Early Years

Friday

15th Nov 2024

Big increase in schools lowering their age range
Leaders say they hope to support children earlier in life as the government rolls out school-based nursery funding
Significant jump in schools lowering age range
Exclusive
Don’t jump into early years ‘glassy-eyed’, primary leaders warned
Senior education figures set out challenges for schools interested in bidding for government funding for nursery provision
Blurred vision early years
Exclusive

Thursday

17th Oct 2024

Revealed: Areas most in need of extra nursery provision
DfE analysis shows Sunderland, the Isles of Scilly and Cumberland need to see the biggest percentage capacity increase by next September as bidding opens for school-based nursery cash
Revealed: Areas most in need of extra nursery provision

Tuesday

8th Oct 2024

Ofsted: Six findings on ensuring children learn in the early years
Ofsted has released an early years research report that focuses on what progress looks like for EYFS children in the four specific areas of learning
Number 6 early learning

Wednesday

11th Sep 2024

Labour’s early years review findings revealed
Unpublished review by Sir David Bell, commissioned by Labour while in opposition, calls for more funding to deliver the party’s school-based nursery plan
Early years
Exclusive

Tuesday

10th Sep 2024

UK spends less on early education than most OECD nations
The OECD’s latest Education at a Glance study, launched in London today, also highlights the stark differences in attainment between regions in England
UK spends less on early education than most OECD nations

Saturday

20th Apr 2024

Converting school space for childcare ‘costs thousands’, DfE told
The government says a pilot scheme will look at how unused school space could be repurposed for early years provision – but heads’ leaders warn plan must come with funding
Empty classroom
Exclusive

Wednesday

17th Apr 2024

NI ‘early years communication crisis’ highlighted
More children in Northern Ireland waiting for speech and language therapy per head of the population than anywhere else in the UK, ministers told
Tin can phone Northern Ireland

Tuesday

9th Apr 2024

Poorer children helped by Sure Start ‘got better GCSEs’
Having access to a Sure Start centre significantly improved the educational achievement of children, according to Institute for Fiscal Studies research
Children living near Sure Start centres in their first five years of life performed better in their GCSEs than others, according to a new report

Friday

2nd Feb 2024

EYFS recruitment bonus ‘is a sticking plaster’
The government, launching plans to tackle staffing problems in early years, has been accused of lacking ‘an effective workforce strategy’
Early years recruitment bonus is a ‘sticking plaster solution’ heads warn

Wednesday

24th Jan 2024

Warning over ‘major deterioration’ in early years education
Next government will ‘bake in disadvantage’ for children before they even start school under current plans, charity warns
early years disadvantage

Thursday

30th Nov 2023

EYFS: Around two-thirds of pupils at good level
Proportion of youngest pupils hitting development goals rises slightly but is still below pre-pandemic levels of achievement
EYFS: Less than two thirds of pupils at expected level