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The term "literacy" is used by some to simply describe reading and writing, but in fact literacy covers a much wider range of learning.

Literacy in the early years includes talking about books, print in the environment, early mark making and writing, as well as sharing books and reading. The statutory frameworks in England and Wales emphasise the fundamental importance of literacy and sharing books, and this page will be your helping hand to achieve that.

Literacy in your childcare setting

"From the day our children are born (yes), to the day they tell us to stop, we should read to them," says Michael Rosen (pg.39 Good Ideas How to Be Your Child's and Your Own Best Teacher).

Introducing literacy into your childcare setting doesn't have to be confined to the printed ink on a page.

Chatting away in funny voices as you flick through picture books, enjoying interactive eBooks together, listening to stories being told via video or audio and singing nursery rhymes can all spark communication and literacy learning. Essentially it is these ideas and questions the activities promote that create the foundation for developing reading and writing skills.

"A shared story between a child and a familiar, loved adult has a huge impact on children's interest and motivation for reading later on," says PACEY President, Penny Tassoni.

National Storytelling week

Once upon a time (15 years ago to be exact) the Society for Storytelling's National Storytelling Week was launched. Of course the art of telling a tale, spinning a yarn and using narrative skills goes back way before that.

National Storytelling week takes place each year and is a fabulous way to celebrate literacy in your childcare setting. Events take place in storytelling clubs, school, theatres, hospitals and theatres around the country. To find out what's going on in your area take at look at the National Storytelling events website.

We've rounded up a bunch of the best literacy tools around for childcare professionals. You'll find fun and educational children's books and a selection of favourites from Clickety Books and I CAN.

Discover a range of resources including practice guides about sharing books, videos about communication and partner activity sheets from the BookTrust and ICAN's Chatterbox Challenge amongst others.

Read along with Michael Rosen's video of 'Going on a Bear Hunt', and read our guest blog about early speech and phonics .

Free literacy resources for members

Here are a variety of materials, available free for members, including practice guides and factsheets, all of which support literacy learning and development.

Very Hungry Caterpillar Early Years Resource Pack - written by PACEY in conjunction with Puffin Books, this downloadable resource will inspire activities linked to the early learning outcomes in England and Wales, based on the much-loved book.

Literacy practice guide - a brilliant guide to help you think about supporting the development of literacy skills in children.

Supporting children's language development - A guide to help you support and understand children's language development for under and over 3s, and causes of communication difficulty.

Sharing books - A guide to help you think about sharing books with children, looking at why sharing books is important, creating a book friendly setting, sharing books from birth, encouraging book sharing at home and what children learn from book sharing.

Supporting children and families with English as an additional language (EAL) - A factsheet exploring how to support children and families with English as an additional language.

Routines - A factsheet that explores the benefits of routines in children's learning and development. Children can learn literacy skills from routines from learning vocabulary associated with time to reading about routines in books and through stories and rhyme.

Transitions - A guide that explores the different types of transitions that children go through, as well as how you can help children settle in well to your childcare setting.

Partnership with parents - a factsheet giving you information about working in partnership with parents, encouraging parents and carers to become more involved with their child's learning of literacy.

Blog: How a floppy-hatted scarecrow, a spider and a magic box can be your top tools for early literacy - Amanda Baxter from I CAN tells us her interesting top tips for early literacy and language development.

Telling stories video - A practice video that explores how to engage children in stories and the learning and development benefits they bring.

PACEY Live webinar: Stories and Poetry. The Michael Rosen Masterclass - Dive into the science and explore how words, storytelling and poetry support children's brain and emotional development

BLOG: The power of books and reading - Ben O'Donnell, Children's reading and creative literacy consultant, talks about the impact that books have had on his life and why books can be so powerful for children.

Storytelling videos

Author Michael Rosen performs the children's classic - We're going on a bear hunt:

Clickety Books storytelling- the YouTube channel from our friends at Clickety Books have a fantastic variety of clips from story books including Jake the Achy Snake, Tracy the Pacy Plaice and Corky the Squawky Hawk voiced by Rik Mayall and Ronni Ancona.

BookTrust - Book Start - I love stories and rhymes! - A short top tips video with the blue bears from Bookstart.

Free partner resources

We hope this page has been useful for developing the literacy learning in your childcare setting. We'll leave you with this quote from Michael Rosen that sums up the importance of literacy and empowering children with words:

"The feeling of entitlement about words is one of the most important platforms we can give children - whether that's for getting what they need from education of beyond."(pg.55)

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Take a look at our round up of helpful resources and links for support for literacy in the early years.

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Comparison of Te-Whariki and EYFS

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School readiness is always causing a lot of confusion for parents and often for childcare practitioners. School readiness is vaguely described in the foundation stage as "Children reaching a good level of development in the prime areas and literacy and mathematics". School readiness goes much deeper than this, a school ready child should be displaying many other characteristics.

Parents often believe school readiness is something that a child should be achieving before starting reception class, but this could be better described as ready for the school transition. School readiness should be displayed just before a child leaves the foundation stage to start year one. Although this is the case childcare practitioners still have an important role to play in supporting and promoting school readiness and s chool transitions.

Some of the expected characteristics that should be displayed by a child to show school readiness;

Independent in toileting

Able to dress themselves

Understands expected levels of behaviour

Confidence and self-esteem

Can take turns and share

Can sit still for a short period

Can separate from parents/carers

Communication and language skills needed to communicate needs and listen to others

Can actively learn and creatively and critically think

Some of these characteristics may be difficult for all children to achieve and this shouldn't leave parents or practitioners concerned that a child isn't school ready. The important thing is practitioners are aware of these characteristics and can put steps in place to ensure a child is developing the skills. Getting support and identifying any areas of weakness early is critical in ensuring the gaps are narrowed, and all children are given the opportunity to reach their full potential. Using documents such as progress summaries and tracking sheets will help identify any areas of weakness, as well as carrying out regular observations.

Many activities or experiences can be offered to children to help school readiness. Some of these include:

Encouraging a child to wipe their bottoms, using routine widget strips can be useful to remind a child of the necessary steps when toileting such as, toilet, wipe, flush, wash hands.

Encourage children to take off and put on own jumpers or cardigans; it can be easier and quicker to do this for them but supporting a child to do it themselves will help them to learn the skills needed to be school ready. This can also be done with putting on own shoes and socks.

Use golden rule charts to show children the expected levels of behaviour in the setting. Keep it positive and express the behaviour you would like to see rather than the behaviour you don't want see, i.e., we are kind to our friends instead of no fighting

Praise and encouragement, this should be done as part of every day EYFS practice, promote this further through sharing proud moments in learning journals that the children can see, allow children to display the work they are proud of on display boards rather than practitioners choosing what goes on there.

Play games, hold circle time sessions that are fun, share stories, sing songs and hold a show and tell sessions. All these will encourage communication and language development, turn-taking and listening skills.

Importantly share these with parents, so they are aware of other school readiness characteristics and not just EYFS outcomes and expected levels of development. Also, share with parents when exactly school readiness is expected by and ensure they don't confuse this with being ready for school transition.

School readiness is essential for development and determines a child's future outcomes so promoting these skills as early as possible is the best way to ensure every child gets the support they need to succeed.

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What is School Readiness? - Early Years Careers

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School readiness is always causing a lot of confusion for parents and often for childcare practitioners. School readiness is vaguely described in the foundation stage as "Children reaching a good level of development in the prime areas and literacy and mathematics". School readiness goes much deeper than this, a school ready child should be displaying many other characteristics.

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Hampshire County Council Position StatementSchool ReadinessJanuary 2013

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Hampshire County Council Position StatementSchool ReadinessJanuary 2013

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The phrase 'readiness for school', which is cropping up with increasing regularity in policy documents and ministerial pronouncements, is raising alarm bells in the early years sector.

Part of the problem is that there is no clear definition of the term and with both the Early Years Foundation Stage and the school curriculum undergoing reviews, the old certainties of what is to be expected of young children when they start school have been cast into doubt.

To one person, the phrase can mean the expectation that a child has the necessary social, language and emotional skills to manage the transition from reception to a play-based curriculum in year one; in the eyes of another, it can mean that a child has the specific literacy and numeracy skills to knuckle down to formal instruction in the 3Rs.

School readiness has been used by Labour MPs Graham Allen and Frank Field in recent reports on ending the cycle of child deprivation in the UK. They argue for a greater concentration of effort in the early years to give the most deprived children a better chance when they start school.

Meanwhile, the Government has announced that children will be assessed with new 'readiness for school' measures at the age of five, linked to the Early Years Foundation Stage Profile, although the DfE business plan proposal to publish EYFS profile results by school has just been abandoned. A reading test will be piloted this summer to check children's progress at the age of six, with a view to it being rolled out throughout England.

Early years experts are most alarmed when 'school readiness' is linked to literacy. Both Ofsted and education secretary Michael Gove have made it clear that there will be a rigorous approach to systematic synthetic phonics as the way to get children reading before six.
TRADITIONAL WAYS
'There is top-down pressure for this focus on readiness for school,' says Megan Pacey, chief executive of Early Education. 'It is not coming from the early years sector, where there is an awkward feeling about the whole phrase. It is particularly coming from the Secretary of State and one or two supporters. With phonics, there is a small vocal and very influential group.

'I think what the Government means about being ready for school is reading, writing and arithmetic, the 3Rs. We have gone full circle.

'There is frustration in the early years, as we would argue that the learning through play approach, building on skills in a fun-filled, more informal learning environment, not being strapped into desks, should go on from reception into year one and year two.

'Having children hitting five, being put into school uniform, wearing ties, sitting at desks, reciting by rote and doing phonics until they are blue in the face - that is our fear.'

Lesley Staggs, the first national director of the Foundation Stage, says there are indications that the EYFS review team see school readiness in terms of needing to have underpinning social, emotional and language development when children start school.

She says, 'The reality is, the message from the review of the national curriculum is that a much more traditional, subject-based curriculum will come kicking in at the beginning of the year, and that gives some clear signal about what school readiness is actually about.'

But when asked, wouldn't the views of Dame Clare Tickell and the EYFS review team hold sway with ministers? Ms Staggs says, 'As someone who has been there and done it, I can assure you there is no inevitability that someone will listen just because they have set up a review.

'What happens with the EYFS review "depends on where the power sits". Even in opposition, education minister Nick Gibbs was a vocal advocate of synthetic phonics.'

Kathryn Solly, head teacher of the renowned Chelsea Open Air Nursery School, points to the disparity between the UK and the rest of Europe in starting formal education.

'Children have never been pushed so early before. Look at rest of Europe and the rest of the world. We are already out of kilter, and now we are talking about reading tests at six.

'If you look at plants, the only way you can make them grow faster is by scientifically playing around with them. We are in danger of almost starting to scientifically manage children's learning and psychological development.

'In my darkest mood, the word abuse comes to mind. The right to childhood is evaporating. There will be some children who will not succeed in the reading test. They will be deemed failures. Failing at six? The paranoia among parents will be rife and children will be stressed and traumatised.

'We see children coming here who know their alphabet and can count but cannot wipe their noses, cannot wipe their bottoms and cannot play socially together.

'We have lost a generation of children who are being brought up by well-meaning parents who are only doing their best, but they have been guided down a pathway and we don't know where it is going to end. It is dangerous.'
INTERFERE OR INTERVENE
Even among the pro-synthetic phonics lobby there is disquiet at the dictatorial stance being taken by the Department for Education. Tom Burkard, director of the Promethean Trust, a Norfolk-based charity for dyslexic children, says, 'I would argue very strongly with the coalition Government's proposal to use Ofsted to tell schools how to teach children to read. Ofsted interference on teaching synthetic phonics is diabolical.'

But he approves of a reading test at six. 'The whole emphasis on the EYFS developmental milestones focuses teachers' minds on a child's limitations and what he or she cannot do, which is the wrong attitude. I believe the reading test at six years of age is crucial.

'Something that is well accepted in education is that early intervention is best. You need testing at six and not this attitude that they will catch up later. Children need to get an early intervention before they become totally disillusioned at school.'

But Megan Pacey disagrees. 'The reading test is symptomatic of this Government, which is talking about results rather than outcomes. There is a subtle but important difference between the two. It does not see that this is a learning journey and that children at that age develop at different rates. It is important to identify if there are any developmental delays, rather than to identify somebody who is developing but at a different rate.

'We test children younger than anywhere else in the world. This is very early to be having different grades and being put into some kind of league table as a school or individual child.'

Ms Solly adds, 'Not everybody learns to read and write in a silo. It has to be holistic. Children are individuals and there are many ways for them to learn to read and write.'

Dr Sebastian Suggate, a developmental psychologist and expert in language and reading development, also takes issue over the age at which children are taught to read in the UK. 'Governments, whether they realise it or not, rely on optimum age arguments whenever they set a curricula or set reading achievement standards. The optimum age assumed is therefore somewhere around four, an age that is internationally very low.

'I would argue that the optimum age to teach reading is determined by two factors. First, children need to have good language development, otherwise they won't be able to understand anything meaningful from what they read anyway. Second, they should be able to read when they need to be able to read, in order to further their learning.

'When one balances these factors, it is my opinion - and we do need more research here - that reading instruction in school could be delayed until children were around seven, perhaps a little earlier or later. Then the resources directed to developing early reading could instead be directed to supporting children, especially disadvantaged children, in other areas, such as providing meaningful language-rich environments.'
BIRTH TO FIVE
Early years experts agree that what young children need are language-rich environments and they hope Jean Gross, the Communication Champion, will influence Government policy.

Putting aside phonics, literacy and reading tests, Ms Staggs says a key issue she has with the phrase 'school readiness' is that 'while it is absolutely right that children arrive at school, whether it is nursery, reception or year one in the best possible place for them to be, it ignores the view that birth to five is important in its own right. It implies these first five years are all about getting you ready to start school. If we take that view, then the pressure will come down to start getting ready quicker.

'The approach should be to work at what we need to do for young children so that they will thrive and be able to get the best out of life. Then we make sure that at the point at which they start school, the school system is ready to take them. The notion that all children arrive at school at the same level is absolute nonsense.'

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Analysis: What does 'ready for school' mean?

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The phrase 'readiness for school', which is cropping up with increasing regularity in policy documents and ministerial pronouncements, is raising alarm bells in the early years sector.

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Working in partnership with parents is central to the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) in England and the National Minimum Standards for Registered Childcare (NMS) in Wales.

Here we've put together a round-up of all our resources to help support you as a childcare professional to confidently connect and engage with parents to encourage and develop children's learning.

Communicating with parents

It's important that parents and carers know you as their child's key person. It's your job to inform parents of their child's day and the progress their child is making.

Involve parents and carers from the very beginning transition period, along the way from induction, settling in, and daily chats, to sharing of resources, social events and information sessions. Check you have the correct parental permissions in place and secure a way of communicating that works for all of you.

Top tip: Be flexible in your approach to communication with parents. Think about how you might need to adapt to suit different parents, for example those with English as an additional language or a specific learning need. Also, make sure it's the right time to share information without having to rush off.

Building good relationships

Regular chats with parents are a really important opportunity for sharing information. Parents can often feel they're missing out on their child's day, so a few minutes chatting can be reassuring.

It's important to get them involved in their child's learning and development. You could do this through our learning journal and information sharing - for example including lyrics to a new song you've been working on, or a recipe you're planning to try.

"I make sure to fill it [the learning journal] with extension ideas that the parents can try at home" says Sue Asquith, Childminder.

Top tip: When building a relationship with parents you should consider the sensitive feelings of the parent and thinking carefully about how you communicate, particularly when you have difficult things to say.

"Tactful responses are also needed, for example if a child learns to walk whilst in your setting. A child's first steps are very important to parents, so I think about this and approach the subject with sensitivity." Karen Steer, Childminder

Extend children's learning

A good way to extend learning is to have resources that can be shared at home. We've developed a parents section and other resources to help ignite enthusiasm for this. Explore our:

How about taking the parents in your setting through our Sharing children's progress document? This breaks down the stages of development in an easy to digest way.

You can also find out more about:

Take a look at the Autumn/Winter 2020 issue of Childcare Professional page 49 all about exploring story sacks - a fantastic resource that can be shared with parents.

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Working in partnership with parents - spotlight on

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Check out our spotlight on working in partnership with parents.

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Again not UK, but worth a look.

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It's a USA website, so best not to quote from this.