We are proud to introduce our Early Years in Mind story and guide, Sometimes Happy, Sometimes Sad. There are many beautiful stories that follow themes of wellbeing, that are used by skilled educators, parents and carers who dissect these themes with children in their settings or in their care. Come and hear about how this story and guide came about, and how we hope that you can include it in your story time sessions with young children.

Book launch: "The Balancing Act: an Evidence Based Approach to Teaching Phonics, Reading and Writing" - Helen Hamlyn Centre for Pedagogy (online, free)

A resource that respect the professionalism of teachers by critically interrogating and discussing the interplay between reading policy, pedagogy and practice. The book provides an in-depth analysis of cutting edge thinking in and beyond education ion the teaching of reading and writing. Crucially, it links theory and research to detailed examples of practice.

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