Early Years

If Scotland wants a successful ‘play-based kindergarten stage’ the key will be highly trained staff – and plenty of them

New data betrays the extent of the problem facing all types of early years settings – from funding to places. That’s something that should worry all in education, including the government, given that it has just set out ambitious learning goals for 2030

In the final piece of a series on how Covid has hit education, academics behind a major research report turn their attention to school staff and the widespread wellbeing issues that lockdown created

Ahead of the launch of the new National Professional Qualification in Early Years Leadership, Cat Scutt, from the Chartered College of Teaching, outlines why the drive for more professional development in EYFS should be welcomed

While the current focus is on academic ‘catch-up’ after the pandemic, we need to bear in mind how the Covid lockdowns affected EYFS pupils’ physical development, too, say these academics

Academics behind a major study into the pandemic’s impact on early years pupils consider how those with English as an Additional Language were particularly affected – and how settings can help tackle the problem

The authors of a report detailing the impact of Covid lockdowns on early years education outline what the effect could be on future cohorts if more support for the sector is not forthcoming

Guidance for early years settings on the value of the two-year-old progress check and how to conduct it was issued recently by the government. Here, Dr Lesley Curtis explains the key insights

As new data reveals the impact of the pandemic on pupils in early years, education and policy expert Claudine Bowyer-Crane says the numbers make clear the extent of the damage done – and why it must be fixed

The failure to properly focus on – and fund – early years catch-up efforts after the pandemic will have long-lasting consequences, warns one early years researcher

An EYFS expert responds to comments from the watchdog’s chief inspector that its next 5-year plan will focus on early years

Greater focus on the importance of the early years is positive, but only if we are careful not to undermine the good work already happening in this phase, says Jon Severs