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Learn how to support children who have an additional language. Including information on speaking with children, modelling clear concise English and working with parents.

English society is multilingual, with an estimated 360 languages spoken across the country.

Advantages of being multilingual

Research tells us that maintaining at least 2 languages is an advantage for later academic achievement. It's desirable for children who are potentially bilingual and multilingual, to be supported in all the languages available to them.

The role of parents and carers

It's better for young children to communicate with their parents in the dominant home language, especially if parents are not fluent English speakers themselves.

Children with English as an additional language may need more time settling in. This can be a cause of anxiety for the child. Sharing as much information about routines with the child's parents is always helpful and finding an adult to interpret will deepen dialogue.

Suggest to parents to talk to the child about the setting's routines at home. Children hearing music, songs and stories they would experience at home, in the setting contributes to settling in and values diversity.

Supporting children with EAL

Children with English as an additional language need to hear English spoken by the adults in the setting in as many different contexts as possible. When the context has meaning for the child they are more able to learn spoken English from the adult.

Your role is crucial in modelling the accurate use of English, noting the child's spoken vocabulary and building on what the child already knows.

Children will start to speak English and any other languages they may be learning, in different ways. Some children will enthusiastically copy what they hear around them right from the start. Children may start by verbalising single words and 2 or 3 word phrases.

More complex spoken language in English will build up over time, with your guidance, modelling English and recasting so that the child hears their speech repeated correctly.

Some children go through a silent period. This can be for as long as 6 months. When they start to speak in English it will be more proficiently than you may expect, even in full sentences. The child will have been listening intently to adults and children in the setting and once they are confident with their initial speech, they will speak far more.

It is good for children with English as an additional language to be able to speak their home language in the setting and talk to providers who speak the same language if there are any. This will further aid them in learning English. Most children adapt to speaking more than one language.

The security of knowing what resources will be available in each area, each day supports children's wellbeing and achievements in learning. Keep the provision consistent. Observing how the children respond will inform you when a change is needed. This may be to add something more, or a specific enrichment to extend the children's learning.

Consider whether the home area, images displayed and books in the setting, reflect the child's home environment. Include books, songs and counting in home languages. Take sequences of photographs to show the child specific routines, such as, what happens at the snack table, how to tidy away the construction toys and a visual timetable of the session. Over time the setting becomes a secure place for the child and they gain confidence in their play and interactions.

Revisiting and re-proposing are beneficial for all children but especially for those acquiring English.

Revisiting means you draw the child's attention to previous activities and learning where they have achieved. A prompt could be a photograph or video of them playing. It could be a sample of their mark making, a painting or a collage picture. The child can revisit by drawing over the top, and the adult sensitively describes their actions as they do this. In this way the child hears spoken language directly connected to their actions.

Re-proposing is when you scribe a child's spoken dialogue and on the following day remind the child of their words. This is a launchpad for the child to either repeat what they said before or to extend what was said on the previous day.

When exploring rhymes and songs make comparisons between words in English and in other languages. Older children who have grasped more than one language enjoy these opportunities. They love to play with words and translate from one language to another.

Helping children understand the setting

Consider having:

a visual timetable-introduced as it is happening

feelings or emotions picture cards so children can label their own and others emotions

photographs of areas, resources, peers and staff to support children to plan their session with an adult

story and song props used as often as possible

phonetically spelt key words in home languages to help you

Using clear, concise English

When talking to children:

say less and stress, go slow and show

be face to face

gain their attention first

demonstrate your meaning with actions

give thinking time without extra language input

Helping children to take part in activities

Consider these steps:

having layers of participation planned into activities, giving children time to watch what is going on.

using 'ladder steps', taking the child through one step at a time.

notice and value verbal and non-verbal communication.

Learning opportunities that are not dependent on the child's English language level

Consider the following:

experiences that are challenging and give language opportunities but not dependent on English language level

commenting and labelling rather than questioning to support learning. Introduce vocabulary in context

Using repeated phrases

You may want to think about familiar things to talk to the children about, such as:

story-telling with a clear introduction, consistent actions, props, physical acting out of stories, with or without words

teaching call and response playground games, for example, 'Say hello', 'How do you do?' 'Walking through the jungle', 'We're going to make a circus', 'Put your finger on your head'

Using information technology

You may find it helpful to use:

video clips and photos to share learning with group at review time

video clips and photos to share learning with parents and family

recordings of adults telling stories in the languages spoken by the children, including English

Real life experiences support children learning English because they hear spoken English in contexts that are increasingly familiar and meaningful to them. Children benefit from hearing well-loved songs, nursery rhymes, finger rhymes and stories as often as possible and with associated props.

Exaggerate actions to give meaning to the words. Re-presenting core stories in as many ways as possible encourages children to re-enact stories in small world and drama role play. Eventually children will use the language from songs and stories in their own speech ( communication and language and literacy). Visits to places and welcoming visitors into the setting are activities that support children in learning English ( understanding the world). Books made using photographs of the child and their family support the child in feeling valued ( personal, social and emotional development) as well encouraging the child to access books in the book area of the setting ( literacy).

Online resources

BBC Resources are full of ideas for rhymes and songs, materials are suitable for sharing with families.

BBC Resource explaining the benefit of speaking your home language with your young child.

Article about Cultural Capital including some practical ideas to help practitioners support and value children's cultures.

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Learn how to support children who have an additional language. Including information on speaking with children, modelling clear concise English and working with parents. English society is multilingual, with an estimated 360 languages spoken across the country. Research tells us that maintaining at least 2 languages is an advantage for later academic achievement.

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Assess, adjust, adapt – what does adaptive teaching mean to you?

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The EEF is an independent charity dedicated to breaking the link between family income and educational achievement.

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" We know how babies and children learn best. They learn best in an environment of quality interactions, interesting spaces and when the experiences on offer are set in meaningful contexts. They learn best in environments that inspire them to be curious and creative."
Realising the Ambition, Education Scotland

What is Playful Pedagogy?

Playful Pedagogy is a way of integrating children's play experiences with curricular learning, giving pupils the flexibility to find their own solutions to both new and existing problems. It engages children in personally meaningful activities, learning about themselves and others, and encourages autonomy and their independent motivation-to-learn.

Learning Adventures. Playful Pedagogy is facilitated by teachers by something we term a "learning adventure", the goal of which is to enable whole classes, and every individual child within it, to determine their own learning goals and pathways while remaining within the framework of the Early Years Curriculum. When a school takes the whole-team approach to playful pedagogy, this can be a Learning Adventure which involves everyone: pupils, teachers and parents.

Government-endorsed. As well as having an enormous weight of evidence to support it, the approach is strongly endorsed and supported by The Scottish Government's guidance and priority policy objectives, as articulated in Realising the Ambition (see resources at the bottom of the page).

This resource is for Headteachers, teachers and schools who wish to carry forward this vision of best practice and to teach better, develop their professional skills, and enjoy themselves more along the way.
The resource has three sections:

Why Playful Pedagogy gives an overview of the argument for the approach with links to some key resources, so you can be clear in your head and can explain to others why you are trying it out or intend to implement it as core practice.

Getting Started with Playful Pedagogy provides you with all you need to conduct your first Learning Adventure, and overview, a "how to" and a great case study by a P1 teacher who has been on that journey.

Playful Pedagogy across the school includes key considerations and resources on how to reorient your school culture and systems so as to enable best practice, without overburdening staff, and bringing pupils, teachers and parents on board the journey.
We hope you will find this of use to your practice. Those teachers and schools that dip their toe in, never tend to look back.

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What is Playful Pedagogy? Playful Pedagogy is a way of integrating children's play...

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Does primary school teachers’ perceived efficacy in classroom management/discipline predict their perceptions of inclusive education?

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Does primary school teachers’ perceived efficacy in classroom management/discipline predict their perceptions of inclusive education?

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Cell phones as ‘super props’: children’s language development in sociodramatic play

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Cell phones as ‘super props’: children’s language development in sociodramatic play

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Embracing uncertainty in research with young children by Dr. Liz Chesworth

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Embracing uncertainty in research with young children by Dr. Liz Chesworth

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The article discusses the uncertainties of interpreting the perspectives when conducting research about young children. It describes how research can use fixed approaches when they really need to be flexible so that they allow themes to emerge.

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Reflecting on reflexive analysis by Virginia Braun and Victoria Clarke

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Reflecting on reflexive analysis by Virginia Braun and Victoria Clarke

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In this recent paper, Braun and Clarke reflect upon them seminal paper from 2006 ad how they now approach thematic analysis.

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Pedagogy, Culture and Society  Balancing child-centred with teacher-directed approaches to early education: Incorporating young children's perpectives by Nikolay Veraksa, Sonja Sheridan and Yeshe Colliver

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Listening to Young Children in Early Years Settings A Practical Guide by Sonia Mainstone-Cotton.  Chapter 6 - Children's voice in Learning and Planning and Chapter 7 - Children's Voice in Redesigning Classroom and Outdoor Spaces might be useful to you.

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Listening to Young Children in Early Years Settings A Practical Guide by Sonia Mainstone-Cotton.  Chapter 6 - Children's voice in Learning and Planning and Chapter 7 - Children's Voice in Redesigning Classroom and Outdoor Spaces might be useful to you.

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Manchester Metropolitan University Login Service

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You are seeing this error message due to one of the following reasons: You used the Back button while browsing a secure web site or application You may have mistakenly bookmarked the web login form instead of the actual web site you wanted You did not sign in within 5 minutes of being presented with the login page Your browser is preventing cookies for this site (e.g.

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Listening to Young Children, Expanded Third Edition : A Guide to Understanding and Using the Mosaic Approach by Alison Clark and Peter Moss. Begin by looking at Chapter 1 - a framework for listening. 

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Listening to Young Children, Expanded Third Edition : A Guide to Understanding and Using the Mosaic Approach by Alison Clark and Peter Moss. Begin by looking at Chapter 1 - a framework for listening. 

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Manchester Metropolitan University Login Service

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You are seeing this error message due to one of the following reasons: You used the Back button while browsing a secure web site or application You may have mistakenly bookmarked the web login form instead of the actual web site you wanted You did not sign in within 5 minutes of being presented with the login page Your browser is preventing cookies for this site (e.g.

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Listening to children : being and becoming by Bronwyn Davies 

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Listening to children : being and becoming by Bronwyn Davies 

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Listening Skills for Staff.  Although the video is quite dated it will give you an ideas of some practical ideas of how to take notice of children in daily practice. 

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Listening Skills for Staff.  Although the video is quite dated it will give you an ideas of some practical ideas of how to take notice of children in daily practice. 

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Search streaming video, audio, and text content for academic, public, and K-12 institutions. Alexander Street is an imprint of ProQuest that promotes teaching, research, and learning across music, counseling, history, anthropology, drama, film, and more.

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Multimodal Literacies in Young Emergent Bilinguals Beyond Print-Centric Practices by Sally Brown and Ling Hao. This is a good book for early years, primary and LoTC.

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Search streaming video, audio, and text content for academic, public, and K-12 institutions. Alexander Street is an imprint of ProQuest that promotes teaching, research, and learning across music, counseling, history, anthropology, drama, film, and more.

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Thousands of parents are entitled to free childcare to support them to return to work after parental leave. Depending on how old your child is, you may be able to access between 15 and 30 hours free childcare a week. ...

England has some of the highest quality childcare provision in the world, with 96% of early years settings rated by Ofsted as good or outstanding. But we recognise that childcare is also one of the biggest costs facing working families ...

Hundreds of thousands more working parents will be supported through an extension of the free childcare on offer, more than doubling the current support in place. This will help mums in particular to stay in work and keep the economy ...

The first five years of a child's life are pivotal in their early learning and development High-quality early learning along with chatting, playing and reading at home provide the foundation children need to make the most of their abilities and ...

The Chancellor Jeremy Hunt delivered the Autumn Statement on Thursday 17 November setting out the Government's continued commitment to ensuring every child, young person, and adult can access world class education.

The early years of a child's life are vital, not only in establishing important developmental skills, but also in building a lifelong love of learning that will help them in school. Nurseries and childminders do vital work in helping children ...

Your child's education starts at home long before they enter the classroom. And even when they start nursery or school the home is where a significant amount of their learning happens. That's why it's really important to build a positive ...

During heatwaves it's important that everyone stays safe and makes sure they drink plenty of water and avoids being exposed to the sun for too long - this is especially important for children. We aren't advising schools to close ...

Schools, colleges, universities, and early years settings are getting ready to reopen after their Christmas breaks.

Education Secretary Nadhim Zahawi has written an open letter to education and childcare leaders on the return to education settings in 2022 and what it will look like.

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The Education Hub is a site for parents, pupils, education professionals and the media that captures all you need to know about the education system. You'll find accessible, straightforward information on popular topics, Q&As, interviews, case studies, and more.

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Best start in life part 1: setting the scene

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Best start in life part 1: setting the scene

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You might find the section on Curriculum and cultural capital interesting.

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Introduction

A high-quality early years education is vitally important. Children attend early years provision at a crucial developmental point in their lives. The education and care that they receive affects not only future educational attainment but also their future health and happiness.

This report is part of our series of subject-based curriculum research reviews. Our 2017 report 'Bold beginnings' and the more recent schools research reviews covered the Reception Year of the early years foundation stage ( EYFS), whereas this review focuses on the pre-school age range, from birth to 4 years. Its purpose is to support early years practitioners to raise the quality of early years education.

This review examines the factors that contribute to a high-quality early education. We explore literature relating to early years education, drawing on a range of sources, including academic and policy literature.

This review considers:

the early years context for children aged from birth to 4 years

staffing in the early years sector

the principles behind the early years research review series

early years curriculum and pedagogy

Subsequent reviews, to be published at a later date, will explore the EYFS 's 7 areas of learning. In all our reviews we will take into account that the areas of learning and development are interconnected. For example, planning a walk in the park to look at different types of trees may encompass shape (mathematics), local knowledge (understanding the world), new vocabulary (communication and language) and cooperation (personal, social and emotional development).

A high-quality early education can prepare children for success in their later education. During their early education, children begin to explore the building blocks of national curriculum subjects that they will go on to study. The 'Effective provision of pre-school primary and secondary education' study found that children who attended pre-school provision, of any kind, attained higher total GCSE scores than those who did not. The higher the quality of the pre-school provision, the higher the GCSE scores.

Importantly, preparing children for school and for learning separate subjects are not the only purposes of early education. Only preparing children for future study would be deficient, but so too would be early education that did not consider what children will go on to learn and do next.

Definitions

We have used the word 'setting' to mean any early years provision that children might attend between birth and the age of 4.

The words 'teacher', 'practitioner' and 'adult' are interchangeable. Our definition of 'teaching' is in the 'Teaching in the early years' section.

We use the term 'planning' to indicate the thinking and preparation that go into the curriculum. Our inspection handbooks make it clear that curriculum planning does not need to be in any specific format. It is up to providers to determine if and how they record their planning.

The early years context from birth to age 4

Early years education in different settings

The early education system up until the year of a child's fifth birthday comprises of a range of different providers, and provision has been developed and funded variably. Settings can be divided into 2 broad categories:

the maintained sector (nursery schools and nursery classes in schools)

the private, voluntary and independent sector (such as day nurseries and childminders)

Children therefore may be educated and cared for in very small groups, such as in a childminder's home, or in larger groups at day nurseries or maintained nursery schools. There are also differences in the ways settings are funded, and the expertise of staff. All of these factors mean that children could have different experiences in different types of setting.

Ambition for all

A high-quality early education is also important for pupils who have, or may have, special educational needs and/or disabilities ( SEND).[footnote 14] A case study of families of children with SEND in early education settings found that parents reported that the provision had a positive impact on their children. The most frequently reported benefits were improved social skills, greater confidence and more independence.[footnote 15]

There is also evidence that, by the end of the Reception Year in school, there is a gap between boys and girls from disadvantaged backgrounds: girls do not lag as far behind as boys. Boys who are eligible for free school meals are much more likely to fall behind in communication and language by the age of 5: in 2015, this was 38% of boys eligible for free school meals compared with a national average of 20%. The gender gap is the highest in more deprived areas.[footnote 18] These children are less able to access the curriculum and to articulate their thoughts and feelings. This can have a negative impact on their personal, social and emotional development.

These findings mean that it is important for early education providers to offer plenty of opportunities for all children to learn and practise speaking and listening.

Some children may need additional support because of the ongoing effects of COVID-19 restrictions. Although many early years settings remained open throughout much of the pandemic, and schools with early years provision for 2- and 3-year-olds were open to some children (such as those eligible for pupil premium and those with SEND), there have still been many challenges. For example, children and staff may have had multiple periods of self-isolation, and many providers had fewer children on roll after the first lockdown.[footnote 19]

Our research also found that providers were implementing several catch-up strategies. These focused on approaches to communication and language such as creating language-rich environments that emphasise interactions between adults and children. Providers were also supporting children with their personal, social and emotional development. For example, some childminders were forming networks and taking children to communal spaces so that they could socialise with each other.

Staff in the early years sector

The early years workforce

The early years workforce is large and varied. This is because of the 'split system' nature of early education, and means that practitioners may work as sole childminders, or in nursery settings and schools. Some provision is funded by the government; other provision is funded privately. The scope of the EYFS also means that teaching staff in maintained nursery schools, maintained nursery classes and reception classes are considered part of the early years workforce, although they work to school teachers' pay and conditions and hold qualified teacher status. This means that examining the early education workforce is a complex undertaking.

When examining the quality of provision in early years settings, researchers look at 'process quality' (children's experiences in the setting) and 'structural' quality (such as staff ratios and qualifications). These two aspects of quality are interlinked. For example, if staff have higher qualifications, then this leads to better outcomes for the child.[footnote 22]

The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development ( OECD) has produced several reports on structural quality of the early years workforce,[footnote 23]: identifying what the sector needs to do to recruit a high-quality workforce.[footnote 24]: They include:

promoting the status of jobs in early years

boosting the qualifications of early years staff

increasing the level of pay

Other studies have identified concerning findings about the early years workforce.[footnote 25] For example, a report by the Nuffield Foundation has described the early years workforce as poorly paid and undervalued.[footnote 26] The House of Commons Education Committee considers that barriers to progression for early years teachers should be removed in order to improve the recruitment and retention of a skilled, high-quality early years workforce.[footnote 27] Practitioners have reported that a positive team culture and inclusive, approachable managers were strong motivators for staff to stay in the workplace in the longer term.[footnote 28]

Ratios and qualifications

The EYFS statutory framework sets out rules that determine the ratio of adults to children in early education settings. Generally, the younger the child, the higher the adult-to-child ratio.[footnote 29] For children aged 3 and over, these ratios are also determined by the level of qualification that practitioners hold. For example, if a practitioner in a setting has a level 6 qualification, then the permitted ratio of staff to children is one staff member for every 13 children, compared with one staff member for every 8 children if staff have lower-level qualifications. The list of ratios and qualifications for different types of practitioners in different settings highlights the complexities of the 'split system' of early education before the Reception Year.[footnote 30]

In a small-scale study in England that looked at practitioners' views about quality, almost all participants thought it was important that adults working in early years settings were well trained. They also thought it was important that staff knew the children well enough to engage them in activities that interest them.[footnote 31] High staff turnover rates could therefore negatively affect the relationships between staff and children if it means that staff do not know children well.

In 2012, the Nutbrown Review highlighted that the qualification system for early years was ineffective and overly complex.[footnote 32] Many of the qualifications available did not produce a workforce with the knowledge and skills to provide high-quality early education. The review recommended that staff should hold level 2 qualifications in English and mathematics before they could achieve a level 3 early years qualification. This recommendation was implemented by the government, who made it a requirement for early years practitioners to hold GCSEs in English and mathematics. However, from 2017, this was amended to any level 2 qualification in English and mathematics, including functional skills qualifications. This was because the GCSE requirement resulted in a recruitment shortage; currently, 33% of the early years workforce do not hold either an English or mathematics GCSE.[footnote 33] Having a qualified teacher in an early years setting has the greatest impact on the quality of provision.[footnote 34]

Continuing professional development

Continuing professional development ( CPD) is also important for good-quality early years provision.[footnote 35] A 2021 study synthesised the findings from surveys of early years managers and practitioners about CPD.[footnote 36] The study noted that surveys that are carried out by sector organisations are the primary means of finding out what CPD is taking place in the sector, and that as a result there are gaps in what we know about CPD in the early years.

The study also found that many early years managers limit staff training opportunities to those that are mandatory (safeguarding, health and safety, and first aid). Where additional training is taking place, it is often focused on SEND or English as an additional language. One of the surveys examined in this synthesis, which was carried out by the National Day Nurseries Association, found that, in 2015, 39% of nursery managers reported that they could not afford to fund any non-mandatory training.

A further Education and Training Foundation study found that practitioners were keen to participate in professional development activities, but cost is a barrier to accessing CPD.[footnote 37]

CPD helps practitioners to understand the latest research or changes to policy.[footnote 38] The Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood recommends that practitioners should have easy access to the latest scientific research to inform their practice.[footnote 39]

There is evidence that access to CPD varies across the sector, and is poor in some cases. The Nutbrown Review recommended that a suite of online induction and training materials should be made available to practitioners across the sector. However, a recent Sutton Trust report noted that this has not yet been implemented.[footnote 40] This means that CPD is likely to be patchy and dependent on the approach taken by individual providers or local areas. There are several paid-for CPD courses advertised for the early years sector, some of which are offered by local authorities. However, in one survey of the sector, managers reported concerns that local authority CPD was pitched at a level aimed at inexperienced practitioners. This meant that ongoing support for professional development could be lacking.[footnote 41]

The principles behind our early years research review

This review now goes on to consider the principles that have shaped our research review, with a focus on curriculum (what is taught) and pedagogy (how it is taught).

There are many ways to construct and teach a high-quality curriculum that meets the requirements of the EYFS. Our schools subject research reviews have highlighted that there is no one way to teach a high-quality subject-based national curriculum.[footnote 42] Similarly, there is no single way to plan and teach high-quality early education. What matters is that leaders and practitioners have considered what knowledge they want children to learn and the order in which to teach it, as well as which methods are most effective for teaching. As providers face the challenge of helping children to catch up after COVID-19, they will need to think carefully about what content to prioritise, what to limit and what to leave out. By setting out the most effective ways to secure progress in each area of learning, our research reviews provide a set of guiding principles for leaders.

Establishing an evidence-based 'conception of quality' for each area of learning

We are committed to doing all we can to ensure that our inspections are reliable and valid, and to being a force for improvement.

Inspectors base their understanding of quality of education on the criteria in our inspection framework. We developed these criteria from our review of relevant research on education and from our own 3 phases of curriculum research.[footnote 43]

We have continued to improve our inspection practice by developing a well-evidenced view of what constitutes a high-quality education in each area of learning. We call this view the 'conception of quality'. It sets out principles, specific to an area of learning, that can be used to support the quality of education judgement. The principles do not specify what must be taught or how.

Selecting research

The reviews set out the research that has informed our conception of quality for each area of learning. This is not a systematic literature review. When selecting literature, we draw on research that aligns with the criteria for high-quality education, published in our education inspection framework ( EIF) and summarised in our 'Education inspection framework: overview of research'.[footnote 44]

This early years curriculum review focuses on research relevant to the areas of learning addressed in each section of the review. However, we will also look at general research on curriculum and pedagogy and any research on teaching, assessment, administrative systems and policies that is relevant to each area of learning.

As well as academic papers, the research review includes evidence from:

the Education Endowment Foundation

the Department for Education

large-scale international studies, such as the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA)

our own research and guidance

secondary evidence, such as teacher-authored blogs

Educational research is often contested. However, we hope that publishing the evidence base that we have used to develop our conception of quality in early years education will provide an insight into both the evidence we have used and how we have interpreted that evidence.

We have not tried to summarise all of the research about early years education. We have used several criteria to select the most relevant research, as explained below.

Filters we use to select research
An understanding that curriculum is different from pedagogy
In the EIF, we set out a conception of a high-quality curriculum. This is based both on our review of existing research and on our own curriculum research programme. Progress in curricular terms means knowing more and remembering more, so a curriculum needs to plan carefully for that progress by considering the building blocks and sequence in each subject. In contrast to some definitions of curriculum, we see it as different from (though of course connected with) pedagogy and assessment. Curriculum is about what teachers teach and when, and what children learn.
How children learn and cognitive science
In recent decades, we have seen a knowledge explosion in the field of cognitive science, which has given us a growing insight into how learning happens. This important body of work has informed our thinking in developing the EIF, and we believe it is necessary to take into account the way children learn to develop a high-quality curriculum. Unfortunately, some literature is based on outdated understanding, for example that children have different learning styles. We are therefore using alignment with cognitive science (as outlined in the EIF overview of research) as part of this filter.
Relevance to inspection
All of our research and evaluation work must be relevant to our role as a regulator and inspectorate. Relevance to the evaluation criteria set out in the EIF is therefore a key filter. This means that purely theoretical pieces are less likely to feature in our research reviews.
Relevance to areas of learning
We have applied the insights of cognitive science to the EIF, but the implications of these insights can vary in the context of each area of learning. Therefore, our research and reporting will be through the lens of areas of learning.
What achieves the aims of each area of learning
We do not consider what the high-level aims of education in each area of learning should be. The EYFS sets out the statutory requirements for each area of learning, so our conceptions of quality consider the nature of a high-quality education to achieve these aims.

Early years curriculum and pedagogy

Our overview of research for the EIF provides an explanation of how we understand curriculum:

Our working definition of curriculum is that it is a framework for setting out the aims of a programme of education, including the knowledge and skills to be gained at each stage (intent); for translating that framework over time into a structure and narrative, within an institutional context (implementation); and for evaluating what knowledge and understanding children have gained against expectations (impact). The curriculum lies at the heart of education. It determines what learners will know and be able to go on to do by the time they have finished that stage of their education.[footnote 45]

The areas of learning and development in the EYFS must shape the educational programmes or curriculum for children in all settings. It is crucial that all providers carefully consider what children need to learn over time so they are able to reach ambitious end points by the end of their time in the early years. High-quality curriculums are coherently planned and well sequenced.[footnote 46] Although the EYFS framework enables practitioners to decide on the detail of the curriculum they teach, it is important that they plan and sequence what they intend all children to learn, rather than it happening by chance or for some children and not others.

We consider a curriculum (or programme of learning) to be a progression model.[footnote 47] A coherently planned and well-sequenced curriculum enables children to make progress by knowing more, understanding more and being able to do more. In the early years, the curriculum enables all children to make progress in the areas of learning. In this way, early education provides the building blocks of knowledge for subjects that children will study in later years. The early years curriculum does not include formal subjects. However, it does prepare children for later learning in those formal subjects. For example, learning about kings, castles and knights from traditional story books, together with language such as 'a long time ago', helps children to develop foundational knowledge for learning history later on.

Once practitioners have decided what they want all children in their setting to learn, they need to consider the most effective ways to teach it. Sometimes it will be appropriate to show or tell children what to do through explicit teaching. For example, when they are learning something for the first time. This may be followed by opportunities for children to use and apply this new knowledge through play. At other times, it may be appropriate for children to explore something through play first and for the practitioner to intervene with guidance at appropriate points. Judging what to teach and when to teach it is a key part of a practitioner's role, and the curriculum acts as the framework on which to base those decisions.

Curriculum

This section first considers the curriculum before moving on to examine the implications of the curriculum for choices of pedagogy.

Cultural capital

Cultural capital has an impact on children's access to education. We define cultural capital as 'the essential knowledge that children need to prepare them for their future success' or 'essential knowledge that children need to be educated citizens'.[footnote 48] When judging the quality of education in an early years setting, inspectors will consider how well leaders use the curriculum to enhance children's experiences and opportunities, particularly those of the most disadvantaged children.

Sullivan, Moulton and Fitzsimons use the terms 'literary' cultural capital

and 'non-literary' cultural capital to refer to cultural activities that relate to books and reading and those that do not.[footnote 51] Some studies suggest that literary cultural capital has more impact on educational attainment than non-literary cultural capital.[footnote 52] In their own study, Sullivan, Moulton and Fitzsimons found that there was a positive correlation between higher levels of parental education, a larger number of books in the home and reading to the child at age 3, and higher scores on a vocabulary test.[footnote 53] However, the most significant factor was the parents' vocabulary: the parents who scored more highly themselves (especially mothers) had children who scored more highly at age 14. This indicates the importance of a focus on vocabulary for those children who do not benefit from a rich vocabulary at home.

Prior knowledge and the importance of knowing children's starting points

When considering the curriculum in the early years, it is important to think about the knowledge that children may already have. Effective practitioners do not make assumptions about the kind of knowledge that children may bring with them from home. For example, some children may be more familiar with well-known children's stories while others may not. Therefore, curriculum planning should include making sure that these children have the prior knowledge they need so that all children can learn what leaders intend.

As an illustrative example, imagine one child has been read 'We're Going on a Bear Hunt' several times.[footnote 54] The child has been shown the pictures and encouraged to repeat the rhyme. The caregiver has repeated the vocabulary and encouraged the child to do the same. Now imagine another child who has heard the book once. They have not picked up the rhythm of the language; they were not encouraged to repeat the vocabulary. They may not even be familiar with the settings or animals described in the book. If an early years setting plans activities around this book, such as outdoor or role play, then the child who knows the book well will have greater prior knowledge and therefore may have greater access to the activities. Practitioners need to make sure that both children are in a position to learn what was intended. A child's lack of prior knowledge should not prevent them from accessing the intended learning.

All children bring knowledge and different forms of cultural capital with them to their early years setting. It is important to value this as part of an appreciation of the unique child. The different forms of cultural capital and prior knowledge that children bring with them can also contribute to an understanding and celebration of diversity. This can help children to be more familiar with a range of traditions, customs and cultures.

Just as no 2 children are the same, no 2 settings are the same. Some settings may have higher numbers of children who speak English as an additional language, while others have higher numbers of disadvantaged children and/or those with SEND. This means that practitioners and leaders should construct a curriculum that considers the local context, while ensuring that they have high expectations for all children. If practitioners know all of the children well,[footnote 55] they are more likely to be aware of the knowledge the children have brought from home or other settings, and the interests they have already formed. If practitioners know the children's starting points, this will help them to consider what knowledge each child needs to acquire to reach the ambitious end points of the curriculum.

These points indicate that, having decided on the knowledge that all children should gain, the practitioner should take into account the child's prior knowledge when planning activities and experiences to teach the curriculum. Some children will have come from homes where they have not had the opportunity to explore and develop their interests. It does children a disservice to plan learning that is based only on their pre-existing interests and does not give them the chance to develop new ones.

It is important to ensure that all children have the opportunity to really develop and talk about a full range of interests. This is because some may have been encouraged to develop an interest in books but not sport; others may have been taken to art galleries and given support to draw and paint but have not experienced much music. In their setting, this might mean that these children are keen to take part in book-related activities or seek out the painting table, but do not choose active play or explore music-making. The consequence of planning based purely on a child's interests is that the curriculum begins to narrow for them at a very young age.

Teaching in the early years

This section considers what research says about effective teaching for young children. The definition of teaching in our early years inspection handbook sets out the broad use of the term, which is used to describe a range of pedagogical approaches.

Teaching is a broad term that covers the many different ways in which adults help young children learn. It includes their interactions with children during planned and child-initiated play and activities, communicating and modelling language, showing, explaining, demonstrating, exploring ideas, encouraging, questioning, recalling, providing a narrative for what they are doing, facilitating and setting challenges. It takes account of the equipment that adults provide and the attention given to the physical environment, as well as the structure and routines of the day that establish expectations. Integral to teaching is how practitioners assess what children know, understand and can do, as well as taking account of their interests and dispositions to learn (characteristics of effective learning), and how practitioners use this information to plan children's next steps in learning and to monitor their progress.[footnote 56]

When practitioners are clear about what children already know and can do, and what they need to learn next, then they can decide what to teach the children and how best to use their time with them to ensure that they learn the intended curriculum. Every interaction a practitioner has with a child is an opportunity for teaching and learning.

Executive function

Executive function (also known as cognitive control) refers to mental processes that begin to develop from birth and are considered essential for learning, as well as for cognitive, social and psychological development.[footnote 57] Researchers in cognitive science agree that there are 3 core areas of executive function:

inhibition (self-control of behaviour and attention)

working memory (holding information in mind and working with it)

cognitive flexibility (changing approaches to a problem, and switching between tasks)[footnote 58]

Essentially, executive function makes it possible to mentally play with ideas and successfully navigate challenges, and to stay focused while doing so.

Implications of executive function for early years teaching

Findings from research on executive function have implications for the ways that young children are taught, as well as the ways that babies are cared for and interacted with from birth. Teachers should consider what we know about executive function, how children's executive function develops and what early education can add to that development.

Considering executive function has several implications for early years teaching:

Research from cognitive science highlights that the practice of retrieving knowledge at intervals over time helps children to remember that knowledge in the long term.[footnote 61] This means that learning should be revisited periodically to ensure that it has been remembered - that it has entered the long-term memory, which reduces demand on the working memory. This also means that, when new knowledge is taught, it can be integrated with existing knowledge.

Young children do not actively choose to use their executive function (as older children do); they use it in response to environmental demands, such as when an adult encourages them to.[footnote 62] This means that it is not sufficient just to provide opportunities for children to take part in activities (such as setting up an outdoor area). Practitioners need to guide children towards engaging with activities. This is also an equality issue: research from the University of Bristol, for example, has shown that boys participate less in the types of activities that support language and literacy development, and are given less encouragement in settings to do so.[footnote 63]

Executive function demands need to be continually and incrementally increased or they will not improve.[footnote 64] This means that practitioners should be aware of what children already know and are able to do in terms of inhibition, working memory and cognitive flexibility, so that they can provide opportunities and teaching activities that will continue to develop the children's executive function. This is important, because children's executive function will develop at different rates.[footnote 65]

The role of play

Play is essential for children's development. This includes children both leading their own play, and taking part in play that is guided by adults. In a synthesis of international studies that examined practitioners' attitudes towards play in early education, most practitioners saw a natural link between play and learning. However, many also considered play to be different from play-based learning. Some studies highlighted that practitioners need to time interventions in children's play carefully and skilfully if the children's learning is to be enhanced.[footnote 66]

There are many ways in which play can support young children's learning and development. It is likely that, in a high-quality setting, children will experience many different types of play. This includes playing during social times with their peers, which also aids their personal, social and emotional development. There is a spectrum of play, some of which could be completely unguided (including play at home), and some of which will be guided to support particular learning. As play comes naturally to children, skilful practitioners will be able to harness it to help teach the curriculum.

The purpose of play

Play is an important and enjoyable part of children's early education. When planning for play, practitioners should consider whether children are learning something new or are consolidating previous learning. Thinking about what children already know can help practitioners consider how much adult support and guidance the children require in their play. If children are learning something for the first time, it might be more appropriate for them to be taught it explicitly.

In a mathematical context, for example, studies have indicated that play is important for encouraging interest and enthusiasm, but that some guided instruction from a teacher is also needed, as this provides structure to the learning.[footnote 67] Otherwise, children do not make connections between what they are playing with and mathematical ideas.

In physical play, children may throw and catch independently, but if they do not know how to do so effectively, a practitioner could join in the play to model this. Otherwise, children could go on not knowing how to throw and catch effectively, which could later affect their ability to play team sports.

It is not necessary for an adult to be physically present to support play. Practitioners can support children by planning how to use play areas within the setting. Book corners and room displays can provide stimulus material that encourages further play, building on teaching that has taken place. These activities should be planned carefully so that children are able to make connections between what is set out and what they have already learned. This gives them opportunities to use and apply the knowledge and vocabulary that they have already learned during their play.

Practitioners should consider whether children are encouraged and supported to take part in all types of play, not just those that conform to their previous experience and preferences.

Play in the early years should be an enriching experience for all children. Adults should ensure that children do not miss out because they lack the prior knowledge they need to take part in play activities. For example, children who have not used glue and paint before may need careful support to help them enjoy the full range of creative play opportunities on offer. It does children a disservice if they only take part in play in which they have a previous interest or enthusiasm.

The role of explicit teaching

Explicit teaching is an approach to teaching where the practitioner introduces information or skills through direct instruction. In the context of early education, it can be an effective way to teach children specific knowledge, for example early mathematical concepts such as counting or how to fasten the buttons on a coat.[footnote 68] This is because explicit teaching can make clearer the steps of learning, as practitioners demonstrate and explain the steps.[footnote 69] In the EYFS, explicit teaching is likely to be for very short periods of time and take place in different areas of a setting. It can also be followed by other forms of teaching, such as guided play.

Based on this research review, high-quality curriculum and pedagogy may have the following features:

The curriculum considers what all children should learn. It offers plenty of opportunity for children who are disadvantaged or who speak English as an additional language to learn and practise speaking and listening.

Practitioners choose activities and experiences after they have determined the curriculum. The most appropriate activities and experiences then help to secure the children's intended learning.

Adults think carefully about what children already know and can do when deciding what to teach first.

Children with gaps in their knowledge get the additional teaching they need so that they can access the same curriculum as their peers.

Practitioners consider a child's interests when choosing activities and they expand children's interests, to make progress in all areas of learning.

Children's play is valued and is used to teach many aspects of the curriculum. Their learning through play is enhanced by skilful adult intervention.

Explicit teaching is used to introduce children to new knowledge and followed up by practice through play.

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Best start in life part 1: setting the scene

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A high-quality early years education is vitally important. Children attend early years provision at a crucial developmental point in their lives. The education and care that they receive affects not only future educational attainment but also their future health and happiness. This report is part of our series of subject-based curriculum research reviews.

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International perspectives on early years - published June 2023

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International perspectives on early years - published June 2023

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International perspectives on early years

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Around the world, countries are investing increasingly in the early years. In many cases, governments are driven by the need to provide safe and healthy environments for children so that parents can re-enter the workforce. However, countries also continue to respond to growing evidence of the benefits of high-quality early years provision, both for social and educational development.[footnote 1]

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The EYFS in schools updated 29 January 2024

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The EYFS in schools updated 29 January 2024

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There is an interesting discussion on how the EYFS builds on children's learning and prepares them for KS1.

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Early years foundation stage (EYFS) for group and school-based providers

Does Ofsted expect schools to use the government's non-statutory guidance, 'Development Matters', when developing and shaping their EYFS curriculum?

The EYFS 's educational programmes provide the framework for the curriculum. It is up to schools to decide how to expand, extend and broaden these. It is for schools to decide what guidance to use when developing and shaping their curriculums.

Ofsted inspects providers in line with the principles and requirements of the EYFS. Schools may find it helpful to use 'Development Matters', but we do not inspect against this guidance.

Will Ofsted expect to see curriculum maps for every area of learning in the early years?

We are clear that what children learn in the early years is incredibly important for their future success; it is the foundation of children's learning. But it is for schools to decide how to talk about the early years curriculum with inspectors. Some schools may choose to map this out, but others may present what they do in a different way. Ofsted does not have a preferred view on how schools design their curriculum in early years.

Inspectors will want to understand how schools design the early years curriculum to give children the foundational knowledge and understanding they will need for key stage 1 and for the rest of their schooling.

Our inspection handbooks for registered early years providers and for schools make it clear that curriculum planning does not need to be in any specific format. It is up to providers to determine the format of their planning, and it is up to leaders to justify these plans based on what they want children to encounter, explore and learn in school.

The curriculum in a primary school starts when children first join in the early years, be that the nursery or Reception class. Inspectors will want to understand how the curriculum in early years is the foundation for key stage 1, as well as to understand how knowledge builds in a sequence from nursery to year 6.

Inspectors will want to understand how learning in key stage 1 and beyond builds on the curriculum in the early years.

Will Ofsted expect providers to show the progress of a child tracked against the revised non-statutory guidance, 'Development Matters'?

Ofsted does not ask to see any internal tracking or assessment information. Our school inspection handbook outlines how we will gather evidence during an inspection, through talking to leaders, teachers and children about what they are learning.

We know that early years practitioners are skilled at getting to know children and finding out what they know and can do. This is what is important. Whatever 'system' schools have in place for assessing young children should not take adults away from those important interactions.

Inspectors do not expect to see documentation other than that set out in the EYFS framework. They will use the evidence gathered from discussions and observations to judge the overall quality of the curriculum provided for children.

How will inspectors consider progress?

Ofsted considers the curriculum as a progression model. By progress, we mean that children know more, remember more and can do more of what was intended in the curriculum, which are the EYFS learning and development requirements.

In early years, progress might mean:

for example, knowing the sounds of farm animals, knowing that an oven gets hot, knowing the meaning of countless words and knowing what facial expressions suggest

'know how' - for example, knowing how to hold a pair of scissors, knowing how to catch a ball, knowing that we should take turns and how to do so, knowing how to dress and undress a doll and knowing how to hold and turn the pages of a book

knowing behaviours and habits for the future - for example, knowing to look at the teacher, knowing to listen when others speak and knowing that we sit and listen to stories

for children in Reception, learning to write letter sounds and numbers

We can say that these have been learned when they are remembered.

Inspectors will want to see that the curriculum on offer sequences the knowledge that children need. They will look at what staff teach children, and whether children know and remember that curriculum.

Will Ofsted prefer to see paper assessments rather than those recorded electronically?

No. There is no prescribed way of carrying out or recording assessments, as long as assessment is effective and helps children's learning, development and progress.

We know that early years practitioners are skilled at getting to know children and finding out what they know and can do. This is what is important. Whatever system schools have in place for assessing young children should not take adults away from those important interactions.

Does Ofsted expect me to use formal language when speaking with children?

No. Ofsted does not have set expectations about what words you use. However, inspectors will check that you are meeting the communication and language requirements set out in the statutory framework for the early years foundation stage. Inspectors will check whether children are experiencing a language-rich environment and an accurate use of words over time. Informal words or less accurate words may form an occasional part of this, such as 'doggie' when talking about a dog or 'ta' for 'thank you', when helping a child move from using a familiar informal word to a more accurate one. As a result, an inspector would not judge a provider negatively solely on the occasional use of informal language. However, it is important that children are exposed to accurate use of language over time. In our inspection handbook, we explain that inspectors will evaluate whether practitioners communicate well to check children's understanding, identify misconceptions and provide clear explanations, in order to improve children's learning.

Inspection practice

When carrying out deep dives, will inspectors want to see national curriculum subjects, rather than the EYFS areas of learning, being taught in Reception?

The EYFS framework sets out the statutory requirements for learning and development for children up to and including Reception year.

During this time, the curriculum should cover the 7 areas of learning. Early years leaders need to ensure that children experience a curriculum that is broad and ambitious, to develop their vocabulary and prepare them for their next stage of learning.

When carrying out deep dives in subjects, inspectors will not expect to see discrete lessons or teaching in those deep dive subjects in the early years. They will be looking at the foundational knowledge children gain in that subject in the 7 areas of learning. This is the foundational knowledge that prepares children for learning in that subject from Year 1 onwards, and is clearly set out in the EYFS learning and development requirements.

Does Ofsted expect the national curriculum in a primary school to start when children first join in the early years?

Inspectors will want to know how key stage 1 builds on the knowledge that children learn in the early years. They will want to look at the curriculum through the eyes of a child from the moment children join the school to the time that they leave.

For example, when an inspector is doing a deep dive in history, they will also look at what foundational knowledge Reception year children learn about the world around them and about the past. While inspectors would not expect to see a 'history lesson', they might ask leaders and teachers about their plans for children to learn the foundational knowledge, such as 'castle' and 'king', that will enable them to understand history from Year 1 onwards. Conversations with leaders and teachers in the EYFS might direct inspectors to look at how the choices of stories that are read to children and the nursery rhymes and books that are shared with them give children an insight into foundational historical concepts for access to history lessons in key stage 1.

Discussions might also shine a light on concepts that children learn during circle times, such as the nature of change and ageing when talking about family members; for example, if children know about how families are constructed, this will enable them to learn about 'royal families' in history later on.

As stated above, we set no expectations or requirements for planning or paperwork. This is up to schools to determine.

When should schools start teaching early reading?

The EYFS makes it clear that the development of children's spoken language underpins all 7 areas of learning. The revised EYFS emphasises the importance of developing children's vocabulary, to help them with reading comprehension and writing when they are older. The more words children can use, the easier they will find making sense of what they read.

Part 2 of the school inspection handbook sets out what inspectors will look for when inspecting the teaching of early reading in infant, junior, primary and lower-middle schools, and how well the school teaches children to read from the beginning of Reception.

The section 'Evaluating early years and sixth-form provision on graded inspections' set out how inspectors will reach their judgements on the quality of education in the early years.

When judging the quality of education, inspectors will want to see that:

practitioners ensure that their own speaking, listening and reading of English enable children to hear and develop their own language and vocabulary well

practitioners read to children in a way that excites and engages them, introducing new ideas, concepts and vocabulary

practitioners share information with parents about their child's progress in relation to the EYFS. They help parents to support and extend their child's learning at home, including how to encourage a love of reading

children develop detailed knowledge and skills across the 7 areas of learning and use these in an age-appropriate way. Children develop their vocabulary and understanding of language across the EYFS curriculum

children enjoy, listen attentively to and respond with comprehension to familiar stories, rhymes and songs that are appropriate to their age and stage of development

While we do not define exactly when children should start phonics in the Reception class, as this is up to schools to decide, schools should start as soon as possible. They should not wait to start teaching early reading until the baseline assessment is complete. Inspectors will want to understand how schools design the reading curriculum to give children the best start in Reception, so that they are well on the way to becoming fluent readers.

The DfE published 'The reading framework' in July 2021. It provides helpful guidance to schools about the early stages of both reading and writing, including language comprehension. The section on children at risk of reading failure may also be particularly helpful to schools supporting individuals who need extra help to get back on track.

How does the education inspection framework apply to the teaching of early reading in schools that have an exemption from the learning and development requirements of the EYFS?

The formal teaching of reading may be delayed by an exemption from the learning and development requirements of the EYFS. In these cases, inspectors will hear children from years 5 to 6 read instead of years 1 to 3. They will listen to pupils read from unseen books appropriate to their stage of progress to see whether they have the reading knowledge and skills, including the phonic knowledge, appropriate for a child in years 5 to 6. This will inform the quality of education judgement. Further information is available in the non-association independent schools inspection handbook (paragraphs 210 to 215).

Are there flexibilities in place for providers that are facing recruitment and retention issues?

Paragraph 3.40 of the EYFS framework for group and school based providers states:

Exceptionally, and where the quality of care and safety and security of children is maintained, changes to the ratios may be made.

Early years settings and schools, however, remain responsible for ensuring the safety and security of children in their care. Inspectors will want to understand how providers are continuing to meet this requirement if temporarily using the existing ratio flexibilities set out in the EYFS framework.

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The EYFS 's educational programmes provide the framework for the curriculum. It is up to schools to decide how to expand, extend and broaden these. It is for schools to decide what guidance to use when developing and shaping their curriculums. Ofsted inspects providers in line with the principles and requirements of the EYFS.

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Best start in life part 2: the 3 prime areas of learning updated September 2023

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Best start in life part 2: the 3 prime areas of learning updated September 2023

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Introduction

This report is part of our series of subject-based curriculum research reviews. Its purpose is to support early years practitioners in raising the quality of early years education. The report has 3 parts:

Part 1 examined the factors that contribute to a high-quality education in the early years. It considered:

It also set out the principles behind the research review series.

Here in part 2, we examine the factors that contribute to developing young children's knowledge and skills in the 3 prime areas of learning in the early years foundation stage ( EYFS):

This part of the review also considers:

the principles of curriculum design and delivery that ensure all children, including disadvantaged children and those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), learn what they need in order to do well in their education

what it means to make progress in the 3 prime areas of learning in light of research evidence, and the implications for practitioners

research relating to early years education, drawing on a range of sources, including academic and policy literature

The research is clear: a strong educational foundation in the early years, increases the likelihood of later success.

The prime areas of learning are vital for all babies and young children because they underpin all later learning. The statutory framework for the EYFS says they are 'particularly important for building a foundation for igniting children's curiosity and enthusiasm for learning, forming relationships, and thriving'. The long-term benefits come from the knowledge and behaviours that children acquire at this early age. These are closely related to the 3 characteristics of effective teaching and learning set out in the EYFS.

Summary of findings

There is no single way to provide high-quality early education. So, parts 1 and 2 of this research review identify some guiding principles and implications that early years practitioners can consider.

Summary of findings from part 1

Part 1 highlighted the following evidence about the importance of every child getting the best start in life:

Part 1 found that a high-quality curriculum and pedagogy may have the following features:

The curriculum considers what all children should learn. It offers plenty of opportunities for children who are disadvantaged or speak English as an additional language to learn and practise speaking and listening.

Practitioners choose activities and experiences after they have determined the curriculum. The most appropriate activities and experiences then help to secure the children's intended learning.

Adults think carefully about what children already know and can do when deciding what to teach first.

Children with gaps in their knowledge get the additional teaching they need so that they can access the same curriculum as others.

Practitioners consider a child's interests when choosing activities while also expanding interests further, so that children make progress in all areas of learning.

Children's play is valued and is used to teach many aspects of the curriculum. Their learning through play is enhanced by skilful adult intervention.

Explicit teaching is used to introduce children to new knowledge and followed up by opportunities to practise new learning through play.

Summary of findings from part 2

Part 2 highlights the following evidence about the importance of ensuring that every child experiences a high-quality curriculum in the prime areas of learning:

The 3 prime areas of the EYFS are crucial to children's early learning and their later success in education and life.

The prime areas are interlinked. For example, more developed language and communication are associated with better emotional well-being. Children who are more physically active in the early years are better at regulating their emotions and achieve better in primary school. Furthermore, as explained in the EYFS framework, 'the specific areas of learning provide children with a broad curriculum and with opportunities to strengthen and apply the prime areas of learning.'

Communication and language are fundamental to every aspect of young children's thinking and learning. The rate of children's development depends on their interactions with adults. Every interaction between a practitioner and a child is a teaching opportunity. The quality of interactions is likely to be more important than the quantity. Communication and language also provide the foundations for later literacy skills.

Personal, social and emotional development underpins children's early learning and emotional well-being. Warm and positive relationships with practitioners help children understand and manage their emotions and relate positively to other children.[footnote 10] Children also benefit from careful and sensitive teaching about emotions and relationship-building.[footnote 11] Developing executive functioning in the early years helps children learn and form positive relationships when they start school.[footnote 12]

Physical development is central to children's health and fitness, and provides the foundations for later participation in and enjoyment of physical activity and sport.[footnote 13] It supports academic achievement in later childhood.[footnote 14] High levels of physical activity improve young children's health, and reduce the risk of them being obese when they start school.[footnote 15] Practitioners play an important role in encouraging less active children to move more and in teaching children movement skills like balancing, jumping and catching.[footnote 16]

Frequent, high-quality interactions between children and practitioners play a fundamental role in building the knowledge and skills that children will need. High-quality interactions are more likely to take place when:

practitioners notice what children know and can do, and respond accordingly: their responses are based on what they know about each child and their wider understanding of child development

practitioners know the curriculum in advance: interactions are more effective when staff know what they want babies and young children to learn

all children experience enough planned and incidental interactions with adults to learn what they need: some babies and young children will need more targeted time and attention than others.

Communication and language

Every early education setting should prioritise communication and language.

Children whose language appears delayed at the start of the early years need targeted support with careful monitoring to check they are making progress. Practitioners need to work closely with parents and keep a watchful eye over their development. With the right support, most will catch up. A few children will need to be supported by, or receive specialist intervention from, a speech and language therapist.[footnote 22]

Around 1 in 5 children in English schools are learning English as an additional language ( EAL).[footnote 23] EAL is a broad term: many children will speak English fluently, alongside one or more other languages, but some will speak little or no English. Gaining proficiency in English, building on the foundations of their home language, is crucial for children so that they can communicate, play, make friends and learn. While these children may initially go through a quiet phase of saying little, it is important for practitioners to interact and play with them to teach them key words and phrases in English. Speaking more than one language can provide many advantages for children in the longer term.[footnote 24]

Early years settings have a pivotal role to play, therefore, in ensuring that all children develop their communication and language skills, regardless of their knowledge on entry.

Research suggests that children make more progress in oral language when practitioners:

understand how children learn and develop oral language

understand which specific techniques help children to develop oral language

can link their knowledge of children and pedagogy to understand why specific techniques are effective[footnote 25]

This knowledge helps practitioners make decisions and act straight away to prioritise communication.

There are also links between early communication and language and a range of cognitive abilities. Research has found that learning words helps children to form object categories (such as owls as birds; birds as animals).[footnote 27] From around 18 months onwards, verbal information feeds into children's representations of objects, numbers and spatial relations.[footnote 28] There is also evidence that language is linked to children developing the 'theory of mind'.[footnote 29] This is the ability to attribute mental states, such as desires, beliefs and intentions, to oneself and to others.[footnote 30] Research further indicates that early language acquisition contributes to young children's ability to regulate their emotions.[footnote 31]

Curriculum and pedagogy in communication and language

The EYFS programme for communication and language states that:

the development of children's spoken language underpins all 7 areas of learning and development

back and forth interactions form the foundations for language and cognitive development

the number and quality of conversations children have with adults are crucial

adults build children's vocabulary by commenting on what a child is doing and echoing back what they say with new vocabulary added

reading to children and engaging them in stories, rhymes and songs helps children to learn new language

modelling vocabulary and asking questions help children to use and embed newly acquired vocabulary and language structures in a range of contexts[footnote 32]

In this review, we consider what young children need to learn in a programme for communication and language. That is what we mean by 'curriculum'. We also consider how they can learn that knowledge. We look at which experiences and activities might best help children learn what they need to become effective communicators. That is what we mean by 'pedagogy'.

Well before they start learning to speak, babies communicate with their parents or carers through eye contact, crying, cooing, smiling and making gestures such as pointing and waving. Early back-and-forth interactions with responsive adults helps meet children's physical, psychological and social needs. For example, a child may put out their arms to be picked up and held. These interactions lay the foundations for the development of communication and language in babies and young children.

Frequent, high-quality interaction with adults exposes children to a wide and varied vocabulary and a range of linguistic structures. For example, a practitioner might narrate what a child is doing ('Oh, you're picking up the box! Aren't you strong?') or extend the child's utterance ('Yes, that's right, it is a box - a big, brown box!'). Early interactions provide multiple opportunities for repeating and extending language in routine contexts that are clear, meaningful and predictable. For example, practitioners and children can talk about food and tableware at mealtimes.

Reading to children and engaging them in stories, songs, rhymes and poems exposes children to new language and its use in a range of contexts. It also increases children's understanding of the world. Modelling to children how to communicate and use language can support and extend their language development.

Vocabulary

Learning words is split into 2 categories: expressive vocabulary (words children say) and receptive vocabulary (words children understand). Children generally understand more words than they can say. Hearing new words repeatedly in a range of contexts helps children to develop their receptive and expressive vocabulary.[footnote 42]

The words that children know represent concepts and information.[footnote 43] Therefore, children need to understand these concepts in order to appreciate the meaning of the words they hear. Vocabulary knowledge is related to all the other 6 areas of learning. It gives children the words they need to describe their thoughts and feelings to understand the world around them, and to conceptualise the past, future and imaginary world.

Practitioners need to think carefully about the sorts of words they prioritise in teaching vocabulary. They need to select the words that will be the most useful in supporting children's development and enabling them to learn. They also need to take account of children's prior knowledge of language. For example, they can select:

Explicit teaching of vocabulary may be planned in advance or can occur incidentally, taking advantage of opportunities that arise naturally. Planned teaching may involve introducing children to new language through a story or group activity. Practitioners can also plan experiences that give children further practice in using new words that have already been introduced. Vocabulary teaching, whether planned or incidental, includes strategies such as modelling (for instance, using a target word in conversation to show how it can be used) and recasts (repeating the child's utterance, but correcting a word-based or grammatical error). Incidental teaching of vocabulary is, therefore, more effective when practitioners are clear about the sorts of words and phrases they want all children to learn and remember.

Children at risk of developing language and learning difficulties may benefit more from frequent and targeted vocabulary teaching approaches.[footnote 48] Practitioners should consider children's current vocabulary knowledge when deciding how to allocate time between children for intentional vocabulary teaching. It may be time-efficient for practitioners to introduce and practise new vocabulary with a group of children at the same time.

Storytelling

Storytelling includes narratives in the form of song, nursery rhymes and poetry. Studies show that these are an effective way of developing children's communication and language skills.[footnote 49] For example, children or adults can tell and retell (or sing and re-sing) a story, and thereby produce or model sequenced sentences. They can ask and answer questions about stories. Children can sequence narratives and practitioners can relate narratives to children's experiences.

Practitioners can supplement storytelling with a range of oral pedagogical techniques. For example, they may model correct grammar and prompt children to repeat it. They can then give praise and corrective feedback (such as repetition of correct utterances and recasts).[footnote 50]

Books are very important for early vocabulary learning, and for language learning in general. Before children learn to read for themselves, they learn language from what they hear. However, adults' day-to-day speech uses relatively few words.[footnote 51] Compared with the language adults use when talking to children, children's books use:

a wider range of words

a higher proportion of lexical items (such as nouns, verbs, adjectives and adverbs) than function words (such as prepositions and conjunctions)

a higher proportion of rare words (words that are not among the 1,000 most used words)[footnote 52]

Books are therefore critical in exposing children to a rich variety of language.

Despite this, a recent National Literacy Trust report found that nearly 20% of children surveyed (aged 5 to 8) said they have no books of their own at home.[footnote 53] It is therefore crucial that in early years settings all children benefit from shared reading and related back-and-forth communication related to the book.

Sharing carefully chosen books with children is therefore an important part of the curriculum. It is important that practitioners engage children in the content of the book (its text, images and concepts). A discussion about the content makes children active participants in the reading, even when they have not yet learned to read. It is this interactive element of shared book reading that makes the difference to young children's communication and language.[footnote 54]

The more children interact with practitioners during shared book reading, the greater the benefit to their communication and language.[footnote 55] Adults can, for example, prompt children to say something about the book, then evaluate and expand on that response. It is likely that this style of interaction benefits children because it develops their linguistic and cognitive skills at the same time. For example, through shared book reading:

Reading aloud to children is a familiar and much-loved aspect of practice in the EYFS. Whole-group reading can help children to learn new vocabulary. Children love repeated readings of high-quality picture books. They also learn new words much faster when the book is read several times over a short period, for example 3 or 4 times in a week. Repeatedly reading the same story is more effective in promoting word learning than reading different stories.[footnote 56] Some research suggests that small-group reading is more beneficial than whole-group reading and leads to better comprehension than whole-group and individual (1:1) reading.[footnote 57]

Key messages for practitioners

Developing children's communication and language benefits from careful and deliberate curriculum planning, taking account of all areas of learning. Staff will need to decide what they want all children to know and think about and identify the vocabulary and concepts that are associated with this.

Paying attention to children's social and emotional well-being has positive effects on their development of language and communication.[footnote 58]

Practitioners will need to think about the most effective ways to introduce and embed vocabulary and language structures. These might include:

frequent and high-quality interactions between adults and children

oral storytelling

shared reading

repeated reading

Practitioners will also need to provide plenty of opportunities for repeated practice in a range of contexts. This is especially important for children with less prior knowledge.

Physical development

Most babies and young children have a natural desire to move and be physically active. They will explore the different ways their bodies can move, and so initiate their own early physical development. They will use considerable effort and determination to learn how to roll, crawl, sit, stand, walk and run.

Given the right experiences and interactions, babies and young children can refine their physical movement over time, gaining increasing control over both gross and fine motor skills. To do this, children need sensory experiences, and to develop an understanding of the position of their body parts in relation to one another and to the world around them.

Fundamental movement skills are a set of basic motor patterns that benefit from good teaching and practice to aid development. They can also facilitate (or impede) physical activity in childhood and beyond.[footnote 65] They can be subdivided into 3 sets of skills that have common aspects for the range of movement:

It is important that young children learn fundamental movement skills as soon as they can, so that they can take part in a range of physical activities, games and sport. This will help children develop positive attitudes to exertion, which can help them to form healthy practices and reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease in later life. Increasing physical activity will also help children to maintain a healthy weight and support mental health and well-being.

Research suggests that children with poor gross motor development are less likely to participate in social play, particularly social physical play.[footnote 66] This can mean they become isolated when playing and learning.

It should be acknowledged that research has focused mainly on children who are developing typically, rather than those with disabilities or medical conditions.[footnote 67]

When children begin to move more it can help them seek out and engage with things that interest them. They can make gestures to communicate or move to be close to other children and familiar adults. This helps children form positive relationships and establish interactions that can help them develop communication and social skills.

Curriculum and pedagogy in physical development

The EYFS programme for physical development states that:

There is a strong tradition of active play indoors and outside in early years provision in England. The UK Chief Medical Officers note that 'the average level of physical activity reaches a lifetime peak around the age of school-entry (5 years old)'.[footnote 70] Given the importance of early physical development, early years settings have a critical role in supporting children with this. Practitioners have to think carefully about the building blocks needed so that all children make the best progress.

Some research indicates that not all of the youngest children have the physical activity they need to develop. A range of studies have found that 'tummy time' (lying an awake baby on its front) is positively correlated with physical development.[footnote 74] The NHS recommends that infants have opportunities for tummy time from birth, gradually increasing the amount day by day.[footnote 75] However, research indicates that only approximately 30% of babies have this.[footnote 76] Some children may spend too long in 'containers', such as pushchairs, bouncers or car seats.[footnote 77] These inhibit young children's movement and may limit their physical interaction with the world around them.

There are also links between a child's early experiences and their physical development. As well as the movements children learn themselves, like rolling and crawling, there are 'experience-dependent' movements. These develop if the child has specific opportunities, resources or environments. For example, the ability to use a scooter is dependent on whether the child has access to a scooter, and on the amount of time and help available to them. The ability to throw a ball depends on the availability of balls and partners to catch and then throw back.

Gross motor skills

There are a wide range of games and activities for pre-school children that give them opportunities to practise a combination of multiple fundamental movement skills. Physical games involving gross motor skills lay the foundations for the development of fine motor skills, by building children's stamina and endurance.

Children need many and varied opportunities to use their gross motor skills to develop strength, coordination and stamina. This involves risk-taking with supportive adults who help children climb, negotiate large spaces or manoeuvre equipment. Children need to develop their sense of balance by having opportunities to swing and spin, which helps them acquire spatial awareness.[footnote 87] This enables them to develop physical control and, along with other physical activities, helps them to form a sense of self in relation to others and the immediate environment.

Fine motor skills

Young children also need opportunities to develop fine motor skills as well as gross motor skills so they can become confident to explore the world around them.

Learning gross motor skills helps children to develop fine motor skills.[footnote 88] For example, once a baby can sit without support, their arms and hands are freed up to reach, grasp and hold objects.

Fine motor skills give children more control over objects. For example, they will go from whole-hand grasping, to a pincer grip using the thumb and forefinger, to a pincer grip using the thumb, middle finger and index finger. This eventually gives them the ability to hold and control small tools with ease and confidence. They will need repeated practice to develop the muscle strength and hand-eye coordination needed. Young children can practise by turning the pages of board books, playing with small bricks, cutting with scissors and bead-threading. They can then move on to mark-making and drawing.

It is important to consider the toys, tools and objects available to children in a setting, and how they will help children to learn precisely what practitioners know they need to learn. An example is the choice of eating utensils and cups for toddlers who are developing independence. These should be chosen with an understanding of the skills that the toddlers need to develop and hone. In addition, young children need to be taught how to use the equipment and to be careful when handling liquids, food and other substances.

The importance of adult interactions

Interactions between practitioners and children should be informed by an understanding of what the child can already do, what they need to learn next and what they need to know and be able to do by the time they leave the setting. Once this is clear, planned activities and opportunities to practise skills and knowledge can follow. For example, children need to learn how to jump and hop with accuracy and control. Children will benefit from watching a practitioner demonstrating these skills, and from having a go themselves. Once children have learned these skills, practitioners can teach them a motivating and fun activity, such as hopscotch. This will give children the opportunity to put isolated movements together and practise some fundamental movement skills.

It is important that practitioners understand how to teach and facilitate early physical development. This is especially vital when teaching younger children who are beginning to form their self-concept: what they feel they are 'good' at and where they can succeed.[footnote 89] Without security in the building blocks of movement, it is unlikely that children will become full and enthusiastic participants in school-level PE or lifelong physical activity.

Key messages for practitioners

Developing young children's fine and gross motor skills requires careful planning that takes account of their stage of physical development. Some children will take advantage of opportunities to learn, practise and refine their physical skills through play. But many need explicit guidance and teaching. Without this, children may only choose games and activities that they already know. This could narrow the curriculum they receive and potentially limit their physical development.

Practitioners may want to consider the extent to which their curriculum for physical development:

identifies small steps that, when taught and practised purposefully, lead to proficiency in a physical skill

enables practitioners to understand what children need to learn and practise so they can help children to build on what they already know

includes explicit modelling and teaching of fundamental movement skills[footnote 90]

provides activities that deepen and extend a child's capabilities

gives children the space and time they need to practise and refine their emerging skills through play

Personal, social and emotional development

High-quality early education includes a strong emphasis on personal, social and emotional development ( PSED).[footnote 91] Effective PSED gives children the best chance of becoming healthy, well-rounded, confident individuals who are able to form and sustain positive relationships. It also increases children's chances of academic success. It is important that the youngest children get the right support; research suggests that by age 3 disadvantaged children exhibit worse emotional health and self-control than their more advantaged peers.[footnote 92] Research has also shown that later catch-up interventions are less effective.[footnote 93]

PSED in the early years is linked to educational achievement in a variety of ways:

Children's positive relationships with teachers and peers at pre-school are associated with better emotion knowledge. Gains in emotion knowledge are in turn a predictor of better academic achievement later in school.[footnote 96]

Children's PSED at age 4 is a statistically significant predictor of attainment in both reading and maths at age 7.[footnote 97]

Early self-regulation is also important for later educational outcomes. As children get better at controlling and directing their cognition, emotions and behaviour, they can get more from teaching and learning activities. In this way, self-regulation is linked to academic achievement from early childhood to adolescence and into adulthood.[footnote 98]

Children who can cooperate, share, listen to each other and manage conflicts will be increasingly able to take part in games and activities as they get older. In turn, these help their physical development, self-expression and imagination.

Shared reading can support children's social development, as they listen to each other, wait for their turn and get to know each other. Children can suggest solutions to dilemmas or conflicts, and adults can model different responses and expand on the narrative.[footnote 99]

When children build positive relationships with their peers, they can play cooperatively in imaginative scenarios to help them make sense of the world. This helps them develop effective communication skills by listening to others and building confidence in expressing their ideas.

Curriculum and pedagogy in PSED

The EYFS programme for PSED states that children should learn to:

understand their own feelings and those of others

manage emotions, develop a positive sense of self, set themselves simple goals, have confidence in their own abilities, be persistent and wait for what they want and direct their attention as necessary

look after their bodies, including eating healthily and managing personal needs independently

make good friendships, cooperate with others and resolve conflicts peaceably[footnote 100]

When deciding how to encourage PSED for young children, it is useful to consider the best ways to promote warm and secure relationships and to think about what children might need to learn and what building blocks they need. Practitioners can then think through the ideal ways to help children learn that knowledge.

There are many ways to help children develop PSED knowledge. These include:

play, which gives children time to tackle challenges and find solutions to problems

modelling and teaching emotional awareness and regulation, social communication and language, relationship skills and positive relationships[footnote 101]

Settings have an important role in teaching children social skills like saying 'please' and 'thank you', taking turns, helping others and being kind and caring to others.

Knowledge of emotions

Early childhood is a time of strongly expressed emotions, whether joy and excitement or upset and frustration. Children need to learn how to understand and, when appropriate, regulate their emotions. Practitioners' responses to the child's emotions are critical to this. This includes how practitioners regulate their own emotions and respond warmly to children.[footnote 107] Practitioners need to be clear and consistent when responding to children's emotions, naming them, showing understanding and providing support in the moment to soothe and calm the child.

Research has also identified a range of effective approaches to teaching and modelling emotion to young children. Using books and illustrated stories to discuss emotions is a common and helpful approach. Other approaches include:

encouraging children to name emotions with words

discussing feelings and emotions

linking events to emotional outcomes

encouraging children to recognise facial expressions[footnote 113]

Research shows that this explicit teaching of emotional awareness is effective for children from 2 years old. It has a greater effect as they get older.[footnote 114]

Relationship skills and positive relationships

Young children need to learn how to interact with other people in ways that build and maintain positive relationships. This includes learning how to cooperate, collaborate, negotiate and build rapport. Collaborative play and group activities, particularly where joint problem-solving is involved, can help children to develop relationship skills.

Teaching relationship skills and modelling positive relationships are effective ways to develop children's executive function.[footnote 122] Practitioners can use approaches such as reflecting children's feelings back at them, using a consistently applied set of expectations and giving explicit praise to reinforce positive behaviour.

When practitioners teach and model how to get along together, young children are more likely to learn these desired behaviours. Research suggests that the most effective settings teach children to rationalise and talk through conflicts.[footnote 129] When staff are consistent and help children to develop their social skills through the use of stories and group discussions, children's social and behavioural outcomes are better.[footnote 130] The Researching Effective Pedagogy in the Early Years report found that 'in settings which are less effective ... there is often no follow up on children's misbehaviour, and on many occasions, children are 'distracted' from interfering with other children, or simply instructed to stop'.[footnote 131] Providing opportunities to practise social skills and giving praise and feedback also help children who are at risk of developing antisocial behaviour problems.[footnote 132]

As they grow older, children's play develops from physical exploration of movement and objects to solitary pretend play, to non-pretend and pretend social play.[footnote 135] Shared meaning is important for pretend social play. For example, if children are pretending to be superheroes, they need knowledge of superhero stories as well as the language to negotiate their roles.

Research suggests that adult-guided play, for example using puppets and other resources, can help children learn about relationships skills.[footnote 136] These skills can help children negotiate and collaborate during their play.

Self-care

However, despite the importance of self-care in early years practice, there is little high-quality evidence about effective approaches to curriculum design or pedagogy.[footnote 138]

Toilet training

Evidence from the United States suggests that 'more than two-thirds of U.S. children achieve the physiological, cognitive, and emotional development necessary for toilet training by 18 to 30 months of age'.[footnote 139] In England, the NHS advises parents that:

by age 3, 9 out of 10 children are dry most days - even then, all children have the odd accident, especially when they're excited, upset or absorbed in something else

by age 4, most children are reliably dry during the day[footnote 140]

Successful approaches to toilet training include encouragement from adults, and patience.[footnote 141] Many children with SEND benefit from a structured approach to teaching the skills they need for toilet training, rather than waiting for signs that the child is ready.[footnote 142] The Institute of Health Visiting advises that 'starting early has shown to be particularly successful. Becoming toilet trained is about learning a set of skills that can be taught'.[footnote 143]

Healthy diets

It is widely agreed that early childhood is a critical period for establishing healthy eating habits.[footnote 146] Early years settings can play an important role in developing these habits. The most effective approaches to encouraging healthy eating have many components, including:

healthy menus for meals, snacks and drinks

professional development for all staff

adults encouraging and modelling healthy eating with the children

educational activities that focus on improving children's knowledge[footnote 147]

Children use their senses to explore the world around them, and this can help them learn to enjoy eating fruit and vegetables.

Children should learn about food in a safe environment. It should be planned for precisely, so that practitioners can spend time familiarising children with different fruits and vegetables, teaching where they come from and how they grow. Some research indicates that children are more likely to eat fruit and vegetables they are familiar with at mealtimes if they have had prior sensory experience of them.[footnote 148] Involving children in preparing food, growing fruit and vegetables and cooking can help to broaden their awareness of different foods. The sensory experience of growing sugar snap peas and snapping the outer casing to find the pea will not only teach children about sugar snap peas but will also contextualise the language used to describe and name them.

The opportunity to experience different foods, from the local region and from other countries and cultures, widens children's food preferences. It helps them to develop their taste, awareness of different smells, and knowledge about the look and texture of a variety of foods.

Research also indicates that young children who are exposed to pictures of different foods are more willing to eat those they have previously seen and are familiar with.[footnote 149] These experiences can help to teach children the names of different foods. Talking about the pictures will teach children new vocabulary and new knowledge about healthy foods.

The EYFS framework says that providers must promote children's oral health. Children with good oral health benefit from better speech and language development, and less pain from toothache and infections. Settings can promote good oral health by reducing children's sugar consumption, offering drinks in open cups once babies are over 6 months old, and encouraging tooth-brushing.

Key messages for practitioners

For effective PSED, practitioners need to be dependable and show genuine concern, care and respect for every child. They need to respect and understand children's perspectives and feelings.

Practitioners need to think about the most effective ways to help children learn how to look after themselves and how to get on with others. These might include:

knowing how to support children to develop warm, positive relationships and interactions

being proactive in supporting children to develop a positive sense of self

planning sessions that help children to develop an understanding of emotions

modelling routines, rules, and expectations that help children learn how to get along with each other

providing opportunities for children to explore, prepare and eat healthy food in supportive and meaningful contexts.

Conclusion

This review has drawn on a range of evidence to identify the features of an effective curriculum for the prime areas of the EYFS.

A high-quality curriculum is carefully organised and is appropriate to the children, their families and the local context. It is taught effectively by skilled and knowledgeable practitioners who understand the importance of sensitive, high-quality interactions with children.

High-quality interactions are central to effective early education. But they are not sufficient in themselves to guarantee that all babies and young children will learn what they need. When adults know children's starting points and are clear about what they want the children to know and be able to do, they can identify which children need to receive more targeted time and attention to learn and practise new knowledge.

The decisions that managers and leaders take are important. By prioritising the prime areas in their curriculum thinking, and allocating sufficient time and resources, they can ensure that children get the best start to their early education. The most effective settings also invest in high-quality professional development and a well-qualified staff team.

Play is fundamental to the prime areas of learning. It enables children to explore and experiment with movement so they consolidate new motor skills. Play promotes communication and self-regulation, and is fertile ground for children to learn and practise collaboration, problem-solving and negotiation.

In the EYFS, the different areas of learning are interconnected. For example, effective support for children's emotional development also helps them to develop their communication. Children who are more persistent also show better physical development. The EYFS framework explains that the 4 specific areas of learning 'provide children with a broad curriculum and with opportunities to strengthen and apply the prime areas of learning'.[footnote 151] In turn, the specific areas strengthen the prime areas. For example, looking for minibeasts outdoors in 'understanding the world' provides a motivating context for children to learn new vocabulary. 'Expressive arts and design' offers many opportunities for children to refine their fine and gross motor skills and engage in extended back-and-forth conversations.

The third and final part of this research series will focus on the 4 specific areas of learning. A broad curriculum which is well thought-out and carefully sequenced enables staff to make the most effective use of planned and incidental interactions. Taken together, these factors ensure that children experience a curriculum by design, rather than by chance.

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Best start in life part 2: the 3 prime areas of learning

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This report is part of our series of subject-based curriculum research reviews. Its purpose is to support early years practitioners in raising the quality of early years education. The report has 3 parts: Part 1 examined the factors that contribute to a high-quality education in the early years.

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International perspectives on early years - June 2023

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International perspectives on early years - June 2023

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International perspectives on early years

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Around the world, countries are investing increasingly in the early years. In many cases, governments are driven by the need to provide safe and healthy environments for children so that parents can re-enter the workforce. However, countries also continue to respond to growing evidence of the benefits of high-quality early years provision, both for social and educational development.[footnote 1]

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Personal, social and emotional development - Emotions

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Personal, social and emotional development - Emotions

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Learn more about emotions as part of the early years foundation stage (EYFS), including advice from experts and suggested activities.

Contents

Why emotions are important

Understanding children's emotions is critical to understanding their behaviour. Early years children feel a range of emotions, but often cannot express, interpret or process them like us.

With poor emotional skills, it could be harder for children to learn:

acceptance

resilience

confidence and control

how to articulate experiences

a sense of identity

empathy

a sense of self

Research shows that from birth, experiences and adult responses influence how children self-regulate and deal with emotions. Meeting children's emotions is critical, even when some are harder to understand or when they evoke strong feelings in you.

Behaviour can be an expression of feelings or emotions. To help children make sense of this, and have the best effect, approach them with empathy, supporting and guiding them to identify and deal with their emotions.

Video

In this video, an early years expert explains the importance of emotions in the early years foundation stage framework. There are also some tips on how to support children in this area.

What the EYFS framework says

Strong, warm and supportive relationships with adults enable children to learn understanding of their own feelings and those of others. Support children to manage their emotions, develop a positive sense of self, set themselves simple goals, have confidence in their abilities, and to persist and wait for what they want, directing attention as necessary.

Statutory framework for the early years foundation stage, page 8.

What this means in practice

To best meet and support children's emotions, be sympathetic, warm, accepting and curious. Create connections and show empathy. Listen fully to what a child tells you, with their body language, actions, sounds and words.

Provide words and meanings to name and express emotions, so children can practice how to handle them as they arise.

It's helpful to allow children to talk about their feelings, like anger or wanting something so badly they snatched it, while also being clear about limits.

Help children to have an increasingly expressed understanding of their feelings as they grow older. For example, the development from a 2 year old using an icon to indicate 'angry' to a 4 year old who's able to say, 'when people leave me out, I feel really sad and angry' is important.

Provide an emotionally consistent response, following basic emotional coaching steps:

recognition

empathy

ways to label feelings, which validate them

offering guidance and boundaries to manage

emotions

problem-solving

Support self-expression throughout the day, though stories, drawing, crafts, roleplay and general play, while naming feelings with visual supports.

Your setting should be cosy and homely, and encourage lots of opportunities for conversation. Complement this by letting children choose what they do, as well as with adult-guided play. Both offer opportunities for children to take safe risks, immersing their senses.

As part of helping children to self-regulate and deal with emotions it's important to set expectations and boundaries for them. They should also understand the importance of following rules and that following rules can keep them safe.

Talk to others about how children's emotional outbursts make you feel as they can affect you too.

Suggested activities

Naming emotions

You'll need:

laminated faces expressing emotions, including photos of children, their parents and carers, you or other nursery staff

laminated feelings cards you can carry, as well as an extra set to stick to a feelings board

a feelings board, to stick cards to

a laminated thermometer, to show emotion levels

Support children to name their emotions during the daily routine, for example:

use feelings cards to ask children how they are when they arrive, involving parents and carers where possible.

talk about how children feel as a group

use the thermometer or feelings cards when children try tricky new things, like climbing or building something, or during a time of day they find difficult

when there are conflicts, use feelings cards for children to express and name their related emotions

when sharing a story, song or circle time activity which mentions a particular emotion, use feelings cards to connect children to it

Children can learn how best to express their emotions (understanding the world), and define what each emotion means for them (sense of self). They'll understand how different, well-known images correspond with what they're feeling (patterns and connections), for example a happy, sad or crying face. They'll develop their skills in comparing their emotions with others and empathising with them (relationships).

All about me

To help you get to know the children you could complete an all 'about me' with the family. The profile allows you to gather some important facts about the child's strengths, needs and interests.

Early on when children are settling in with their families it's a good idea to gather as much information about the child. For example, you can ask who lives in the house and their relationship to the child. This information is important, as these adults are the people who will be significant for the child and have an influence on the child's life. You can ask about pets, as they often play a special part in a young child's life too. Also, many families have family names and words that have a special meaning for their children.

Discuss with the parents whether they would like their family names and words to be used in the setting. For children, to hear familiar words and the use of a family name can offer some reassurance when making the transition from home to setting. Alongside the parents you can write a profile that celebrates the child's strengths using the headings:

The things people love and admire about me.

What makes me happy.

How I like to be supported.

The profile can be added to as the child develops in the setting. You can support older children to write and illustrate their own profile.

The focus is on the child's sense of self. Through the process you will be questioning, describing and recalling, widening their technical vocabulary, as well as technological vocabulary ( communication and language). Children will explore themselves in relation to others and a range of emotions may be explored.

Other activities
CBeebies: How to talk to your child about emotions.
Feeling Better: short videos about different feelings, using puppets.

What are feelings? Dealing with feelings, and recognising others' feelings.

The Age of Emotions: podcast discussion on emotion culture, with psychotherapist Philippa Perry.

Word of Mouth: Naming Emotions: Michael Rosen podcast, about describing feelings.

What other nurseries and childminders are doing

"Children can explore emotions through curiosity and literature, which lets them share their thoughts and feelings with confidence during circle time. They are encouraged to build on emotional knowledge - receiving time, attention and comfort by caregivers, and feeling heard."

Hannah, Daisychain Nursery, Clifton.

Summary

Children need emotionally safe relationships and environments, to explore their emotions.

Be emotionally present and available, supporting children by recognising, understanding, regulating and expressing their emotions.

Children's behaviour can be a result of their emotions or an unmet need.

You need time, support and space to consider how children's emotions and behaviour affect your own feelings.

Next steps

Reflect on your environment and daily routine, and how these support children and their emotions.

You may need to talk about the strong feelings that children may express with your colleagues or be aware of them if you are working on your own. How are you feeling about these and developing their understanding of the children's feelings?

Create and keep visual prompts, to support children expressing emotions through storytelling.

Practice potential steps, or a sample script, that could support children to manage their emotions. Share it with parents and carers.

Consider talking to others about how children's emotional outbursts make you feel.

Review your curriculum to ensure you cover the requirements in the EYFS for this area of learning.

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Learn more about emotions as part of the early years foundation stage (EYFS) including advice from experts and suggested activities.

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There is also a hyperlink to gross motor skills in this section.

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Fine motor skills - Help for early years providers - GOV.UK

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Learn more about fine motor skills as part of the early years foundation stage (EYFS) including advice from experts and suggested activities.

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Listening and understanding - communication and language.

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Listening and understanding - communication and language.

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Some useful additional information on this page from the Pen Green Centre, Every Child a Talker, Confident communicators and Makaton.

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Learn more about listening and understanding as part of the early years foundation stage (EYFS), including advice from experts and suggested activities.

Contents

Why listening and understanding is important

Communication requires 2 foundation skills, listening and understanding. Children develop these by observing and reacting to others. This influences communication and talking later in life.

Listening is different to simply hearing. It means interpreting different sounds, while beginning to understand social interactions. Understanding means processing what's being communicated, beginning with simple ideas and vocabulary.

Most babies are born able and eager to interact, but some need extra support. You can play an important part in all children's overall communication development. Listen to children's interests and engage in warm interactions with them. Use children's names to get their attention and keep it.

Children should develop close listening and attention skills, so do not have music on all the time. Think also about playing a variety of sounds, such as environmental noises like rain or the rainforest, as well as stories and rhymes.

In return listen closely to the children. Attend to their wants, needs and individual interests. Children will feel their input is valued, and that they're appropriately supported. They'll be much more motivated to listen, understand and learn from others.

Video

In this video, an early years expert explains the importance of listening and understanding in the early years foundation stage framework. There are also some tips on how to support children in this area.

What the EYFS framework says

By commenting on what children are interested in or doing, and echoing back what they say with new vocabulary added, practitioners will build children's language effectively. Reading frequently to children, and engaging them actively in stories, non-fiction, rhymes and poems, and then providing them with extensive opportunities to use and embed new words in a range of contexts, will give children the opportunity to thrive.

Statutory framework for the early years foundation stage, page 8.

What this means in practice

To support early listening and understanding, consider your setting's physical and emotional environment. Children should be able to practise listening closely, and be encouraged to focus their attention. They will benefit from a quiet environment when they are learning to listen and understand. There are different attention stages:

Generally between 0 and 1 year, children are easily distracted. Keep their attention by giving them your full attention. Demonstrate focus when playing with and responding to them. Use wait-and-see activities such as 'peek-a-boo'.

Generally between 1 and 2 years, children can keep focus but cannot shift it alone. Support early understanding with instructions, gestures and prompts, for example showing a child their nappy before changing it. Respond to their play and words, to help them concentrate and listen.

Generally between 2 and 3 years, children can shift focus between tasks more easily. However, they will need your support. Do this through light touch and using their name.

Generally between 3 and 4 years, children pay attention to different things at the same time. However they may still find this difficult and need support. Use clear prompts to help them switch their attention between tasks and listen to instructions. Something like calling their name, followed by a simple sentence like 'please stop and listen' would work well. This prepares them for the more structured learning in the reception year.

Suggested activities

Songs to encourage sound and word play

Children love singing silly songs, especially involving actions, movement and laughter. Playing around with sounds can develop listening skills in a fun way, encouraging confidence with new words. Changing words in familiar songs is great fun, and children can consider the sound differences they hear.

You'll need some of your favourite songs that have easy words to play with.

Try these examples of song word play:

'Polly puts the pizza in', to the tune of 'Polly put the kettle on'. Change the verses with different children's names, such as:

'Suzie sizzles sausages'

'Ben bites biscuits bit by bit'

'Carly crunches cabbages'

'A Hedgehog is very prickly' - to the tune of 'One finger, one thumb, keep moving'.

'A hedgehog is very prickly

A hedgehog is very prickly,

A hedgehog is very prickly

He couldn't be anything else!'

Choose a new animal, changing the describing word each time, such as 'a crocodile is very snappy', 'a kitten is very fluffy'.

You can choose whichever songs you like, in line with current classroom themes or children's special interests.

These song examples are from 'Bingo Lingo', by Helen MacGregor.

Children can learn different ways of using songs and words (widening vocabulary). They will consider how similar sounds can be amusing (comprehension). They can explore the fun of song and performance (expressive arts and design). They can learn how to work with others while having fun and learning relationships.

Listening treasure boxes

You'll need items that make interesting noises in a 'treasure box', for example:

crinkly paper

noise-making toys

pots and pans

musical instruments

Introduce the box to a small group of children, encouraging them to explore the items.

Listen carefully to individual sounds as the children take turns. Turn-taking is also an important communication skill, needing careful listening.

With older, more capable children, get them to take turns bringing an item behind a screen, making the noise while the group guesses what it might be.

Once the group is familiar with all items, take one away and ask if they can remember, replicating or even describing its noise.

The box can be left out for children to explore freely, with positive interactions from you to support listening development.

Children can learn how to hold instruments and other noise-making materials (fine motor skills). They can arrange the best way to cooperate with friends and take turns (relationships). They can develop their memory skills to think about which items might be missing (patterns and connections). They can develop their skills around music and performance (expressive arts and design).

Other activities

Every Child a Talker, various activities for children aged 0 to 5.

Confident communicators a video about communication and understanding.

Learn Makaton - a unique language programme that uses symbols, signs and speech to enable people to communicate.

What other nurseries and childminders are doing

"We use 'sound bags' in focused small groups, suitable for children 15 to 18 months, but easily adapted. Use a calm, quiet, distraction-free space. For smaller settings, this may be whilst other children are napping or engaged in independent activities. Gather some objects in a bag, represented by a sound. Choose familiar or motivational objects for a specific child, such as their favourite animal. Get children's attention by showing the bag, bringing objects out one-by-one and making the sound. Let the chosen child hold and play with each object, providing a multi-sensory approach. Ask them to take turns listening and finding objects for each sound. If a child seems comfortable, encourage them to make the object's sound themselves, but do not force this. To adapt to each child's needs, use signs or symbols, rather than sounds, and encourage them to explore objects using the sense they rely on most."

Amy, Pen Green Centre, Northamptonshire.

Summary

Basic communication begins with two important skills: listening, and understanding.

Listening and understanding are the foundation for later learning and development, for example talking, writing, and communicating with friends.

Good listening and understanding helps with all EYFS areas, particularly developing social skills, attention, following instructions and wider communication.

Babies, toddlers and young children must develop the ability to focus and maintain concentration, in order to learn.

Listening, which is different to hearing, means interpreting sounds and understanding their source, as well as meaning.

Next steps

Consider your setting's physical and emotional environment.

Consider opportunities for children to listen and understand sounds.

Discuss the importance of listening and understanding with parents and carers.

Notice and make time for listening and understanding during everyday interactions.

Review your curriculum to ensure you cover the requirements in the EYFS for this area of learning.

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Learn more about listening and understanding as part of the early years foundation stage (EYFS) including advice from experts and suggested activities.

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Building relationships with the children in your setting

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Building relationships with the children in your setting

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Contains practical advice on how to support building relationships.

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Relationships - Help for early years providers - GOV.UK

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Learn more about relationships as part of the early years foundation stage (EYFS) including advice from experts and suggested activities.

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Affirming the Rights of Emergent Bilingual and Multilingual Children and Families : Interweaving Research and Practice Through the Reggio Emilia Approach - by Fyfe et al (2023)

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Affirming the Rights of Emergent Bilingual and Multilingual Children and Families : Interweaving Research and Practice Through the Reggio Emilia Approach - by Fyfe et al (2023)

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Transforming Early Childhood in England: Towards a Democratic Education by Cameron and Moss.

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Transforming Early Childhood in England: Towards a Democratic Education by Cameron and Moss.

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Transforming Early Childhood in England: Towards a Democratic Education on JSTOR

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Early childhood education and care has been a political priorityin England since 1997, when government finally turned its attentionto this long-neglected area. ...

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Positive working relationships in school: supporting emotional health and wellbeing by Waterhouse 2020

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Positive working relationships in school: supporting emotional health and wellbeing by Waterhouse 2020

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Take a look at Chapter 1 - Communication and Chapter 5 - conflict resolution.

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Disrupting and Countering Deficits in Early Childhood Education Nxumalo et al., (2019)

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Disrupting and Countering Deficits in Early Childhood Education Nxumalo et al., (2019)

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Find out more about how curriculum planning helps give the children a better experience, covering all early years foundation stage (EYFS) areas of learning.

What is a curriculum?

A curriculum is what you want the children to learn in the time they are with you.

It must be based on the statutory early years foundation stage (EYFS), which gives you a framework that you can build on, through the 7 areas of learning.

You can decide how best to deliver those areas by creating a curriculum unique to your setting, providing activities and experiences that deliver those areas of learning.

Planning your curriculum

You should always start with the early years foundation stage (EYFS) framework. It contains educational programmes that sit under 7 areas of learning. These are high-level curriculum summaries that you must follow and work into a rich curriculum that meets the needs of the children.

From there, break down those high-level curriculum summaries into smaller steps. Decide what you want children to learn, the activities you want to do with them and how your setting can support their learning.

Childminders or nursery leaders (working with their staff) should decide how to implement these activities and experiences, so the children can progress in all the areas of learning. You should evaluate how well the curriculum works, checking what children know and can do as they move through the EYFS.

You should consider using 'Development Matters' the non-statutory curriculum guidance for the early years foundation stage to support you in planning your curriculum.

Your curriculum should be unique to your setting. Watch your children, studying how they lead their own play. Talk to parents and carers to find out their interests. Listening to what children say also provides clues about their curiosities and interests.

Use this knowledge to decide how best to engage children in the curriculum, choosing the right activity or environment. It should not be overly complicated and should meet the needs of the majority of children. Some children, such as those with SEND, may need additional support.

It's important not to use the early learning goals (ELGs) from the EYFS as the basis for your curriculum. They should only be used as an assessment during the summer term of the reception year.

Summary

Consider what you want children to learn then plan the activity.

Base your curriculum on your children, covering the 7 areas of learning in the EYFS, using the statutory educational programmes (high-level curriculum summaries) as a starting point.

The new EYFS framework is more specific, and better suited to be used as a basis for curriculum planning.

Consider using Development Matters to help you plan your curriculum.

Do not use the ELGs as a curriculum starting point. They should only be used as an assessment during the summer term at the end of the reception year.

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Find out more about how curriculum planning helps give the children a better experience, covering all early years foundation stage (EYFS) areas of learning. A curriculum is what you want the children to learn in the time they are with you.

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Ready to play?

When children play, they learn. They solve problems, think strategically, relate to others, and manage life's ups and downs. Play helps children learn how to learn - and love learning. We've gathered some of our favourite games. You can play them anywhere - using things you find at home.

More activities

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We're here to convince the grown-ups. Because play is something every child, everywhere in the world can do. It fuels curiosity, sparks creativity, and inspires a lifelong love of learning. Children who play pick up all kinds of skills to thrive today - and lay the foundations for a happier, healthier life tomorrow.

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Early childhood is of critical importance, not only in and of itself but as a pathway to later development. The environments experienced and skills developed during this period are things over which children have little control, but they affect the rest of their lives. The process of child development is complex, but understanding it is a crucial part of addressing social and economic inequality.
A panellist's introduction, by Orazio Attanasio
A chapter written by Sarah Cattan, Emla Fitzsimons, Alissa Goodman, Angus Phimister, George Ploubidis and Jasmin Wertz analyses these issues, and brings to bear new UK evidence on recent trends in early child environments and skills. This is complemented by three commentaries. Those by Essi Viding and Eamon McCrory and by Sophie von Stumm provide further analyses of the process of child development, including the role of genetics, while a third commentary by Matthias Doepke and Fabrizio Zilibotti focuses on the role of parenting. This material is complementary to the study on families by Kathleen Kiernan, Sam Crossman and Angus Phimister, which we recommend be read in conjunction with these pieces.

Cattan et al. begin by documenting the key facts about socio-economic differences in children's development and the environments they grow up in, the relationships between those skills and environments, and the importance of these early experiences in shaping later life. To do this they draw on rich sources of longitudinal data following birth cohorts of children at regular intervals - an area in which the UK is a leader in terms of data resources. The two main sources for the initial analysis are the Millennium Cohort Study (MCS), which follows people born in around the year 2000, and the British Cohort Study, which follows a group of people born in 1970, and which hence now contains detailed information not only on their childhoods but also on their adult lives to date. Many striking patterns emerge from this:

* Children's skills develop highly unequally in the early years, with differences strongly related to family background. For example, at age 3, children raised in the highest-income fifth of families are more than three times as likely to have high cognitive ability (placing them in the top fifth of the distribution) as children from families in the lowest-income fifth. Similarly large gaps exist for social and emotional skills.

* Large differences in the material, emotional and educational aspects of the home environment are key to explaining many of the inequalities in children's early skills. For example, mothers in the lowest-income fifth of families are eleven times more likely to experience psychological distress, when their child is 3, than mothers in the top-income fifth; and 42% of parents on the lowest incomes read to their child daily at age 3, compared to 76% of parents with the highest incomes.

* The early years shape later life outcomes to a remarkable degree. As adults, the children of mothers who left school at 16 or over earn about a third more than the children of other mothers on average. Half of that earnings gap can be explained by the child's early development, and features of the home environment, up to age 5. The early environment appears to shape adult outcomes above and beyond its impacts on the formation of early skills.

We cannot know for sure the extent to which the associations between features of early childhood and later life outcomes will hold up for more recent cohorts. But we can examine how early childhood inequalities are evolving for those born more recently, motivated by the fact that we know these to have been so important for the rest of the lives of generations before them. Hence, Cattan et al. compare early childhood inequalities as measured in the MCS, for children born between 2000 and 2002, and in a more recent data set, the SEED survey, which contains comparable information on children born a decade later in 2010-12. This paints a somewhat challenging picture:

* Inequalities in early cognitive, social and emotional development have changed little between children born in the early 2000s and those born in the early 2010s. This applies to gaps between the children of high- and low-educated mothers, and between children living in more and less deprived areas.

* Trends in the home environments that children grow up in are mixed. On average, there have been improvements in some aspects of early home environments, such as the frequency with which parents read to their children, but deteriorations in other aspects of the home environment, such as a rising prevalence of maternal mental health problems. Differences in these environmental factors between richer and poorer families remain stubbornly high.

* The lack of change in gaps in early development comes despite unprecedented public investments in the early years over the past 20 years and evidence that targeted policy interventions - in particular Sure Start - had positive impacts on the poorest families and children. The persistence of the inequalities likely reflects the complex and multiple factors affecting child development, and the fact that much of the increased public spending has been on childcare places and childcare subsidies for the over-2s, while the primary determinants of early development are in the family home and operate from the very earliest stages of life.

The chapter contains a comprehensive overview of the international evidence on the impacts of early policy interventions on child development and the home environment. It is clear from this that policy can help to improve outcomes ranging from the strength of parent-child relationships to health-related behaviours to measures of school readiness. The England Sure Start programme, introduced in the late 1990s, is an example of the kind of intervention that is often found to have positive effects on families and children - a holistic set of services targeted at families in disadvantaged areas which offered a one-stop shop for information and advice on health, parenting, money, training and employment as well as play sessions and childcare. This programme has now been shown to have improved children's health right up to adolescence, with ongoing research examining other outcomes - although unfortunately this evidence came only after austerity meant the closure of many Sure Start centres after 2010.

Zooming out from Sure Start and surveying UK public spending on the early years more generally, the authors argue that its impacts are likely to have been limited by the fact that much of the spending has been focused on increased childcare places and subsidies. Arguably, the goals of this have been skewed more towards increasing parental employment than furthering child development - particularly given that the additional childcare spending has generally had a clearer link to quantity of childcare than to quality. The authors argue that a more powerful set of early years policies would contain more focus on support and interventions that can affect what happens within the family home - where so many of the key determinants of child development are found - and more focus on the very youngest children.

A novel feature of the chapter is its ability to include genetic data collected from the children of the MCS within the analysis. Constructing polygenic scores from these data - summary measures which estimate a person's genetic predisposition for certain traits, such as educational success - the authors document correlations between these genetic markers and many important aspects of the family and home environment. This adds further to the evidence that multiple advantages and disadvantages can reinforce one another, and that we need to understand how they interact if we are to understand the process of child development. Both the Viding and McCrory commentary and the contribution from von Stumm also address genetics, and stress that genetic factors are important but not deterministic. Instead, the genetic background of a child interacts with the environment to determine, in a complex way, the outcomes for children. Von Stumm emphasises the importance of refining our understanding of the developmental process if we are to develop appropriately targeted policies, advocating the usefulness of a framework known as the 'developmental cascade model' in which children's many interactions with their environment have a cumulative impact on their development, and result in spreading effects across developmental levels and different domains of development. Viding and McCrory argue along similar lines and stress the importance that certain negative events (such as abuse or trauma) can have in affecting the subsequent course of child development.

The commentary by Doepke and Zilibotti focuses on the role of parenting. They provide empirical evidence that parenting styles, while correlated with many other influences on children, are likely to play a distinct role in determining children's development. They call for more policy attention on this driver of development and a deeper understanding of what drives parents to adopt particular styles and behaviours. This is not a case of distinguishing simplistically or judgementally between 'good' and 'bad' parents. Rather, the authors posit that parental behaviours respond to the resources and information that they have, both of which are, at least in part, shaped by countries' wider economic, social and institutional environments. As supportive evidence of this, they show that variation in parenting styles across countries aligns with key features of countries' economic and institutional environments. The central point here - that parenting styles are themselves a function of the wider environment - points to the importance of designing interventions to support families and parents that are cognisant of the particular economic, cultural, social and institutional contexts in which they are implemented.

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Early childhood is of critical importance, not only in and of itself but as a pathway to later development. The environments experienced and skills developed during this period are things over...

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My niece didn't go on hers [school trip] and she was one of only two children in the whole class of 32 that didn't go and she cried when I picked her up from school because all her friends had been but she hadn't been.
Parent of primary school child

The place where she was happy and thrived was in dance classes and I now can't pay for them and that was the thing she looked forward to every week, she made friends there; she doesn't have friends at school as such but at dance she had friends, yeah, and we've had, we've had to stop all that.
Jessica - single parent, York

I skip meals to share with my mum...for example, I skip my meal to wait for her to come back and at least we can have the same amount of food...[We] starve together through the whole day, so at least we will have had something to eat.
Amara - aged 15, London

Agree that this isn't right?

We asked children in low-income families what they missed

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Poverty can mean children going without basics, and it can also mean missing out on everyday fun and activities that other kids take for granted. Poverty harms children’s health, social and emotional wellbeing, and education. It harms their childhoods and their futures.

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This has been adapted from Principles into Practice, EYFS 2007. Although dated, it neatly summarises the aspects/ages and stages of development

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Videos created by Siren Films - from Birth to 5 Matters.  

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Videos created by Siren Films - from Birth to 5 Matters.  

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The videos on here will give you an insight into the characteristics of effective learning. There is also a great video on supporting children with EAL - Dr Rose Drury.

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This video, created by Siren Films with the Birth to 5 Matters team, gives an insight into how children might demonstrate the Characteristics of Effective Learning through their play and learning.
Supporting everyday practice series

1. Using the Characteristics of Effective Learning to support children's learning
In this video Nancy Stewart outlines the importance of the Characteristics of Effective Learning and how you can use them to support and develop children's learning.
This video can be used as part of a staff meeting to promote reflective discussion about your provision.

2. An overview of the changes to the EYFS

Chris Pascal gives an overview of the changes to the EYFS which will be statutory from September 2021. She outlines what the changes might mean for your setting and talks about the two non-statutory options Development Matters 2021 and Birth to 5 Matters. Chris leaves you with some things to think about as a team which can be used as discussion starters within a staff meeting.

Please feel free to use the video to support your staff team to feel confident to deliver the revised EYFS.

3. The role of observation, assessment, and planning in the revised EYFS

The changes to the statutory EYFS alongside the move to reduce the amount of paperwork has caused some concern and confusion about the ongoing role of observation, assessment, and planning. Here is the next video in our series to support you to use the Birth to 5 Matters guidance in your everyday practice. Di Chilvers, who led the working group on Observation, Assessment and Planning, talks about this vital element in Early Years practice. Di uses her expertise to de-mystify the subject and explains practical ways of working which will promote ongoing high-quality practice. Again, this video can be used as part of a staff meeting or a training session.

4. Ranges and overlapping ovals: young children's development and progress as a continuum

Following on from her previous video about observation, assessment, and planning, in this film Di Chilvers explains how to use the Ranges when making summative assessments. She talks about viewing children's learning and development as a continuum and encourages practitioners to feel confident in their own skills which inform these assessments. This is also an excellent resource for whole staff meetings as well as individual CPD.

5. A User's Guide to Birth to 5 Matters

Birth to 5 Matters is packed full of supportive guidance which can help practitioners deliver high quality early education in any setting. Donna Gaywood, project coordinator of Birth to 5 Matters, has made a short film which is a User's Guide - outlining the variety of ways Birth to 5 Matters can be used. She addresses some of the myths which have developed and thinks about practical ways to use the non-statutory guidance.

6. How childminders can use Birth to 5 Matters

In this video our project co-ordinator talks with Sarah Neville about how childminders particularly can use Birth to 5 Matters in practice. Sarah asks Donna all the practical questions childminders have raised with her. They talk about making assessments, supporting children's learning from day one, what to do if a child is not necessarily on track and much more.

7. Supporting children with EAL - Dr Rose Drury

In this video Dr Rose Drury talks with Donna Gaywood about supporting children who speak English as an additional language (EAL). Rose outlines practical ways to work with bilingual children and the richness multi language speakers can bring to settings.

8. Birth to 5 Matters - the Curriculum Discussion

In this video Shaddai Tembo, Sally Cave and Dr Mine Conkbayir join our project coordinator Donna Gaywood, to take on the big topic of curriculum. They discuss what is curriculum, how can we develop it and try to de-mystify what this might look like in practice. This is a very helpful resource to start conversations about curriculum and educational programmes with established staff teams, newly qualified practitioners, or trainee early years practitioners/teachers.

9. Birth to 5 Matters - Maths - Dr Helen Williams and Dr Andrea Lancaster

In this video two members of the Birth to 5 Mathmatical Development working group, Dr Helen Williams and Dr Andrea Lancaster, talk about how to use the Maths section in the guidance. This is a very practical supportive resource for early years practitioners who might feel worried about Maths or for those who want to develop their practice further.

Watch the launch of the Birth to 5 Matters guidance.

Childcare.co.uk video interview with Nancy Stewart

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This video, created by Siren Films with the Birth to 5 Matters team, gives an insight into how children might demonstrate the Characteristics of Effective Learning through their play and learning. In this video Nancy Stewart outlines the importance of the Characteristics of Effective Learning and how you can use them to support and develop children's learning.

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Student teachers' views on outdoor education as a teaching method-two cases from Finland and Norway

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Student teachers' views on outdoor education as a teaching method-two cases from Finland and Norway

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This paper examines teacher views on outdoor education and how some may feel insecure or do not feel confident enough to to take learning outside the classroom on a consistent basis.

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This journal article discusses the importance of learning outdoors / considering the outdoor learning environment/ formal and informal learning. 

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Journal Article - Finnish student teachers' ideas of outdoor learning

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Journal Article - Finnish student teachers' ideas of outdoor learning

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Article Journal - Learning in the Finnish outdoor classroom: Pupils' views

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Article Journal - Learning in the Finnish outdoor classroom: Pupils' views

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Journal Article - A scoping review of research on school-based outdoor education in the Nordic countries

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Journal Article - A scoping review of research on school-based outdoor education in the Nordic countries

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You might find this article useful if you are looking beyond UK practice and LOtC. You also might find the methods section useful if how the authors describe how they carried out their database searches/inclusion and exclusion criteria.

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This might be of interest to you if you are thinking about connectivism. Responsible Innovation in Technology for Children (RITEC), part of the LEGO Group and UNICEF have a worked on a report covering digital technology, play and child well-being. RITEC_Responsible-Innovation-in-Technology-for-Children-Digital-technology-play-and-child-well-being.pdf (unicef-irc.org)

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Children spend more time online than ever – so it is vitally important that digital platforms are a safe space to explore and learn through play. Here’s how organisations are steering industry and governments to put children’s wellbeing first.

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Identifying and Teaching Children 
and Young People with Dyslexia 
and Literacy Difficulties

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Identifying and Teaching Children 
and Young People with Dyslexia 
and Literacy Difficulties

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Chapter 4 Supporting children with dyslexia and their families might be useful for early years education.

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OFSTED Requirements for Equality and Diversity in Schools

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OFSTED Requirements for Equality and Diversity in Schools

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Ofsted is the national regulator for all caring, educational, and learning establishments for children and young people in England.

It is a non-ministerial government department that reports directly to Parliament, ensuring that all children's services across England are of a high standard so that children and young people get the best start in life. Its name stands for Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills (OFSTED) reflecting the many establishments that it inspects and regulates.
The services that fall under the remit of Ofsted regulation include:

Public schools.

Independent Schools Inspectorate.

Teacher training providers.

Colleges.

Learning and skills providers for children and young people.

Children and Family Court Advisory Support Service (CAFCASS).

Children's social care.

Children's services.

Child minding.

Day care.

For the purposes of this article, we shall be focusing on the role of Ofsted requirements in promoting equality and diversity in schools. Ofsted conducts its work by inspecting, regulating, and reporting. Its tag line describes the organisation as a "force for improvement through intelligent, responsible, and focused inspection and regulation".

In completing its duties, Ofsted scores schools using a four-point scale consisting of outstanding, good, requires improvement, and inadequate. This is similar to the regulatory works of the Care Quality Commission or the Food Standards Agency.

The results of a school are shared publicly upon inspection and reporting, so that the public can use these scores. The scores can be used to help parents, carers, or guardians decide on an appropriate provider and setting to care for their child, and be reassured that they are receiving high quality care. More than half of parents, carers, or guardians use the scores when choosing a school for their child.

The Department of Education rely on Ofsted's regulation to help it steer the public school system and ensure that it is serving children's needs. Interestingly, if a school is assessed as requiring "improvement" or "inadequate", it is not the role of Ofsted to intervene.

The scoring allows local authorities and the Department of Education to intervene with any schools that are underperforming. In its reports, Ofsted outlines the areas for improvement but does not specifically outline how schools should act to rectify these improvements. These actions are matters for the school; to make the necessary changes in time for the next Ofsted inspection.

The monitoring of a school happens periodically, and the time period depends on the outcome of the previous inspection (for new schools, Ofsted should conduct its first inspection within the school's first three years of existence).

If a school has been scored as "outstanding" or "good", Ofsted will inspect the establishment every four years under what is called a section 8 inspection (the school is not re-scored under a section 8 inspection if everything is as expected). The period for inspection increases if the school is underperforming and has what is called a section 5 inspection. Section 5 inspections are always scored and must take place within 30 months of the previous inspection. In exceptional circumstances, a school can request to cancel or defer its inspection, but this is rarely approved.

What is looked at in an Ofsted inspection?

Ofsted falls under the Department for Education, but completes its inspections independently. However, the Department for Education outlines the requirements for Ofsted such as its work responsibilities, whether additional inspections are required, and its allocated working budget from the HM Treasury. Changes to Ofsted requirements are often instructed at the start of a new financial year, the start of a new government, or the start of a new strategy, but they can also happen at any time.

Prior to an inspection, Ofsted may not necessarily notify schools. At most, schools will be notified 24 hours before to ensure that Ofsted can capture a true reflection of the school's functioning. The schools do not have to prepare any of their own reports or paperwork prior to inspection, but Ofsted may ask to view records or policies as part of its observation.

On inspection, inspectors will usually be present at the school for two days, observing the environment and gathering evidence to inform their report. As well as observing, inspectors will interact with children, teachers, and parents to obtain their views, and hold discussions with the headteacher of the school.

In 2018, the National Audit Office reported that 6,079 public school inspections were completed by Ofsted. When completing its inspections, Ofsted reports on and scores many aspects about a school in five separate areas, which are:

The overall effectiveness of the school - This is where the inspector uses all evidence gathered to determine the real-life experience of attending the school. The inspector will consider their evaluation of the four other areas prior to coming to this conclusion.

The quality of education (teaching, learning and assessment) - Inspectors will consider the curriculum and how this is taught, and the outcomes that pupils achieve as a result of this.

Behaviour and attitudes - This considers how teachers create a calm and positive environment for their pupils.

Personal development - Inspectors will consider the steps that schools have taken to create opportunities for personal development in their staff and pupils.

Leadership and management - How school leaders ensure the school has a positive impact on pupils.

Also included in the five areas listed above, are equality and diversity requirements that schools must adhere to. Equality and diversity fall under each of the areas listed above and inspectors will use the following considerations to assess the equality and diversity of a school:

The quality of education for its disadvantaged pupils and pupils with SEND.

Effectiveness of school policies and procedures.

Consistent treatment of pupils by staff.

A positive and respectful school culture.

How safe the pupils and staff feel at the school, protected from bullying, discrimination, harassment, abuse and violence (online and offline).

Effective safeguarding.

Engaging families and communities in supporting pupils' education.

How equality and diversity is promoted across all parties.

The effectiveness of training so that everybody can understand their role in promoting equality and diversity.

How incidents breaching equality and diversity policy are managed and resolved.

How equality and diversity is monitored and performance improved.

Equality and diversity are crucial in society to eliminate discrimination and unfair treatment. Equality means that each person has a fair chance to opportunities no matter what their background.

Diversity means that a group should celebrate people from all backgrounds and with different characteristics, and that no one should be discriminated against because of being different. Promoting positive equality and diversity ensures that schools are inclusive of all staff and children; giving children the foundation for anti-discriminatory values to take through other areas of their life. There is a Public Sector Equality Duty introduced by the Equality Act 2010 which ensures that schools must eliminate direct and indirect discrimination and well as reduce chances of victimisation and harassment. These terms shall be explained further below.

Direct discrimination in schools

Direct discrimination occurs when a child is treated less favourably than others because of a protected characteristic (such as having a disability). It also includes a child being treated less favourably through association or perception of a protected characteristic.

Indirect discrimination in schools

Indirect discrimination is often more difficult to identify than direct discrimination, because sometimes it is not intended, and may arise due to lack of consideration and understanding of the law (or genuine error of judgement about an individual).

Harassment is any form of unwanted behaviour that is related to a protected characteristic or behaviour of a sexual nature. Its intentions violate a child's dignity or create an environment which may be described as intimidating, hostile, degrading, humiliating, or offensive.

Victimisation occurs when a child experiences what is referred to in law as a "detriment", which is something that causes disadvantage, damage, harm, or loss.

Equality and diversity in schools is assessed by Ofsted in checking how the school is complying with its relevant legal duties that promote equality and diversity. These will be explained further in the next section. In equality legislation there are protected characteristics of age and gender.

However, in a school setting there are some caveats to these characteristics which mean that some discrimination is lawful and would not be assessed by Ofsted as failing to comply with regulations.
These instances are:

If the school is a single gender school (also considering pupils who are questioning their gender or in the process of gender reassignment).

The age of children in school admissions. Age will only be considered a protected characteristic in employment of staff.

These are the only exceptions, and if a school failed to comply with Ofsted equality and diversity regulations, a tribunal claim could be brought against it by a victim. The Equality and Human Rights Commission produces ongoing guidance about equality and diversity, and can also be contacted in instances of suspected discrimination. Ofsted could also give the school a low scoring and place it in special measures due to compliance issues. Failure to improve on equality and diversity would result in a closure.

Ofsted was initially formed back in 1992, under the Education (Schools) Act 1992. This was shortly after the national school curriculum was introduced. During this time, its only remit was to regulate schools. In the year 2000 it also regulated further education colleges, nurseries, and childcare provisions, until 2007 where it included all other children's services (as it still does today). Currently, the Equality Act 2010 is the underlying law that makes schools comply with equality and diversity procedures.
The Equality Act 2010 is an amalgamation of nine prior pieces of legislation that protect the following characteristics:

1. Age.
2. Disability.
3. Sex.
4. Sexual orientation.
5. Gender reassignment.
6. Marriage and civil partnership.
7. Pregnancy and maternity.
8. Race.
9. Religion and belief.

These protected characteristics are features of people's lives upon which discrimination in the UK is now illegal.

Also introduced by the Equality Act 2010 was the Public Sector Equality Duty (PSED), which is often referred to as the "general duty". All public bodies in England must comply with the PSED, no matter what their function. It introduced three main functions that must be adhered to which are:

1. Eliminate discrimination and other conduct that is prohibited by the Act.
2. Advance equality of opportunity between people who share a protected characteristic and those who do not share it.
3. Foster good relationships across all characteristics - between people who share a protected characteristic and people who do not share it.

To show adherence to the functions above, schools must demonstrate how they have considered the PSED in their decision-making and policy making. It is good practice for schools to keep a record of their PSED consideration prior to implementing new procedures to keep as evidence as having due regard for equality and diversity. This, among other actions, can be used to show how the school is meeting Ofsted requirements and adhering to equality and diversity regulations. We will share other ways that schools can show adherence to equality and diversity in the next section.

How to meet Ofsted requirements in equality and diversity

Schools can meet the Ofsted requirements in equality and diversity by:
Keeping up to date with legislative changes
As a public body responsible for keeping children safe in education, schools must remain up to date on government legislation, policy, and guidance updates. This could include the way in which the designated senior person (who is responsible for safeguarding) supports children and responds to reported cases of abuse or discrimination.
Having the relevant policies in place
Schools should demonstrate to Ofsted their policies and procedures relating to equality and diversity such as: equality policy, bullying policy, safeguarding policy, recruitment policy, admissions policy, extenuating circumstances policy, performance policy, and equality impact assessment policy.
Training
Schools should evidence training that is undertaken by staff and how this is reviewed to demonstrate the impact of that training. Training could include: anti-discriminatory practice, ethics and values, and dealing with disclosures.
Extra-curricular activities
Ensuring that extra-curricular activities are inclusive and promote advancement of equal opportunity and fostering of good relationships.
Curriculum
Ensuring that the curriculum is inclusive of diversity and teaches children about prejudice and bias.
Feedback
Keeping records of parent surveys and child surveys to show how feedback is incorporated into school functioning.
Pupil profiles
Schools should understand the differences in their communities to ensure that their functioning promotes equality across all student backgrounds. Schools should collect data and hold records about student protected characteristics that can be shown to Ofsted.
Learning outcomes
A good demonstration of positive equality and diversity in schools are records of successful learning outcomes for all pupils from a range of backgrounds.

Ofsted requirements in schools are not designed to be burdensome, so schools should not have to complete additional work during their Ofsted inspections. There are many ways that schools can document how they are adhering to equality and diversity. The list above shows just some of the ways that schools can evidence their good practice. Equality and diversity should be routinely upheld in schools, to celebrate difference and create an inclusive culture that pupils can continue with throughout their lives; to make more positive contributions to society.

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OFSTED requirements for equality and diversity in schools

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Equality in schools is assessed by Ofsted in checking how the school is complying with its legal duties to promote equality and diversity.

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Promoting Equality and Diversity in the Classroom

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Promoting Equality and Diversity in the Classroom

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This article contains a useful checklist

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There has never been a more important time for teaching and promoting equality and diversity in Britain's classrooms. Out of over 13 million registered disabled people currently living in the U.K., 800,000 are children under the age of 16.

With the U.K.'s non-British population estimated to include around 6.1 million people in 2018, over 14% of the country's population are classed as foreigners. Six different religions are being practised by various ethnic groups spread across Britain, and 18 ethic groups are recommended for use by the UK government.

Statistics in 2017 revealed that over 1.1 million U.K. residents over the age of 16 identified as LGBT, which equates to almost 2% of the overall population.

In a society so varied in terms of race, disability, and sexual orientation, equality and diversity must be promoted throughout U.K. schools.

In this guide, we will discuss the meaning of equality and diversity and the fundamental principles that schools should follow in their pursuit of multiculturalism and understanding in the classroom. Next, we'll look at the reasons why equality and diversity are essential, and how you can promote this in your school.

We'll move on to outline a range of classroom activities designed to raise awareness of and promote multiculturalism. We'll also provide a checklist of questions for you to use as a point of reference as you work to promote equality in your school environment. Finally, we'll discuss the 2010 Equality Act and its nine characteristics.

The information in this guide will provide a point of reference for any teacher wanting to promote equality and diversity in the classroom.

Equality and diversity, sometimes called multiculturalism, is the concept of accepting and promoting people's differences. The fundamental goal when promoting equality is to raise awareness and make sure that all individuals are treated equally and fairly. This is regardless of their age, gender, religion, disability, sexual orientation, or race.

When you promote diversity in the classroom, you can use a range of activities and principles to help students recognise and respect people's differences, creating an all-inclusive atmosphere. The promotion of diversity and equality in education is paramount for both students and teachers.

The goal is to create an inclusive classroom environment - a safe place without prejudice - where students have the opportunity to thrive. Successfully teaching and raising awareness of diversity works to highlight individual characteristics and traits that make people unique rather than different.

Young people need to have an understanding of equality and human rights. This knowledge helps them to understand how they should be treated and how to treat others. When you promote equality and teach these topics, you create a safe environment for students to challenge, discuss, explore, and form lasting values, morals, and opinions.

When students are taught to respect diversity, they gain knowledge and understanding that can help them to improve relationships, tackle prejudice, and make positive decisions throughout their lives. In today's challenging and diverse society, you must instil young students with positive and open-minded attitudes.

While many schools will take a unique approach to promote equality and diversity in the classroom, some principles can act as a basis for this promotion.

As you discuss and plan your approach to encouraging and embracing equality in the classroom, you should consider the following principles:
1. All students are equal regardless of their religious beliefs, sexual orientation, race, gender, and gender identity.
Although this is an important principle, you should teach your students that this doesn't mean everybody in the classroom is treated the same. Occasionally, it means that people require extra help so that they are provided with the same opportunities and outcomes as others.
2 Differences are respected, recognised, and valued because diversity is a strength.
In your school, all differences are taken into account as you work hard to eliminate the disadvantages and barriers with which some people are faced. These differences may relate to ethnicity, gender, faith, disability, or sexual orientation. You believe that diversity is a strength, and it should be celebrated and respected by all the school's students, teachers, and visitors.
3. Positive relationships and attitudes are fostered throughout the school.
Your students, staff, and visitors will benefit if you actively promote mutual respect and positive attitudes between communities and groups that differ from one another.
4. A shared sense of belonging and inclusion is encouraged in the classroom.
You want all members of your school community to share a sense of belonging in both the school and the wider community. This will help each individual to feel respected as an individual and to respect one another. This feeling of mutual respect makes it easier for students to participate in school life fully.
5. We actively observe and promote equalities practised for our staff.
All school policies and procedures are designed to benefit all employees and potential recruits in every aspect of their work. These procedures are active throughout a member of staff's career, from recruitment and promotion, through to personal development.
6. We have the highest expectations for all our students.
You believe that all pupils can achieve good progress and attain their highest potential.
7. We work hard to raise standards for all our students, especially those most vulnerable.
It's part of your school's ethos to improve the quality of education throughout the most vulnerable groups of students. This helps to raise the standards throughout the whole school while actively promoting inclusion and respect.
8. We challenge stereotyping and prejudice.
In your school, all incidences of prejudice-based bullying are reported and challenged. This includes racism, homophobia, or the bullying of somebody due to a disability. You also actively challenge gender-based and any other stereotypes than are causing concern.

As you work to create your own principles for your equality and diversity policy, your objectives may include.

Developing an ethos that values and respects all people.

Actively promoting the equality of opportunity.

Preparing all pupils for life inside a diverse society.

Fostering good relations amongst both the school community and the wider communities with which you work.

Eliminating all forms of unfair discrimination, harassment, and other oppressive behaviour, using the School Disciplinary Procedures when appropriate.

Delivering diversity and equality through school policies, practice, and procedures.

Using all available resources to eliminate barriers which could discourage or limit access to school activities and provision.

Taking positive action to offer support and encouragement to groups and individuals whose progress could be limited by cultural expectations and stereotypes.

Monitoring the implementation of equality and diversity throughout the school.

Setting targets for improvement and evaluating the impact of equality and diversity action on achieving the goals of the school.

When you provide an equitable education system within your school, you support an environment that helps all students develop core knowledge and skills. This development allows them to become more productive members of society from an early age.

By giving all students an equitable start, teachers and school staff can lead the way for better social and economic outcomes for students, regions, and society as a whole. If all of your students are given all that they need to thrive, a level of mutual respect can be formed between teaching staff and students. This leads to productive classrooms, with staff feeling good about their lessons and students actively engaged in learning.

As a teacher, some of your responsibilities when promoting equality and diversity may include:

Making it very clear to students the level of conduct that you expect to see in their interactions and dealing appropriately and promptly with bad behaviour.

Finding opportunities for students to work collaboratively in diverse groups within your teaching schedule.

Paying close attention to the needs of students in diverse groups as part of your course design. As you develop your curriculum, you may wish to include an equality analysis. This will help you to make sure that proper consideration is given in terms of accessibility and inclusivity.

Finding respectful and creative ways to use the diversity of your students to improve the overall learning experience for everyone.

It's paramount that people understand equality from an early age. Teaching diversity and equality to young students helps to instil moral and social traits that will support their growth throughout their younger years and into adult life.

By teaching these topics, each student has access to a safe place to challenge, discuss, explore, and form their values and opinions.
To promote equality and diversity in your school, you should consider:

Challenging negative attitudes amongst students.

Avoiding stereotypes in curricular resources and examples.

Setting clear rules regarding how people treat each other.

Treating all students and staff equally and fairly.

Creating an all-inclusive environment for students and staff.

Actively using resources that have multicultural themes.

Working to promote multiculturalism in lessons.

Creating lessons that reflect and promote diversity in the classroom.

Making sure that all students have equal access to participation and opportunities.

Using a variety of assessment methods.

Using a range of teaching methods.

Ensuring that all procedures and policies are non-discriminatory.

Making sure that classroom materials never discriminate against anyone and are accessible to all even if this means adapting to audio, large print, or video.

Checklist of questions for teachers on equality and diversity in the classroom:

Have you incorporated a range of learning styles into your planning?

Is the diversity of your students reflected in your lesson plans?

Is your learning environment set up to be accessible to all students?

Is the language in your learning materials non-racist/sexist/discriminatory?

Do you review your resources/lesson plans regularly?

Have you provided clear instructions on how people should be treated?

Are all staff and students treated equally?

Do your teaching staff represent minority groups?

Do any school policies and procedures discriminate against anybody?

Are negative attitudes actively challenged?

Do you provide immediate support for all students in need of extra help?

Do you create and promote an all-inclusive environment for students and staff?

Do you utilise a range of assessment methods?

Do you provide a range of teaching methods?

Do you promote multiculturalism in lessons?

Are your teaching resources adapted into audio/braille/large print wherever necessary?

Do your resources use multicultural themes?

Do you actively avoid using stereotypes in classroom resources and examples?

Do all students have equal access to participation and opportunities?

Classroom activities to promote equality and diversity

Do you strive to include diversity in your various teaching methods?

Do you actively reference and use examples from different traditions, cultures, and religions?

Are you doing your best to challenge society's stereotypes?

Below are some classroom ideas and activities that can be adapted to encourage equality and diversity in your school.

Provide resources that include diverse images

When you choose books, videos, activities, and worksheets for your students, they should include people from a range of backgrounds or people that have disabilities. This helps to teach students that these differences are perfectly 'normal'. Shy away from any resources that use blatant stereotypes, as these reinforce negative connotations that are prevalent in society.

Host 'Indian week', 'Disability week', or 'LGBT awareness week' to educate your students about the chosen theme in a safe and non-discriminatory environment. During these themed weeks, you could listen to music, try different foods, play themed games, watch appropriate videos, and teach relevant facts to normalise these themes in the minds of students. We recommend incorporating the theme into all areas of the curriculum as this helps to maintain interest and reinforce the topic.

Set up an American diner, Italian restaurant, or Spanish Tapas cafe in your classroom and provide sample foods and drinks for your students that are typical in these cultures. How do these foods differ from what students would normally eat? What do they dislike or like about the foods? Try to teach the students how these foods have become part of the corresponding culture and why some foods are not eaten in certain cultures/countries.

Teach your students a few words in Spanish, Russian, Arabic, Chinese to raise awareness of the different languages around the world. If there are any bi-lingual students in the class, see if they can help. Discuss the benefits that speaking more than one language provides and the world's most popular languages.

Utilise appropriate current news events

Promote healthy discussions and debates by referring to contemporary issues to determine your students' views and understanding of various situations. For example, find a news story about a Paralympic success or overcoming stereotypes - What do your students think about this? Try to encourage positive discussion around a range of interesting and diverse topics.

Discuss items that come from abroad

This is a great activity that can be completed at the beginning of a lesson to introduce multicultural themes. Encourage your students to list all the things in their lives that come from abroad. As they read out their responses, note how many of them are surprised at the results.

Each week, question students on a predetermined theme to find out how much they know about different disabilities, cultures, religions etc. Some teachers ask a couple of students to research and write the quiz each week. This helps to teach the importance of research and also gives students a sense of responsibility.

This activity helps students to explore the idea of stereotyping. Teachers can provide students with a list of 15 different professions and ask them whether each one is a 'woman's job' or a 'man's job'. Next, their answers can be explored as a class to see which stereotypes people harbour.

Hold discussions and debates

Split your students into two teams. Give one group a statement, e.g. "I'm the oldest member of staff in the office, and I've been sacked because of my age". While this team defends this statement, the other team should be encouraged to challenge what has been said.

How do both teams feel once the discussion has finished?

Which of the teams would students prefer to have been on and why?

Visual/auditory/physical impairment games

Use classroom games to raise awareness of various physical disabilities. Can your students guide a blindfolded classmate around the classroom? Are they able to lipread what is being said on a muted video? Can they do up their school tie using just one hand? Use these activities to display the difficulties faced by people with disabilities and how such people learn to adapt and overcome their differences.

Find a range of stories that challenge stereotypes and perceptions, such as David and Goliath, which proves that first impressions are deceptive. Stories and anecdotes similar to this will encourage your students to challenge their beliefs and look at the world from a new perspective.

Your students and their families can provide and share a wealth of knowledge about themselves. Consider inviting family members or parents into your classroom as community experts. Encourage them to read a book or show a short film about an issue that is relevant to their culture or a topic about which they are passionate.

Invite members of the wider school community to visit the class as guest speakers and talk openly about a topic that explores equality and diversity. The more students are exposed to diverse people and groups, the more prepared they will be for life beyond the classroom.

The Equality Act has been active since 1 st October 2010. It combines more than 116 different pieces of legislation into one single Act. This Act was developed to provide a legal framework that protects the rights of individuals and promotes equal opportunities for all U.K. residents.

The Equality Act 2010 provides Britain with a discrimination law that protects individuals from being mistreated and encourages a more equal and fair society.

The Equality Act includes nine characteristics that must be considered when promoting diversity and equality in the classroom:

These characteristics can act as a point of reference as you plan lessons and create source materials to encourage equality and fairness in all your teachings.

Find out about OFSTED requirements for equality and diversity here.

In this piece, we've outlined the importance of teaching students about equality and diversity from an early age. We've suggested ideas ranging from challenging negative attitudes in the classroom, through to inviting diverse guest speakers to share their experiences with the school community.

We've listed a range of classroom activities designed to raise awareness of and celebrate the differences that make people unique. We've also highlighted the importance of inclusion, and how students should be taught that some people require more help than others.

The idea of promoting equality and diversity in the classroom is that it helps equip students with the attitudes and skills required to thrive throughout their lives. By instilling positive outlooks and challenging stereotypes from an early age, students can mature with an all-encompassing, unbiased view on life.

By implementing the suggestions mentioned throughout this piece, you can help make a difference in the lives of your students, their communities, and society as a whole.

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Promoting Equality and Diversity in the Classroom

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You can use a range of activities and principles to promote equality and diversity in the classroom, read our post to find out more.

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Unseen children: access and achievement 20 years on  Evidence report

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Unseen children: access and achievement 20 years on  Evidence report

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Chapter 3 focuses on early years education.

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This is the EYFS 2024 version.

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Early years foundation stage (EYFS) statutory framework

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The standards that school and childcare providers must meet for the learning, development and care of children from birth to 5.