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January 2024 Parenta Early Years Magazine

FREE Early Years Magazine Out Now! We hope that everyone has had a lovely festive break and is ready to take on 2024 and all it brings. We kick start the new year with a packed issue, with articles covering a variety of topics, including essential energy-saving tips for the winter, exploring ways to help with inclusion in your setting, getting serious about professional learning and crucially, how to implement the new changes to the EYFS. Also, in this issue, Joanna Grace helps us to unlock children’s learning potential, Gina Bale and Frances Turnbull encourage us to keep the children active with music, movement and dance, and we explore World Religion Day and the International Day of Education.

FREE Early Years Magazine Out Now!

We hope that everyone has had a lovely festive break and is ready to take on 2024 and all it brings. We kick start the new year with a packed issue, with articles covering a variety of topics, including essential energy-saving tips for the winter, exploring ways to help with inclusion in your setting, getting serious about professional learning and crucially, how to implement the new changes to the EYFS.

Also, in this issue, Joanna Grace helps us to unlock children’s learning potential, Gina Bale and Frances Turnbull encourage us to keep the children active with music, movement and dance, and we explore World Religion Day and the International Day of Education.

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Issue 110<br />

JANUARY <strong>2024</strong><br />

Planning: Risk<br />

Assessments<br />

COVER<br />

Inclusive <strong>Early</strong> <strong>Years</strong><br />

World Religion Day<br />

+ lots more<br />

EYFS activities<br />

inside!<br />

This month…<br />

Literacy<br />

Promoting language<br />

development with music<br />

Improving the business of childcare - part one<br />

Implementing the new EYFS changes


6<br />

28<br />

20<br />

Hello<br />

Welcome to our family<br />

Welcome to the <strong>January</strong> edition of <strong>Parenta</strong> magazine and a happy new year to all our readers!<br />

We hope that everyone has had a lovely festive break and is ready to take on <strong>2024</strong> and all it brings. We kick start the new<br />

year with a packed issue, with articles covering a variety of topics, including essential energy-saving tips for the winter,<br />

exploring ways to help with inclusion in your setting, getting serious about professional learning and crucially, how to<br />

implement the new changes to the EYFS.<br />

Our focus in <strong>January</strong> is on the many elements of planning in early years education; so don’t forget to register for our webinar<br />

on the 16th and join us, together with experienced early years experts, where we’ll delve into effective planning strategies<br />

and practical solutions. You can register at www.parenta.com/webinars and remember you will earn a CPD certificate if you<br />

attend!<br />

Also, in this issue, Joanna Grace helps us to unlock children’s learning potential, Gina Bale and Frances Turnbull encourage<br />

us to keep the children active with music, movement and dance, and we explore World Religion Day and the International<br />

Day of Education.<br />

Don’t forget to share the magic of our magazine with your friends, colleagues, and parents alike. They can receive their own<br />

copy in digital or printed format by signing up at www.parenta.com/magazine.<br />

Allan<br />

12<br />

Regulars<br />

10 Write for us<br />

36 EYFS Activities: Literacy<br />

News<br />

4 Congratulations to our <strong>Parenta</strong> Learners<br />

6 Improving the business of childcare: part 1<br />

8 Childcare news and views<br />

Advice<br />

14 Big Energy Saving Week<br />

22 World Religion Day<br />

26 Planning: risk assessments<br />

30 Celebrating International Day of Education<br />

34 How to implement the new EYFS changes<br />

24<br />

Industry Experts<br />

34<br />

12 I think they have sensory needs what can I do?<br />

Part 2 - provide and adopt<br />

18 Inclusive early years: Meeting the needs of all<br />

20 Recognising early years learning potential<br />

24 Embedding culture in your early years ethos<br />

28 Professional learning for baby room educators<br />

32 Promoting language development with music<br />

38 Child development: Dance and movement - part 1<br />

2 <strong>January</strong> <strong>2024</strong> | parenta.com<br />

parenta.com | <strong>January</strong> <strong>2024</strong> 3


What do our customers<br />

say this month?<br />

“The support we have received from Shauna has been<br />

fantastic, she will always do everything she can to help<br />

us. Thank you!”<br />

Sheffield Hallam<br />

“Very helpful in sorting out my queries especially when<br />

I’ve made silly errors. <strong>Parenta</strong> explain everything so I<br />

can remember for next time. I love the new thing when<br />

<strong>Parenta</strong> send records of the conversation so I can go<br />

back to them when errors arise, so I can remember<br />

what steps I need to take. <strong>Parenta</strong> are very friendly and<br />

make me feel at ease.”<br />

Rosendale<br />

“Brilliant!<br />

I am really impressed with the support we have<br />

received so far. A big thank you to Charlotte for her<br />

patience and explaining invoices to me again.<br />

Much appreciated.”<br />

Liesl de Villiers<br />

“Just finished my Level 3 <strong>Early</strong> <strong>Years</strong> course with<br />

<strong>Parenta</strong> and they supported me so well with passing<br />

my exams! Both of my tutors I had, Darryl Jones and<br />

Ayse Drew, were amazing. Very friendly and easily<br />

approachable when I needed help with anything.<br />

When I needed extra support, they were very quick<br />

to get back to me, and also gave me good advice<br />

whenever I needed it.”<br />

Zoe Staples<br />

“Absolutely fantastic. Mel has been super supportive<br />

and made observations and teaching and learning<br />

sessions feel comfortable. Mel has been easy to<br />

contact and approachable to ask for help and I’ve<br />

always felt confident in all I do due to Mel having<br />

faith in me especially at EPA time!<br />

Thank you so much Mel!”<br />

“Always lovely to talk to Jamie - he is and always<br />

has been really easy to chat with and pass on his<br />

knowledge and ready to help.<br />

Keep up the good work and being such a<br />

lovely person.”<br />

Winterbourne<br />

Congratulations<br />

to all our <strong>Parenta</strong> learners!<br />

Jason Smith<br />

“Thank you so much for the website, it’s perfect.”<br />

Kaira Gowers<br />

Massive CONGRATULATIONS to all our <strong>Parenta</strong><br />

learners who have completed their apprenticeships<br />

and gained their qualifications!<br />

4 <strong>January</strong> <strong>2024</strong> | parenta.com<br />

parenta.com | <strong>January</strong> <strong>2024</strong> 5


Improving the<br />

business of<br />

Dr. Allan Presland<br />

childcare: part 1<br />

In 2017, I published the book, “Improving<br />

the Business of Childcare” which went<br />

to number 1 on the Amazon chart in two<br />

categories, Nursery & Pre-school and<br />

Coaching & Mentoring. I wrote the book<br />

having visited over 1,000 settings during<br />

my career, which enabled me to see the<br />

patterns between settings which were<br />

successful (profitable) and those who were<br />

not. The response to the book has been<br />

far more than I could ever have conceived,<br />

and I am both humbled and thrilled.<br />

But it wasn’t until a recent webinar that<br />

<strong>Parenta</strong> held in November of last year<br />

that I truly understood the impact. The<br />

webinar, Financial Solutions for <strong>Early</strong><br />

<strong>Years</strong> Settings, featured both myself and<br />

an incredible lady, called Ann Speight, a<br />

setting owner, who gave a presentation<br />

which encompassed her journey to<br />

make her setting successful, including<br />

her recognition of the importance of<br />

profitability.<br />

After both presentations, as always, we<br />

opened the floor for Q&A, and this is<br />

where I realised the true value of the book<br />

to someone like Ann. Now, I don’t know<br />

Ann. In fact, I had never met her before the<br />

webinar. And yet here was a lady talking<br />

about me as if she knew me, and telling<br />

story after story about her learnings from<br />

my book and explaining how she made<br />

all her staff read it too! And then to top it<br />

all, in front of everyone on the webinar,<br />

she pulled out a very dog-eared copy, with<br />

little sticky labels poking from loads of<br />

pages, and explained that every time they<br />

got stuck, and whenever they were at a<br />

loss, they turned back to the book.<br />

The most staggering part of all though,<br />

was Ann’s closing words. She explained<br />

that, whilst she always knew that she ran<br />

an independent business on a commercial<br />

basis, the book gave her ‘permission’ to<br />

be open about the need to be profitable,<br />

and for her, this acknowledgement to<br />

herself was the game-changer.<br />

Thank you, Ann. Your kind words have<br />

inspired me to commit to writing this<br />

monthly column, and I hope I can add<br />

value and ideas to many, many more<br />

nursery operators to help them to become<br />

more successful.<br />

So let me start this month by talking about<br />

the first item I always ask any business<br />

owner when I’m looking to support them.<br />

That first question is “How much is a lead<br />

worth to you?” And the reason I ask the<br />

question is because most businesses are<br />

constrained by sales in some way, and<br />

those who understand the answer to this<br />

question usually have the rest of their<br />

business sorted out.<br />

And so, let’s work through that question in<br />

the context of childcare. To keep the maths<br />

super simple, we’ll assume a full-time<br />

place at our make-believe setting is £1,000<br />

per month. Of course, you can adapt the<br />

maths to your own set of circumstances.<br />

Let’s assume that a lead comes in from the<br />

parents of a baby who is 6 months old. In<br />

this case, the child is likely to be with you<br />

for around 4 years. So, the value of that<br />

lead is:-<br />

4 years, 12 months @ £1,000 a month =<br />

£48,000 in total.<br />

Let’s just round this up to £50,000 to<br />

account for any extras you charge.<br />

Now, let’s just stop for a moment and take<br />

stock. Did you realise that a lead is worth<br />

£50,000 to you? And now you do know,<br />

are your systems for generating new leads<br />

sufficiently robust to ensure you are 100%<br />

full? Is your website genuinely generating<br />

enough leads to ensure you are 100%<br />

full? Have you refined your show-rounds<br />

to ensure they are optimal and clearly<br />

explain why your setting is unique? Do you<br />

compare the success rates of those who<br />

conduct show-rounds? (Hint: Ann does).<br />

And most importantly of all, do you ask<br />

for the business and try to close the sale<br />

during the show-round?<br />

I know already that there are many of you<br />

who will be saying: “I can’t do that” or “this<br />

is not how we operate”. I don’t know if it’s<br />

a British thing, or it just doesn’t feel right<br />

for a sector full of kind and caring people.<br />

Irrespective, if you are not 100% full, this is<br />

what you need to be doing. If your website<br />

is not generating the leads you need,<br />

replace it with one that will. Create ‘scripts’<br />

for those who do show-rounds so that<br />

your messaging is consistent, and most<br />

important of all, measure the success of<br />

each person who does a show-round to<br />

identify those who have the highest close<br />

rate. This is not to ‘beat up’ those who are<br />

not so good. The opposite is true, you ALL<br />

need to be learning from the best so that<br />

you can bring everyone up to their level.<br />

The point here though, is the most<br />

successful settings are full. And I mean full,<br />

full. No gaps, - with a waiting list. I have<br />

lost count of the number of setting owners<br />

I have argued with who say that 72-75%<br />

occupancy (as the industry average) is<br />

full. It is not. This is false logic. Again,<br />

those settings that are truly successful<br />

have sold 100% of their capacity. And<br />

again, some will ask, “Why is he using the<br />

word capacity?” The answer, is that those<br />

setting owners who think this way, tend to<br />

be more successful.<br />

In conclusion, the most important thing<br />

you can do to move the dial on the success<br />

of your setting is to get full. If you aren’t,<br />

there are numerous further explanations<br />

of how to solve this in my book, but make<br />

sure you start by getting a good lead<br />

generator at the start of your business<br />

processes. That means a website that<br />

generates enough leads to ensure you are<br />

truly and absolutely, full.<br />

Allan will continue this series each<br />

month for the rest of the year, so keep<br />

an eye open for next month’s article.<br />

Want to know more? Allan Presland’s<br />

book is on Amazon: “Improving the<br />

Business of Childcare”, by Allan<br />

Presland.<br />

(amazon.co.uk)<br />

Or, take our quiz to see how successful<br />

your setting is compared to others we<br />

work with: https://scorecard.parenta.<br />

com/parenta<br />

6 <strong>January</strong> <strong>2024</strong> | parenta.com<br />

parenta.com | <strong>January</strong> <strong>2024</strong> 7


Childcare news<br />

and views<br />

New EYFS statutory framework<br />

On 11th December 2023, The Department<br />

for Education published the two versions of<br />

the EYFS statutory framework which apply<br />

from 4th <strong>January</strong> <strong>2024</strong>:<br />

EYFS statutory framework for<br />

childminders<br />

EYFS statutory framework for group<br />

and school-based providers<br />

These incorporate the changes set out<br />

in the Government’s response to its<br />

consultation on the proposed changes.<br />

The main changes for group-based<br />

providers include:<br />

A change from “must” to “may” in<br />

relation to “take reasonable steps to<br />

provide opportunities for children to<br />

develop and use their home language<br />

in play and learning, supporting their<br />

language development at home.”<br />

Removing the requirement for staff<br />

to have a Level 2 Maths qualification<br />

alongside a full and relevant Level<br />

3 qualification to count in ratios (NB<br />

Level 2 English will still be required).<br />

Setting managers employed on or<br />

after 4th <strong>January</strong> <strong>2024</strong> must hold a<br />

Level 2 Maths qualification, or they<br />

must achieve one within 2 years of<br />

starting in the position.<br />

The flexibility for “Suitable students on<br />

long-term placements and volunteers<br />

(aged 17 or over) and staff working as<br />

apprentices in early education (aged<br />

16 or over) may be included in the<br />

ratios at the level below their level of<br />

study if the provider is satisfied that<br />

they are competent and responsible.”<br />

“No change over unqualified staff” – DfE<br />

confirms.<br />

The Department for Education (DfE) has<br />

clarified that unqualified staff in early years<br />

can maintain their regular work in early<br />

years settings. This clarification comes in<br />

response to confusion within the sector<br />

regarding a new qualifications guidance<br />

document.<br />

The new early years qualification<br />

requirements and standards states that:<br />

“To be included in the staff:child ratios<br />

at Level 2, Level 3 or Level 6, staff must<br />

hold a qualification that is recognised<br />

by the Department for Education as full<br />

and relevant at the appropriate level. Any<br />

individual that does not hold a full and<br />

relevant qualification can only work as an<br />

unqualified member of staff in an early<br />

years setting and therefore cannot count in<br />

the staff: child ratios”, meaning that under<br />

the revised <strong>Early</strong> <strong>Years</strong> Foundation Stage<br />

(EYFS), unqualified staff could no longer<br />

work in early years settings.<br />

DfE has confirmed that there have been no<br />

changes to the rules on unqualified staff<br />

and that this guidance does not mean<br />

that unqualified educators are unable to<br />

work in early years settings – only that they<br />

cannot be counted in Level 2, 3 or 6 ratios,<br />

as is currently the case.<br />

The DfE has stated that this document “is<br />

a technical change that puts the existing<br />

information about qualifications that is<br />

currently held on various GOV.uk pages<br />

into one easily accessible document” and<br />

that it “does not introduce any new policy<br />

or requirements, other than the changes to<br />

the Level 2 Maths requirement and use of<br />

students and apprentices in ratios, which<br />

the Department is bringing in following the<br />

consultation.”<br />

The full story, as reported by the <strong>Early</strong><br />

<strong>Years</strong> Alliance can be found here: https://<br />

www.eyalliance.org.uk/news/2023/12/<br />

dfe-confirms-no-change-over-unqualifiedstaff-rules<br />

EYFS profile results 2022-23<br />

The annual statistics on early years<br />

foundation stage profile assessments in<br />

England relating to the 7 areas of learning<br />

and the 17 early learning goals have been<br />

released by the DfE.<br />

These statistics report on teacher<br />

assessments of children’s development<br />

at the end of the early years foundation<br />

stage, specifically the end of the academic<br />

year in which a child turns 5. They cover<br />

the following at national and subnational<br />

levels, including breakdowns by child<br />

characteristics of:<br />

the percentage of children assessed<br />

to be at the ‘emerging’ or ‘expected’<br />

level in the 17 early learning goals<br />

across the 7 areas of learning<br />

the percentage of children with a<br />

good level of development<br />

the average number of early learning<br />

goals for which children are at the<br />

expected level<br />

Headline facts and figures;<br />

The percentages of children with<br />

a good level of development and<br />

at the expected level across all 17<br />

early learning goals have increased<br />

by around 2 percentage points in<br />

2022/23<br />

The increases seen may be<br />

attributable to gradual recovery from<br />

disruption caused by the COVID-19<br />

pandemic (rises were also seen<br />

over the same period in the most<br />

recent phonics and key stage 1<br />

statistics release) and practitioners<br />

having greater familiarisation with<br />

the new assessment framework. For<br />

example, there was also a sharp rise<br />

in assessment outcomes between<br />

2012/13 and 2013/14 following the<br />

EYFS Profile being previously revised at<br />

the start of the 2012/13 academic year<br />

In 2022/23, the average number of<br />

early learning goals at the expected<br />

level remained at 14.1 per child<br />

Physical development was still the<br />

area of learning with the highest<br />

percentage of children at the expected<br />

level (85.2%) in 2022/23, whilst<br />

literacy was still the lowest (69.7%).<br />

Gross motor skills was still the early<br />

learning goal (ELG) with the highest<br />

percentage of children at the expected<br />

level (92.1%), whilst writing was still<br />

the lowest (71.0%)<br />

Compared with a year earlier, all<br />

areas of learning and most ELGs<br />

increased at least slightly<br />

The full results can be found here: https://<br />

www.gov.uk/government/statistics/early-<br />

years-foundation-stage-profile-results-<br />

2022-to-2023<br />

A round-up of some news stories that<br />

have caught our eye over the month<br />

Do you have an early years news story you’d like to see featured in the <strong>Parenta</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong>?<br />

Send one in today to marketing@parenta.com to be featured in next month’s edition!<br />

We can’t wait to read all about it!<br />

Almost 4 million children not<br />

physically active for at least an<br />

hour a day<br />

Fewer than 1/2 of children are meeting<br />

the Chief Medical Officers’ guidelines of<br />

taking part in an average of 60 minutes<br />

or more of sport & physical activity a day.<br />

www.nurseryworld.co.uk/news<br />

What is the plan for 30 hours of<br />

free childcare and how will<br />

it work?<br />

The government has announced more<br />

details about the extra help with childcare<br />

costs which it promised in the Spring<br />

budget.<br />

www.bbc.co.uk/news/education<br />

Young children’s understanding<br />

of language nearly back to prepandemic<br />

levels<br />

A new study suggests that young<br />

children’s understanding of language<br />

is nearly back to pre-pandemic norms,<br />

despite ‘pressures on today’s families’.<br />

www.nurseryworld.co.uk/news<br />

8 <strong>January</strong> <strong>2024</strong> | parenta.com<br />

parenta.com | <strong>January</strong> <strong>2024</strong> 9


Write for us!<br />

We continuously seek new<br />

authors who would like to<br />

provide thought-provoking<br />

articles for our monthly<br />

magazine.<br />

If you have a subject you’re eager to explore<br />

in writing, why not submit an article to us for a<br />

chance to win?<br />

Every month, we’ll be awarding Amazon<br />

vouchers to our “Guest Author of the Month.”<br />

You can access all the information here:<br />

https://www.parenta.com/sponsored-content/<br />

Congratulations<br />

to our guest author competition winner, Frances Turnbull!<br />

Congratulations to Frances Turnbull, our guest<br />

author of the month! Her article, “Creative Balloon<br />

Painting In The <strong>Early</strong> <strong>Years</strong> – “99 Red Balloons”<br />

looks at how inspiring using balloons in early years<br />

activities can be!<br />

A massive thank you to all of our guest authors for<br />

writing for us. You can find all of the past articles<br />

from our guest authors on our website:<br />

www.parenta.com/parentablog/guest-authors<br />

Call 0800 002 9242 and quote ’<strong>Magazine</strong>’<br />

10 <strong>January</strong> <strong>2024</strong> | parenta.com


Joanna Grace<br />

I think they have<br />

sensory needs<br />

what can I do?<br />

Part 2 - provide and adopt<br />

I’m Jo Grace: a Sensory Engagement and Inclusion Specialist and Founder of The Sensory Projects. In this series of 10 articles, I am going<br />

to share some of my passion for understanding the sensory world with you.<br />

If you, as the professional supporting<br />

them, have noticed it, have reflected on<br />

what they are doing and why they are<br />

doing it (as well as when and where<br />

they are doing it) and you’ve started<br />

to have those open conversations with<br />

their families, those families are going<br />

to feel much safer holding the possibility<br />

of this difference in their minds, and not<br />

sweeping it under the carpet or hoping it<br />

will go away, if you also show them that<br />

you are confident in supporting their child.<br />

This isn’t a case of needing to have all<br />

the answers or being confident of what<br />

to do, it is you showing that there will<br />

be professionals like you who see their<br />

children for who they are and want to<br />

understand them and support them.<br />

You are showing them that the world is<br />

changing, not everyone looks at difference<br />

and declares it bad anymore. Some<br />

people notice the difference and are<br />

curious about it. You are those people!<br />

Here are three things to think about:<br />

Developmental or neurological<br />

Some people have sensory processing<br />

differences because they have not yet fully<br />

learned how to process the information<br />

they receive from their senses. We<br />

all learn at different speeds and the<br />

possibility of our learning is affected by<br />

the environments we inhabit (to give an<br />

extreme example, a child brought up in<br />

darkness is not going to have learned how<br />

to use their sight).<br />

People tend to think of sensing as purely<br />

physiological – either you have sense<br />

organs that work, or work partially, or you<br />

do not. But it is more complex than this.<br />

To sense, you need to have the relevant<br />

sense organs working AND your brain<br />

needs to understand how to make sense<br />

of the information those organs bring<br />

to it. Making sense of the information is<br />

something we learn to do over time. It is<br />

why you might offer a baby a black and<br />

white picture book over a more colourful<br />

one, you are recognising that when people<br />

are very young, they have not yet figured<br />

out how to understand all the colour<br />

information, but the information that tells<br />

them that this is light, this is dark, is much<br />

easier to understand, so we start with that.<br />

Children who, for one reason or another,<br />

have not developed their sensory<br />

processing capacities at the same rate as<br />

their peers, may appear to have sensory<br />

processing differences. If offered the<br />

developmentally relevant experiences to<br />

their current level of sensory capabilities,<br />

they may in time be able to master all the<br />

skills and become people who process<br />

sensory information in line with their peers.<br />

Many successful treatments work on this<br />

basis.<br />

However, not all children who have<br />

sensory processing differences can<br />

develop “normal” processing. For some<br />

children, the processing differences are<br />

not due to a delay in that aspect of their<br />

development but instead are a result of<br />

a neurological disability. Here it helps to<br />

think about what we do when we sense.<br />

Yes, we look, we listen, we feel, but it is<br />

more complex than that. Have you ever<br />

asked someone to “shhh” in the car as<br />

you came up to a roundabout you were<br />

unfamiliar with? You asked them to stop<br />

giving you auditory input because you<br />

needed to concentrate on the visual<br />

input. You needed to stop listening to<br />

see better. Our senses interact with each<br />

other in all sorts of ways like this. I often<br />

imagine the sensory control centres in<br />

our brain to be like the mixing decks you<br />

see used in recording studios, with all the<br />

different knobs and sliders available for<br />

turning various aspects of the sound up<br />

and down. Children with developmental<br />

sensory differences are still learning to<br />

control these knobs and sliders.<br />

The children with neurological sensory<br />

processing differences are working with a<br />

control deck that has some broken bits. It<br />

does not matter how much they practice, it<br />

will be very unlikely that they will be able to<br />

achieve ‘normal’ processing.<br />

Keeping this distinction in mind will be<br />

helpful as you maintain your curiosity and<br />

continue your open conversations with the<br />

child’s family.<br />

Find out more in the next part of<br />

Joanna’s article next month in the<br />

February edition of the <strong>Parenta</strong><br />

magazine!<br />

Sign up to be the first to read:<br />

www.parenta.com/magazine/<br />

Scan here for<br />

In this pair of articles, we are considering<br />

how to react to a child in your setting who<br />

appears to have sensory needs. In the first<br />

article, I spoke about the importance of<br />

being curious and seeking to understand<br />

what sensation the child’s behaviour<br />

serves to provide or avoid. I talked about<br />

extending this curiosity into considering the<br />

‘when’ and the ‘where’ of their behaviour<br />

as well as the ‘what’. Are there particular<br />

times or places where they engage with<br />

the behaviour? What do you notice about<br />

these circumstances?<br />

I also wrote about how valuable it<br />

is to have open, non-judgemental<br />

conversations about your understanding of<br />

this child’s differences with their family. It is<br />

not your role to diagnose children or even<br />

to suggest that they should be diagnosed,<br />

but by sharing what you have noticed and<br />

commenting openly on your curiosities,<br />

you create a safe space for families to chat<br />

with you.<br />

Often noticing that your child is a little<br />

different to how you expected them to be,<br />

can be very disorientating, bewildering<br />

and even frightening for families. Families<br />

may even try and stop the behaviour<br />

without seeking to understand it first.<br />

From the outside, this can seem uncaring,<br />

but it is a reaction of fear, and their fear<br />

stems from very deep caring. They know<br />

the world can be cruel to people who are<br />

different so they do not want their child<br />

to be different, and figure if they can stop<br />

the behaviour then they can protect them<br />

from the prejudices they might otherwise<br />

encounter.<br />

It is very normal to want to shy away from<br />

such things, and to try to believe that it is<br />

something they will grow out of or just a<br />

phase, and who knows…. maybe it is. But<br />

if it is not, if this is a child who is processing<br />

the world in a sensorial different way, then<br />

having the people in their life understand<br />

that sooner rather than later, is going to<br />

result in the best outcomes for that child.<br />

more resources<br />

from Joanna:<br />

12 <strong>January</strong> <strong>2024</strong> | parenta.com<br />

parenta.com | <strong>January</strong> <strong>2024</strong> 13


Big Energy<br />

Saving Week<br />

Everyone’s talking about saving energy<br />

– not only to save the planet through<br />

reduced CO2 emissions, but we all need<br />

to make our pennies go a little further.<br />

It’s not always easy to know what to do<br />

though, so Big Energy Saving Week might<br />

be just the thing you’re looking for to get<br />

some tips and advice. Read on to find out<br />

how you can not only save money for your<br />

setting and help the planet, but we’ve also<br />

listed some ways that you can help the<br />

families in your setting too.<br />

What is Big Energy Saving<br />

Week?<br />

Big Energy Saving Week is an initiative to<br />

help people take control of their energy<br />

consumption and help the planet. At its<br />

heart, Big Energy Saving Week aims to<br />

help people:


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Dr. Sarah Moseley<br />

In the quest for inclusion in early childhood<br />

education, the framework of Universal<br />

Design for Learning (UDL) emerges as a<br />

powerful tool. UDL promotes the creation<br />

of learning environments that cater<br />

to the diverse needs of all learners by<br />

offering multiple means of representation,<br />

engagement, and expression. Embracing<br />

UDL principles ensures that educational<br />

settings are not only accessible but also<br />

welcoming and conducive to learning for<br />

every child. Recognising and embracing<br />

diversity among learners is not only a<br />

moral imperative but also essential for<br />

fostering an environment that nurtures<br />

the growth and development of every<br />

child. In early years education, laying the<br />

foundation for inclusivity is crucial, setting<br />

the stage for a lifetime of learning and<br />

social interaction. So, what do we need<br />

to know to ensure that our early years<br />

settings are truly inclusive and cater to the<br />

needs of all learners?<br />

Understanding diversity<br />

Inclusion begins with a deep<br />

understanding of the diverse needs,<br />

strengths, and abilities of each child.<br />

We must understand that neurodiversity<br />

includes a wide range of cognitive<br />

functions, such as autism, ADHD, dyslexia,<br />

and other neurological variances. These<br />

differences do not signify deficits; instead,<br />

they reflect diverse ways of thinking,<br />

perceiving, and experiencing the world.<br />

Embracing these differences fosters<br />

an inclusive environment where every<br />

child’s unique strength and ability are<br />

valued - and support can be given where<br />

needed. By recognising and celebrating<br />

neurodiversity, we can contribute to<br />

creating a nurturing space that respects<br />

individuality and promotes the holistic<br />

Inclusive<br />

early years<br />

Meeting the needs of all<br />

development of their children within the<br />

early years of education.<br />

Communication, understanding, and an<br />

open-minded approach play pivotal roles<br />

in nurturing a supportive environment<br />

where all children can flourish and thrive.<br />

Recognising and celebrating these<br />

differences contribute to creating a vibrant<br />

learning environment.<br />

Universal design for<br />

learning (UDL): a pathway<br />

to inclusivity<br />

UDL recognises that children possess<br />

varying learning styles, strengths, and<br />

challenges. By employing multiple<br />

means of representation, educators can<br />

present information in diverse ways,<br />

such as through visual, auditory, or<br />

tactile means. For instance, incorporating<br />

pictorial representations alongside<br />

text in storybooks caters to both visual<br />

and linguistic learners, ensuring that<br />

engagement is at the heart of all learning<br />

opportunities and experiences.<br />

By offering multiple means of<br />

engagement, you are encouraging<br />

active participation and motivation from<br />

the start. Interactive learning activities,<br />

games, and collaborative activities provide<br />

opportunities for children to engage<br />

based on their preferences and strengths.<br />

For instance, a child who struggles with<br />

verbal communication might excel in a<br />

collaborative art project, allowing them to<br />

express their understanding and creativity.<br />

Furthermore, UDL supports providing<br />

multiple means of expression,<br />

enabling children to demonstrate their<br />

comprehension and knowledge in various<br />

ways. Some children might prefer verbal<br />

explanations, while others might excel in<br />

conveying their understanding through<br />

drawings, model-making, or other forms<br />

of expression. Allowing diverse avenues<br />

for expression celebrates the individual<br />

strengths of each learner.<br />

Total communication<br />

environment: enriching<br />

inclusive settings<br />

Another critical aspect of fostering<br />

inclusivity in early years education<br />

involves creating a total communication<br />

environment. Total communication<br />

encompasses various modes of<br />

communication, including verbal<br />

language, sign language, visual<br />

supports, gestures, and augmentative<br />

and alternative communication<br />

(AAC) systems. By embracing a total<br />

communication approach, educators<br />

ensure that all children, regardless of their<br />

communication abilities, can effectively<br />

participate and engage in learning<br />

experiences.<br />

For instance, incorporating visual<br />

schedules, picture exchange systems, or<br />

communication boards supports children<br />

with communication challenges, facilitating<br />

their understanding and participation<br />

in daily routines and activities. It’s<br />

important to engage children in regular<br />

conversations about their day, interests,<br />

and feelings. Ask open-ended questions to<br />

encourage them to share more details and<br />

expand their language skills. Or describe<br />

daily activities or routines as you do them<br />

together. This helps build vocabulary<br />

and comprehension skills. For example,<br />

when cooking, talk about the ingredients,<br />

actions, and steps involved.<br />

Ensure that the opportunity to read<br />

books aloud together happens as often<br />

as possible. Encourage children to ask<br />

questions, make predictions about the<br />

story, and discuss the characters and<br />

events. This fosters language development<br />

and strengthens engagement. Incorporate<br />

visual supports like picture books,<br />

flashcards, or drawings to reinforce<br />

learning. Visual aids can assist in<br />

understanding concepts and encourage<br />

communication, you can then expand on<br />

their words or sentences. For instance, if<br />

they say, “doggy,” you can respond with,<br />

“Yes, that’s a big brown doggy playing in<br />

the park.” Additionally, introducing basic<br />

sign language or simple gestures in the<br />

classroom promotes communication<br />

and understanding among all children,<br />

creating an inclusive and supportive<br />

atmosphere.<br />

Above all foster an environment<br />

where communication is encouraged<br />

and valued. Encourage turn-taking<br />

during conversations, and praise and<br />

acknowledge your child’s efforts to<br />

communicate effectively. Remember<br />

every child develops at their own pace.<br />

Be patient, supportive, and encouraging,<br />

celebrating their progress and efforts<br />

along the way.<br />

Collaboration with<br />

specialists and families<br />

In building an inclusive early childhood<br />

education environment, collaboration with<br />

specialists and families is paramount.<br />

Specialists, such as speech therapists,<br />

occupational therapists, and behavioural<br />

analysts, offer invaluable expertise and<br />

support in addressing the diverse needs<br />

of children. Working together with these<br />

professionals enables educators to<br />

implement targeted strategies that cater to<br />

individual requirements.<br />

Moreover, fostering strong partnerships<br />

with families creates a supportive network<br />

that reinforces inclusive practices both<br />

at home and in educational settings.<br />

Families provide invaluable insights<br />

into a child’s strengths, interests, and<br />

challenges, facilitating a holistic approach<br />

to supporting each child’s development.<br />

Continuing professional<br />

development in UDL and<br />

inclusive practices<br />

To effectively implement UDL and<br />

create inclusive environments, ongoing<br />

professional development is essential for<br />

educators. Training sessions, workshops,<br />

and seminars focused on UDL principles,<br />

assistive technology, inclusive teaching<br />

strategies, and understanding diverse<br />

learning needs, empower educators<br />

to refine their practices continually. It<br />

equips them with the knowledge and<br />

tools necessary to adapt and tailor their<br />

approaches to meet the changing needs<br />

of learners in an inclusive classroom.<br />

Nurturing inclusive<br />

environments for lifelong<br />

learning<br />

In conclusion, the journey toward<br />

inclusive early years education involves<br />

embracing diversity, implementing UDL<br />

principles, fostering a total communication<br />

environment, collaborating with specialists<br />

and families, and investing in continuous<br />

professional development. By integrating<br />

these elements, educators create<br />

nurturing environments where every child<br />

feels valued, supported, and capable of<br />

reaching their full potential.<br />

Ultimately, the commitment to inclusivity<br />

in early childhood education extends<br />

far beyond the classroom; it lays the<br />

groundwork for a future society where<br />

diversity is not merely acknowledged but<br />

celebrated. Empowering young learners<br />

with inclusive experiences during their<br />

formative years paves the way for a more<br />

equitable and inclusive world.<br />

Useful links


Recognising<br />

symbolically and engage in more<br />

imaginative play, creating stories and<br />

exploring new worlds.<br />

Dr. Kathryn Peckham<br />

In this article, taken from the course of the<br />

same name at the Nurturing Childhoods<br />

Academy, we are going to be looking at<br />

how you can nurture children’s learning<br />

from the first day you meet them - from the<br />

stimulating environments you create, to<br />

the experiences you offer them.<br />

We all want our children to do well and<br />

achieve all they are capable of in life and<br />

nowhere is this more pronounced than<br />

with their learning. However, there is so<br />

much more to early years learning than<br />

development goals and school readiness,<br />

and the worst thing we can do is look<br />

to accelerate them into the unfulfilling<br />

styles and methods of teaching you may<br />

remember well!<br />

If we want to advance our children’s<br />

interests, capabilities, and motivations, we<br />

need to offer them experiences that ignite<br />

their passions and interest in their world.<br />

early years<br />

Learning techniques for children involve<br />

helping them see how capable they are of<br />

learning, right when their attitudes about<br />

themselves are forming - and all of this<br />

begins from the first time they open their<br />

eyes.<br />

From the moment they are born, a baby’s<br />

brain is hard at work, forming intricate<br />

connections and laying the foundation for<br />

future learning and experiences. At birth,<br />

their brain already comprises billions of<br />

neurons forming the basic building blocks<br />

of the brain’s intricate neural networks.<br />

It is wired for connection and interaction<br />

with others, with billions of synapses being<br />

formed, strengthened or pruned based on<br />

their experiences and interactions with the<br />

world.<br />

The early years are an extraordinary<br />

period filled with boundless energy,<br />

exploration and rapid development,<br />

as a child’s brain undergoes incredible<br />

transformations within their cognitive,<br />

social and emotional growth. During<br />

this stage, a child’s curiosity knows no<br />

bounds as they explore, imagine, and<br />

learning<br />

potential<br />

engage with the world around them,<br />

laying the groundwork for the years to<br />

come when they are more mobile, vocal,<br />

and full of past experiences to fine-tune.<br />

These experiences, received through<br />

their senses, allow the brain to process<br />

information, shaping neural pathways and<br />

facilitating their understanding of the world<br />

around them.<br />

A child is also born with the capacity to<br />

learn any language and young brains<br />

are primed to absorb and understand the<br />

intricate nuances of speech. This is why<br />

language development is a key area of<br />

brain development and why engaging<br />

in conversations, reading, singing and<br />

exposure to a rich linguistic environment<br />

are so important. You will hear language<br />

development leap forward during the<br />

toddler years as children begin to form<br />

sentences, understand instructions, and<br />

engage in basic conversations.<br />

All of which these things supply the<br />

experiences children need for the<br />

remarkable surge in language and<br />

communication skills in the years to come<br />

as they begin constructing more complex<br />

sentences, absorbing words, grammar<br />

and social cues from their environment.<br />

Children also exhibit some remarkable<br />

cognitive milestones as understanding<br />

develops, nurtured through symbolic<br />

play, cause and effect and engaging in<br />

problem-solving abilities. As thinking<br />

becomes more logical and abstract,<br />

children can begin to solve more<br />

complex problems, understand concepts<br />

From the first flutters of their tiny fingers<br />

to the first time they ride a bike, a child’s<br />

brain is also working tirelessly to develop<br />

their motor skills and coordination. The<br />

brain’s motor cortex and cerebellum play<br />

crucial roles in controlling and refining their<br />

movements, allowing children to explore<br />

and interact with their surroundings. But<br />

this needs lots and lots of practice as they<br />

gain greater balance and exhibit more<br />

precise coordination, developing their<br />

fine motor skills, becoming more able to<br />

handle small objects and engage in more<br />

precise movements.<br />

The brain is also responsible for emotional<br />

and social development. Areas such as<br />

the limbic system and prefrontal cortex all<br />

play integral roles in regulating a child’s<br />

emotions, forming their attachments<br />

and developing their social skills. In the<br />

early years, the limbic system undergoes<br />

periods of maturation as children learn to<br />

identify and express their feelings... but<br />

I do mean learn and this will sometimes<br />

come with some familiar frustrations. But<br />

as the prefrontal cortex matures, you will<br />

begin to see better impulse control and<br />

emotional regulation, nurtured through<br />

positive relationships and environments<br />

as children develop healthy emotional<br />

regulation.<br />

So, how do we stimulate all this brain<br />

development then?<br />

✏ First, provide a consistent, nurturing,<br />

and responsive environment that<br />

fosters a sense of loving, security and<br />

emotional well-being<br />

✏ Engage in face-to-face interactions,<br />

talking and singing to develop<br />

language and social skills<br />

✏ Encourage exploration and hands-on<br />

discovery, especially outdoors as you<br />

engage their senses and physical<br />

development<br />

✏ Offer puzzles, sorting games, memory<br />

games and hands-on activities to<br />

stimulate cognitive growth<br />

✏ Encourage curiosity by asking openended<br />

questions that promote critical<br />

thinking and problem-solving skills<br />

✏ Allow free and unstructured time<br />

for imagination and independent<br />

discovery<br />

✏ Read to children, sing songs and<br />

engage in interactive play to expose<br />

them to a variety of words, sounds<br />

and ideas<br />

✏ Offer creative opportunities through<br />

art, music and imaginative play<br />

✏ Support social interactions with<br />

opportunities for parallel and<br />

cooperative play<br />

✏ Emphasise the joy of learning at<br />

every age as you celebrate their<br />

achievements and foster a growth<br />

mindset<br />

✏ Talk to them, with eye contact, smiles<br />

and genuine engagement - every<br />

chance that you get!<br />

Through this whirlwind period of growth<br />

and discovery, a child’s brain is rapidly<br />

evolving to absorb the world around<br />

them, blossoming into a powerhouse<br />

of knowledge, creativity and social<br />

understanding. You have the incredible<br />

opportunity to provide a loving and<br />

stimulating environment that supports<br />

and nourishes growing minds. Embrace<br />

the wonders of this journey, celebrating<br />

the strengths, interests and milestones of<br />

each unique child as their development<br />

unfolds, shaping their brain and laying the<br />

foundations for their future learning and<br />

development.<br />

So, whether you are a parent, practitioner,<br />

or family worker, join me at the Nurturing<br />

Childhoods Academy where you can listen<br />

to talks and access lots more tips and<br />

suggestions. And there are also materials<br />

for you to print out and keep handy, giving<br />

you all the key bits of learning at your<br />

fingertips.<br />

If you become a member of the Nurturing<br />

Childhoods Community, you can come<br />

and talk with other parents and carers<br />

about the experiences you are having. You<br />

might like to swap a funny story or ask<br />

for some advice. You can also read all the<br />

new blogs or have a go with a Childhood<br />

Challenge!<br />

Scan here for<br />

more resources<br />

from Kathryn:<br />

20 <strong>January</strong> <strong>2024</strong> | parenta.com<br />

parenta.com | <strong>January</strong> <strong>2024</strong> 21


World Religion Day<br />

Arts and crafts<br />

There are lots of craft ideas around the<br />

internet associated with different religions<br />

and you could create different religious<br />

symbols in paper crafts, playdough,<br />

cookery or even outdoors in mark-making<br />

sessions in mud and sand. Think about<br />

making:<br />

⭐ A mobile or bunting to hang around<br />

the setting<br />

⭐ A religion corner or shrine with<br />

different religious statues and symbols<br />

⭐ A map of the world showing where<br />

different religions originated<br />

⭐ A collage of different religious imagery<br />

– look for unusual ideas too such as<br />

totem poles and animal deities<br />

⭐ Lotus flower – represents purity for<br />

Buddhists and Hindus and is also<br />

important in Islam<br />

⭐ Yew – a symbol of rebirth<br />

⭐ Olives, figs and grapevines -<br />

considered plants given to Muslims<br />

by Allah<br />

⭐ Sage – considered by Native<br />

Americans to have healing and<br />

cleansing properties<br />

Take your children on a sensory, natural<br />

journey around world religions using<br />

plants.<br />

Food<br />

religion. You could hold a peace party or<br />

set up a unity tree. Bring a large branch in<br />

from outside and set it securely in a pot.<br />

You can wrap it in paper, ribbon or wool<br />

to add colour if you want to. Ask children<br />

what their wishes are for a peaceful world<br />

and then write them on a piece of card to<br />

hang them on the tree.<br />

However you celebrate, remember to<br />

let us know by sending your news and<br />

pictures to us at hello@parenta.com.<br />

Answer:<br />

The lotus flower is considered the most<br />

sacred flower in the world due to its<br />

symbolism associated with rebirth, healing<br />

properties, and significance in many<br />

Eastern and Western religions alike.<br />

Do you know the difference between<br />

Hanukkah and Diwali? Can you define the<br />

Five Pillars of Islam or the makeup of the<br />

Holy Trinity? And what would you say was<br />

the world’s most sacred flower? (Answer<br />

at the end).<br />

Nearly seventy-five percent of people in<br />

the world follow one of six major religions,<br />

being:<br />

⭐ Christianity<br />

⭐ Islam<br />

⭐ Judaism<br />

⭐ Buddhism<br />

⭐ Sikhism<br />

⭐ Hinduism<br />

However, there are also many other<br />

religions such as Taoism, Daoism,<br />

Zoroastrianism, Paganism, Confucianism<br />

and hundreds of indigenous religions and<br />

sacred beliefs and practices too.<br />

World Religion Day gives you an<br />

opportunity to not only celebrate these<br />

different religions, but to share new ideas<br />

with your little ones, help them learn about<br />

the world, and promote tolerance and<br />

understanding as set out in the British<br />

Values. And all this whilst having some fun<br />

along the way.<br />

How did it start?<br />

World Religion Day is celebrated around<br />

the world on the third Sunday in <strong>January</strong><br />

each year, so, in <strong>2024</strong>, it falls on Sunday<br />

15th <strong>January</strong>. The day was originally<br />

set up in 1950 by the National Spiritual<br />

Assembly by followers of the Baháʼí Faith<br />

with the aim of promoting understanding<br />

and peace between all religions. In the<br />

Bahá’í faith, all religions are thought to<br />

have common features and should be<br />

respected equally because they believe<br />

there is one God who is known by different<br />

names in all religions.<br />

Religions often differ in their beliefs about:<br />

⭐ Gods and deities<br />

⭐ Holy books and scriptures<br />

⭐ Fundamental ideas on life and death<br />

⭐ Geographical origins<br />

⭐ Major festivals<br />

⭐ The significance of, and rules around<br />

food<br />

⭐ Creation stories<br />

All these topics would make interesting<br />

and fun lessons for your children, and<br />

we’ve listed some ideas to help you<br />

celebrate the day in your setting.<br />

Storytime<br />

Use your storytime to introduce some<br />

of the main stories behind different<br />

religions to your children. There are a lot<br />

of storybooks which tell different religious<br />

stories in age-appropriate ways for<br />

toddlers, and there are also videos and<br />

animations on YouTube.<br />

Creation stories are often fun to read and<br />

compare. You could even ask the children<br />

to come up with their own creation stories<br />

too. How do they think the world was<br />

created?<br />

Remember that you can use drama to act<br />

out some ideas and stories and if you did<br />

a Nativity play, then this is an example of<br />

one religious story.<br />

Songs and music<br />

Music and singing are fundamental to<br />

many religions and there are hundreds<br />

of songs, hymns, mantras and prayers<br />

that you could use to teach the children<br />

about different beliefs. You might want<br />

to focus on songs that sing about unity<br />

and tolerance which would be in keeping<br />

with the day. A traditional folk song which<br />

celebrates this is “We’ve got the whole<br />

world in our hands” which you can find at:<br />

https://www.songsforteaching.com/folk/<br />

wevegotthewholeworld.php, but there are<br />

many others too.<br />

Gardens and outdoor<br />

spaces<br />

Why not celebrate by creating a sensory<br />

area or a trail through your outdoor space<br />

that uses different plants or items of<br />

religious significance like a treasure hunt?<br />

You could make small wooden crosses or<br />

Star of Davids, place Buddha statues or<br />

keywords from religious texts.<br />

Some plants also have different religious<br />

significances such as:<br />

⭐ Basil – important to Christians and<br />

Hindus<br />

⭐ Passionflower – representative of<br />

Jesus’ life<br />

⭐ Mistletoe – important to Druids and<br />

Celts<br />

Use the day to try new foods that are<br />

important to different religions. You could<br />

have small pieces for the children to try or<br />

do some simple cooking with them too.<br />

You could invite people in to share their<br />

knowledge too. Think about:<br />

⭐ Bread – significant to Christians and<br />

many other religions in different forms<br />

⭐ Baklava – a Greek dish made of<br />

33 layers of puff pastry to represent<br />

the years in Jesus’ life, but also<br />

significant in Islam around the month<br />

of Ramadan<br />

⭐ Modak – a sweet dumpling filled with<br />

coconut, thought to be a favourite of<br />

the Hindu gods<br />

⭐ Mooncake – a Chinese bakery<br />

favourite or Simnel cake celebrating<br />

Easter<br />

⭐ Easter eggs and hot-cross buns -<br />

with their symbolism of new life and<br />

regeneration<br />

⭐ Figs and dates – significant to many<br />

Middle Eastern religions<br />

Remember to check about allergies for<br />

both children and staff before introducing<br />

any new foods.<br />

Peace and togetherness<br />

Perhaps one of the best ways to<br />

celebrate World Religion Day is to come<br />

together and celebrate unity, peace and<br />

togetherness, regardless of age, race or<br />

More ideas can be<br />

found at:<br />

⭐ https://www.bbc.co.uk/teach/worldreligion-day-teaching-resources/<br />

zs6fsk7<br />

⭐ https://www.twinkl.co.uk/event/<br />

world-religion-day-<strong>2024</strong><br />

⭐ https://www.woodflowers.com/<br />

blogs/how-to-sola/how-flower-areused-in-world-religions<br />

⭐ https://nowpressplay.co.uk/5-worldreligion-day-activities-blog/<br />

Scan here for<br />

more references<br />

& information:<br />

22 <strong>January</strong> <strong>2024</strong> | parenta.com<br />

parenta.com | <strong>January</strong> <strong>2024</strong> 23


Embedding<br />

culture in your<br />

“That’s because, in a healthy culture,<br />

there are clear expectations. Expectations<br />

around how work gets done, why that<br />

work is important and how teams are<br />

expected to treat each other. There is<br />

also a sense of alignment between the<br />

company vision and core values and how<br />

those values and vision show up in the<br />

workplace.”<br />

What do we look like? What do we sound like? What do we act like?<br />

How do we present ourselves<br />

and our environment; what do<br />

people see?<br />

Our dress code – can we<br />

express our individuality?<br />

How do we communicate with<br />

colleagues, parents and children?<br />

Language – what kind of language<br />

do we use in the staff room/on the<br />

floor/with parents?<br />

How do we behave at work?<br />

Which attributes are evident?<br />

Gossiping<br />

Helpfulness<br />

Pam McFarlane<br />

I am a globetrotter, a wayfarer and a<br />

wanderer. I have visited twenty-two<br />

countries and made my home in four. For<br />

every traveller, the most fascinating part of<br />

travelling is experiencing the local culture<br />

of the places we visit. I have wrestled<br />

(unsuccessfully) in an impromptu wrestling<br />

competition next to a clear blue river in<br />

Mongolia, survived a 7.2 earthquake in<br />

The Philippines and enjoyed the dubious<br />

pleasures of long-drop toilets in the hills of<br />

Venda, South Africa. I have ridden a very<br />

grumpy camel under a moonlit Saharan<br />

desert sky and had a full-blown panic<br />

attack in a crowded, chaotic Moroccan<br />

medina.<br />

Planning to set up a school on a tropical<br />

island seemed a good idea when I was<br />

living in the suburbs of Johannesburg.<br />

However, when I disembarked from a local<br />

ferry onto a seaside market on a small<br />

Philippine island, with the smells of dried<br />

fish and mangoes heavy in the humid air,<br />

I realised I hadn’t quite taken the cultural<br />

difference into account. This was a very<br />

different world, one whose norms I could<br />

not comprehend. I knew instantly that this<br />

society worked in ways that I had to learn<br />

and understand.<br />

There are commonalities between cultures,<br />

especially today in the age of globalisation<br />

and easy online access. In the middle<br />

of a very deprived community in Addis<br />

Ababa, I swapped Facebook details with<br />

a local teacher. Last month I connected<br />

with a teacher in Botswana – we met<br />

over WhatsApp and shared our areas of<br />

interest. I scroll through TikTok as I relax on<br />

my bed and am connected with a myriad<br />

of different cultures whilst dressed in my<br />

pyjamas.<br />

early years ethos<br />

Today, almost worldwide, there is a<br />

common dress code; jeans and T-shirts,<br />

business suits, tracksuits and trainers are<br />

found wherever you go. However, when<br />

you are in a different country, the subtle<br />

and not-so-subtle differences are there.<br />

Architecture, music, transport, language,<br />

clothing, and food, all tell us where we are.<br />

These things tell us what is important and<br />

what is expected.<br />

Culture is defined by the Cambridge<br />

Dictionary as:


Planning: risk<br />

assessments<br />

Are you compliant with your Health &<br />

Safety responsibilities? Do you have all<br />

your necessary risk assessments in place,<br />

working and up-to-date?<br />

Planning is important in early years work,<br />

but planning to reduce risks around<br />

young children is essential. All early years<br />

workers have a duty of care towards<br />

the children they look after to prevent<br />

accidents and injuries, so read on to make<br />

sure your planning is robust in this area.<br />

Why do risk assessments?<br />

It is usually the responsibility of the<br />

owner or the Health and Safety Officer<br />

to ensure that all risk assessments are<br />

completed, and that effective procedures<br />

and protocols are set up using the<br />

information collected. However, ALL early<br />

years staff should have knowledge of risk<br />

assessments to be able to assess each<br />

situation in real time, so that they do not<br />

put children in harm’s way.<br />

Everything has a risk associated with it.<br />

Even lying in bed doing nothing carries<br />

a risk of developing bed sores and<br />

wasted muscles, so there is nothing<br />

that is 100% ‘risk-free’. The purpose of a<br />

risk assessment is to identify potential<br />

dangers and then take action to reduce<br />

them. It is not possible to eliminate every<br />

risk for every situation, but it is possible<br />

to minimise risk. There will be times that<br />

you will have to cross the road or travel on<br />

public transport for example, which have<br />

their own risks, but planning the route<br />

carefully, using a zebra or pelican crossing,<br />

having enough staff to supervise the<br />

children, and wearing high-viz jackets will<br />

minimise these risks. Where this has been<br />

done and the risk is considered low, then<br />

activities can usually go ahead.<br />

When should a risk<br />

assessment be done?<br />

Risk assessments should be undertaken<br />

whenever there are activities or practices<br />

which could pose a risk to the children,<br />

OR to the adults involved in their care.<br />

So, for example, most settings will know<br />

that a risk assessment needs to be done<br />

for a trip out of the setting, but did you<br />

know that it is good practice to do a risk<br />

assessment if a member of staff becomes<br />

pregnant and continues to work in the<br />

setting?<br />

Since there are an infinite number of<br />

things that could happen every day in<br />

any setting, identifying all of them would<br />

be impossible and there is always the<br />

potential for a freak accident that no one<br />

could foresee. However, by considering<br />

what ‘could’ happen carefully, and<br />

identifying common hazards and risks,<br />

you will be doing the best you can to keep<br />

everyone safe.<br />

Below is a list of common situations where<br />

risk assessments should be undertaken in<br />

early years settings:<br />

Access to the centre such as staff<br />

access and security<br />

Children and parents arriving and<br />

leaving the setting<br />

Transport<br />

Feeding children including<br />

lunches and snack times<br />

Allergies<br />

Children needing to use the toilet and/<br />

or personal care routines<br />

Hand washing and teeth<br />

cleaning<br />

The storage,<br />

administration<br />

and recording<br />

of any<br />

medication<br />

All aspects of<br />

outdoor<br />

playgrounds<br />

and play areas<br />

such as gardens, sand pits or ponds/<br />

water<br />

All indoor areas and play equipment<br />

Safety features such as fire alarms/<br />

extinguishers/gates and fences<br />

Additional needs of any babies or<br />

children with SEND<br />

Excursions outside the setting<br />

including going for a walk or on a<br />

visit/trip<br />

Playing with different materials such<br />

as mud, water, sand, art materials<br />

Pregnant members of staff or those<br />

with additional needs<br />

Home visits and personal safety with<br />

parents or visitors<br />

Working from heights or lifting/<br />

carrying/moving things<br />

Storing, preparing and cooking food<br />

Spillages and accident management<br />

Using chemicals such as cleaning<br />

routines<br />

Maintenance of all sites and<br />

equipment<br />

Emergency evacuation and<br />

procedures (e.g. intruder)<br />

Each setting may have additional specific<br />

areas that need risk assessments, (e.g.<br />

Forest School, swimming/paddling pool<br />

etc.,) but the above list is a good start.<br />

Look also at your Health and Safety policy<br />

and legislation from the Health and Safety<br />

Executive www.hse.gov.uk/ for more<br />

information on workplace safety.<br />

How to conduct a risk<br />

assessment<br />

The actions needed for a risk assessment<br />

are:<br />

1. Identify hazards – look for the<br />

dangers involved<br />

2. Assess the risk - decide who/what is<br />

in danger and to what level<br />

3. Identify the precautions and<br />

control measures needed to<br />

reduce the risk to an acceptable<br />

level – what should be done? By<br />

whom? And by when?<br />

4. Record the findings – create a<br />

document and log actions<br />

5. Review the process regularly –<br />

especially in the light of changes, near<br />

misses or accidents<br />

The table to the right is an example of a<br />

risk assessment template that you could<br />

use, and some example entries.<br />

Obviously, these are just examples and<br />

other templates are available on various<br />

websites, either free or for a small fee<br />

including:<br />

mindingkids.co.uk/downloads/riskassessments-pack/<br />

www.twinkl.co.uk/resource/riskbenefit-assessment-template-cfeslm-40<br />

www.earlylearninghq.org.uk/latestresources/early-years-setting-riskassessment-template/<br />

In some cases, you may need to do<br />

individual risk assessments for specific<br />

people, for example, for children with<br />

SEND.<br />

Accidents<br />

<strong>Early</strong> years settings should also pay<br />

particular attention to the risk assessments<br />

for the prevention of accidents because<br />

young children will not always understand<br />

danger in the way that adults do. The six<br />

most common accidents amongst children<br />

are:<br />

Falls/slips<br />

Burns<br />

Area to be assessed<br />

Choking<br />

Drowning<br />

Hanging/suffocating<br />

Poisoning<br />

See www.rospa.com/policy/home-safety/<br />

advice/accidents-to-children for more<br />

information on accident prevention.<br />

Legislation<br />

Playground<br />

equipment<br />

The Health and Safety at Work Act 1974<br />

places responsibility on the employer<br />

(i.e. your setting’s governance board or<br />

owners) to ensure that the work setting is<br />

as safe as possible. Insurances must be<br />

in place and each setting must display<br />

a Health and Safety Executive poster<br />

detailing who is responsible for safety in<br />

the setting. Information leaflets should also<br />

be distributed to workers.<br />

Your setting must also comply with<br />

other legal responsibilities such as<br />

keeping COSHH (Control of Substances<br />

Hazardous to Health) files and RIDDOR<br />

(Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and<br />

Dangerous Occurrences Regulations). Risk<br />

Person assessing area<br />

Mrs Jones<br />

Date of assessment 1/9/23 Date of next review 1/9/24<br />

What is the<br />

hazard?<br />

Swings:<br />

children could<br />

fall and injure<br />

themselves<br />

Swings:<br />

chains/ropes<br />

could fail and<br />

children fall<br />

Who is at<br />

risk?<br />

Children,<br />

staff<br />

Children,<br />

staff<br />

Risk before<br />

control<br />

measures<br />

High<br />

Medium<br />

Control<br />

measures put<br />

in place<br />

Child-safe<br />

surfacing<br />

provided around<br />

and under all<br />

equipment<br />

Adult supervision<br />

in required ratio<br />

at all times when<br />

children using<br />

equipment<br />

First aider always<br />

on site<br />

Maintenance<br />

contract in place<br />

with supplier<br />

Date of last<br />

inspection<br />

checked and<br />

recorded<br />

Control<br />

measures<br />

checked/<br />

dates<br />

Yes – 1/9/23<br />

Site Manager<br />

Yes – ongoing<br />

All staff<br />

Yes –<br />

ongoing daily<br />

checks<br />

H&S Officer<br />

Yes –<br />

25/4/23<br />

Office<br />

Manager<br />

Yes – 14/9/23<br />

H&S Officer<br />

Low<br />

Low<br />

Final risk<br />

rating<br />

assessments will be a major part of these<br />

procedures too.<br />

Risk assessments are essential, so plan<br />

them well, record and review them<br />

regularly to stay compliant and keep your<br />

staff and children safe.<br />

Scan here for<br />

more references<br />

& information:<br />

26 <strong>January</strong> <strong>2024</strong> | parenta.com<br />

parenta.com | <strong>January</strong> <strong>2024</strong> 27


Dr. Mona Sakr<br />

In this article, we consider what makes<br />

working in the baby room different to<br />

working in other parts of the nursery and<br />

why it is essential that more professional<br />

learning is designed, specifically with baby<br />

room educators in mind. We need to grow<br />

the sense of community and confidence<br />

among baby room leaders so that they<br />

can get the support they need to meet the<br />

demands of the job.<br />

The baby room:<br />

distinct experiences<br />

and challenges<br />

Working in the baby room is different to<br />

working in any other part of the nursery<br />

and comes with distinct challenges. To<br />

give just a few examples:<br />

Professional<br />

learning for baby<br />

room educators<br />

❤ Educators in the baby room are at<br />

the forefront of dealing with parents’<br />

anxieties around leaving their babies<br />

in the care of others for the first time.<br />

At the same time as responding to<br />

babies’ intense settling emotions,<br />

educators are also effectively ‘settling<br />

in’ the parents<br />

❤ In the baby room, educators have to<br />

manage individualised routines of<br />

sleep, bottles and feeding, while also<br />

ensuring that getting through these<br />

routines doesn’t completely take over<br />

the day and leave no time for rich<br />

interactions and mindful play<br />

❤ Another challenge in the baby room<br />

is getting outdoors. While children<br />

in the toddler and pre-school rooms<br />

can wander outside by themselves,<br />

babies often have to be carried. This<br />

can make it tricky to spend as much<br />

time in nature or the local area as<br />

you’d like to<br />

The ‘infant practicum’<br />

Research in early childhood education and<br />

care recognises the different experiences<br />

that those working with babies have.<br />

Researchers Susan Recchia and Minsun<br />

Shin coined the term ‘infant practicum’<br />

to talk about the special knowledge,<br />

understanding, expertise and skills that<br />

those working with the very youngest<br />

children develop and contribute. The<br />

infant practicum involves a special kind<br />

of wonder and curiosity that baby room<br />

educators develop as they engage with<br />

babies. Rather than rushing in to do things<br />

for babies or setting up more structured<br />

activities, baby room educators master<br />

sitting back and intently observing. Recchia<br />

and Shin argue that we need to celebrate<br />

this special approach and support all<br />

early years educators to learn from what<br />

happens in the baby room.<br />

Professional learning<br />

for baby room<br />

educators<br />

Given the distinctiveness of what<br />

happens in the baby room and the<br />

special knowledge and skills that baby<br />

room educators need, you would think<br />

that targeted support for baby room<br />

educators would be readily available. You<br />

would think that the availability of this<br />

professional learning would be growing<br />

at this point, when it looks as though<br />

UK nurseries will be asked to extend the<br />

provision in the baby room with subsidised<br />

funding for much younger children to<br />

attend nursery than ever before. Though,<br />

there is a severe lack of professional<br />

learning courses, resources, networks and<br />

coaching that speaks specifically to the<br />

experiences of those working and leading<br />

in the baby room.<br />

Nadine, a baby room leader working<br />

in a seaside town nursery in Scotland<br />

explains that “We are always having<br />

to adapt training that is designed with<br />

older children in mind. We must take the<br />

guidance that is given about working with<br />

toddlers or pre-schoolers and think about<br />

how we can make it work for the babies.<br />

It’s so hard to find anything specific to<br />

what happens in the baby room”.<br />

This must shift. What we need is a<br />

movement of support for baby room<br />

educators. This would look like a growth<br />

in the number of courses and resources<br />

to support what happens in the baby<br />

room. It would look like an opportunity for<br />

baby room leaders to come together and<br />

develop communities of reflection and<br />

connection.<br />

Baby Rooms –<br />

Inspiring Leaders<br />

I set up the project Baby Rooms – Inspiring<br />

Leaders (BRIL) to contribute to this shift.<br />

An initial pot of funding came from the<br />

British Education Leadership Management<br />

and Administration Society (BELMAS) to<br />

support a group of nursery managers,<br />

baby room leaders and early years<br />

trainers to come together and imagine<br />

what a course for baby room leaders<br />

would involve and how it would work.<br />

In September 2022, we ran the first BRIL<br />

course: “An Introduction to Baby Room<br />

Leadership”. The attention the course<br />

received was absolutely overwhelming.<br />

I opened the course with 20 places but<br />

these had gone within the first hour of<br />

mentioning the course on social media. I<br />

increased the number of places to 50 and<br />

these had disappeared within 24 hours.<br />

The waiting list of baby room leaders<br />

eager to join quickly grew. Running the<br />

course for the second time in Autumn of<br />

this year, the response has been equally<br />

positive. It shows just how much of a<br />

demand there is for targeted baby room<br />

leadership development.<br />

Building on the amazing responses to<br />

these free courses, BRIL now has a life of<br />

its own. We’re running a wide range of<br />

courses, from intensive reflection-driven<br />

courses looking at how we respect the<br />

rights of babies in the baby room, to oneoff<br />

workshops brainstorming ideas to grow<br />

more creativity in the baby room. We’ve<br />

also released workbooks and resources<br />

looking at different aspects of baby room<br />

education and baby room leadership,<br />

and we’ve introduced a coaching service.<br />

Everything is targeted specifically to those<br />

working in the baby room.<br />

All of this though is just the tip of the<br />

iceberg. The mission, which is so much<br />

bigger than BRIL, is to generate increasing<br />

levels of confidence and community<br />

among baby room educators so that they<br />

can not only demand better professional<br />

learning, but also generate more of it for<br />

themselves. Baby Room Leader, Nadine,<br />

who was involved in the design of the first<br />

BRIL course, has now gone on to create a<br />

local network of baby room leaders who<br />

regularly visit each other in their settings<br />

and meet up to exchange experiences<br />

and solve problems together.<br />

This is an inspiring example of what can<br />

happen when we commit to valuing what<br />

baby room educators do and taking<br />

seriously the professional learning needs<br />

of those who work with the very youngest<br />

children in the nursery.<br />

Scan here for<br />

more resources<br />

from Mona:<br />

28 <strong>January</strong> <strong>2024</strong> | parenta.com<br />

parenta.com | <strong>January</strong> <strong>2024</strong> 29


The International Day of Education,<br />

observed globally on 24th <strong>January</strong>, is<br />

“dedicated to promoting the significance<br />

of education in fostering peace and<br />

sustainable development”. For us in the<br />

early years industry, it’s an opportunity<br />

to infuse excitement into learning while<br />

involving both children and staff in a<br />

celebration that transcends the early years<br />

setting.<br />

In this article, we’ll explore the essence<br />

of the International Day of Education<br />

and discuss engaging activities that can<br />

benefit both children and staff, along with<br />

strategies to get parents actively involved<br />

in the celebration.<br />

Understanding the<br />

International Day of<br />

Education<br />

The International Day of Education,<br />

declared by the United Nations, aims<br />

to underline the transformative power<br />

of education and advocate for its<br />

accessibility to all. It serves as a reminder<br />

that education is not only a fundamental<br />

human right but also a key driver of<br />

progress and development worldwide.<br />

Celebrating<br />

International Day of<br />

Education<br />

A joyful journey of learning in early years<br />

lift many out of poverty and pave the path<br />

for a promising future.<br />

According to UNESCO’s statistical data,<br />

an estimated 258 million children are<br />

not in school. The situation is worse for<br />

marginalised communities, those living<br />

in areas with higher inequality, and<br />

underdeveloped countries. The bitter<br />

reality is that there are countless societies<br />

around the world today where education<br />

is dismissed as unnecessary.<br />

International Day of Education is a call<br />

for action - bringing individuals, civil<br />

society, and policymakers to take solid<br />

steps towards ensuring that education<br />

is given to children, as well as improving<br />

youth engagement in education. Learning<br />

programmes should be designed for<br />

the needs of different demographics,<br />

converging to one main goal; equipping<br />

children with the education needed for<br />

employment and better futures.<br />

Here’s how to get the<br />

children, the team<br />

and the parents<br />

involved!<br />

Global learning adventures<br />

Transport children on a journey around<br />

the world by organising activities that<br />

explore different cultures, languages, and<br />

traditions. Incorporate storytelling, music,<br />

and art to make the learning experience<br />

immersive and enjoyable.<br />

Creative arts and crafts<br />

Engage children in hands-on activities<br />

like creating their own crafts related<br />

to different countries. This not only<br />

enhances their creativity but also<br />

reinforces educational concepts.<br />

Why not try these activities<br />

for staff which can be used<br />

for CPD training?<br />

Professional development sessions<br />

Plan professional development sessions<br />

for staff to explore innovative teaching<br />

methods, discuss current trends in early<br />

childhood education, and share best<br />

practices. This can contribute to their<br />

continuous growth as educators.<br />

Collaborative learning<br />

Foster a collaborative learning environment<br />

among staff members. Encourage the<br />

sharing of ideas, strategies, and success<br />

stories, creating a supportive community<br />

within your setting.<br />

Reflective practice sessions<br />

Organise sessions where staff can reflect<br />

on their teaching practices and share<br />

insights. This can enhance self-awareness<br />

and contribute to a culture of continuous<br />

improvement.<br />

Involving parents<br />

Open day celebrations<br />

Designate a special day for parents<br />

to visit the early years setting.<br />

Showcase children’s projects, conduct<br />

demonstrations of learning activities, and<br />

involve parents in interactive sessions.<br />

Communication channels<br />

Utilise various communication channels<br />

such as newsletters, emails, and social<br />

media to keep parents informed about<br />

the significance of the International Day<br />

of Education. Share updates on planned<br />

activities and encourage their active<br />

participation.<br />

Volunteer opportunities<br />

Provide parents with opportunities to<br />

volunteer in organising and participating in<br />

events. This not only strengthens the sense<br />

of community but also demonstrates the<br />

collective commitment to education.<br />

Supporting charities<br />

Aligning itself with the objectives of the<br />

UN’s International Day of Education,<br />

<strong>Parenta</strong>’s charity, the <strong>Parenta</strong> Trust,<br />

aims to support disadvantaged children<br />

across the world by providing them<br />

with the opportunity to receive a quality<br />

pre-school education, in a safe and<br />

loving environment. It is committed to<br />

helping orphaned and underprivileged<br />

children across the world reach their full<br />

potential. The charity’s mission is to make<br />

a difference to these children’s lives and<br />

give them the best possible start - one<br />

that every child deserves. You can find<br />

out more about the early years charity at<br />

www.parentatrust.com.<br />

As we celebrate the International Day<br />

of Education in early years settings, let’s<br />

embrace the opportunity to create a<br />

joyful and enriching learning experience<br />

for children, staff, and parents alike. By<br />

fostering a sense of global awareness,<br />

collaboration, and continuous<br />

improvement, we contribute to the holistic<br />

development of our young learners and<br />

nurture a community that values education<br />

as a beacon of progress. Together,<br />

let’s make every day an educational<br />

celebration!


Frances Turnbull<br />

While many children start speaking early,<br />

not all children do. In fact, for parents<br />

whose children do not start speaking early,<br />

it can be heart-breaking to hear other<br />

parents talk about their frustrations with<br />

children who won’t stop talking.<br />

Children may not speak fluently for many<br />

reasons, from physical impediments to<br />

neurological or learning differences. When<br />

a delay is identified, it is helpful for parents<br />

to be guided towards medical assessment.<br />

Not only can this eliminate more serious<br />

conditions, but it can also open doors<br />

for early intervention. One easy and<br />

accessible activity that can support<br />

intervention is singing familiar songs.


How to implement the<br />

new EYFS changes<br />

Over the years there have been several<br />

changes to the EYFS, and a revised version<br />

has recently been published.<br />

The Government also recently published<br />

the results of this consultation, with some<br />

changes being rejected.<br />

Settings should now:<br />

☑ Implement any statutory changes –<br />

things you MUST do<br />

☑ Reassess areas where changes are<br />

recommended or suggested – things<br />

you COULD do<br />

☑ Inform and train your staff<br />

☑ Tell your parents/carers about the<br />

changes you implement<br />

Recent changes are designed to:<br />

☑ Offer settings more flexibility on<br />

staffing and relevant qualifications<br />

☑ Make things more practical for<br />

different types of settings<br />

☑ Reduce known burdens, especially in<br />

recruiting and training staff<br />

☑ Help settings provide children with a<br />

high-quality education<br />

The principles of good practice,<br />

characteristics of effective learning, and<br />

curriculum areas are unchanged. The<br />

main changes have to do with staffing<br />

ratios and who can and cannot be<br />

included in calculating staff ratios. These<br />

changes may ease burdens on many<br />

settings as finding qualified staff is difficult,<br />

and budgets are squeezed.<br />

The main change is that the statutory<br />

minimum staff ratio for children aged 2,<br />

has changed from 1:4 to 1:5. This means<br />

that if you have 20 children aged 2 in your<br />

setting, you would need 5 staff under<br />

the old system, but only 4 staff under the<br />

new ratio measures. Although this has<br />

been controversial and opposed by many,<br />

the Government says that the change is<br />

optional, and settings are still free to work<br />

with more staff if they prefer. Managers<br />

will need to decide what is right for their<br />

setting, the children they look after and the<br />

staff they have.<br />

Students and apprentices are not normally<br />

counted in ratios for qualified staff but may<br />

now be counted as unqualified staff in<br />

some circumstances. The 2023 changes<br />

now allow some suitable staff to be<br />

included in the level below the one they<br />

are studying. Therefore, if an apprentice<br />

is studying for a Level 3 qualification, they<br />

can be counted in the ratio of staff with a<br />

Level 2 qualification as long as they are<br />

considered “competent and responsible”<br />

by the setting. If you do this, however,<br />

be prepared to support your decision if<br />

questioned. In truth, Ofsted has said that<br />

they are unlikely to “count heads” as they<br />

inspect a setting, however, the real test,<br />

is whether management feels that they<br />

have left children in the care of enough<br />

competent people, and this would be a<br />

safeguarding concern if the answer is ‘no’.<br />

The changes now also remove the<br />

requirement for Level 3 staff to hold a<br />

Level 2 Maths qualification (equivalent to a<br />

GCSE). Instead, settings must ensure that<br />

their staff are sufficiently knowledgeable<br />

in maths to deliver high-quality provision<br />

in this area. This may relieve the pressure<br />

on settings where staff have good maths<br />

knowledge, but no paper qualifications.<br />

Settings should satisfy themselves that<br />

there are enough staff with a good<br />

enough knowledge of maths or upskill<br />

workers if needed.<br />

In all these areas, the Government is keen<br />

not to be too prescriptive about how staff<br />

are deployed and stresses that the ratios<br />

work across the setting as a whole, not for<br />

each room.<br />

See earlyyears.blog.gov.uk/2023/04/20/<br />

how-staff-to-child-ratios-work for more<br />

information on how ratios work across<br />

the setting.<br />

EAL students<br />

Another change which may alleviate<br />

staffing issues is the requirement that<br />

providers “must” support children with<br />

English as an Additional Language (EAL)<br />

to develop their home language. This<br />

has changed from “must” to may”, which<br />

can help if you have been struggling to<br />

find staff or volunteers who can speak<br />

the child’s first language. However, best<br />

practice would say that helping children<br />

with their first language as well as<br />

teaching them English, benefits them in the<br />

long term, so you may still want to seek<br />

out opportunities to promote this in your<br />

setting.<br />

Changes to supervision<br />

during snack and mealtimes<br />

There is an important word change around<br />

the supervision of children when eating.<br />

Adequate supervision when eating now<br />

requires staff to be in sight AND sound of<br />

children to reduce choking risk. This is a<br />

change from “sight OR sound”. This means<br />

that staff need to be in the same room and<br />

looking at/listening to the children during<br />

snack and lunch times.<br />

There are some other minor changes<br />

around qualifications and the new<br />

separate EYFS versions can be viewed at:<br />

www.gov.uk/government/publications/<br />

early-years-foundation-stageframework--2.<br />

The Government response to the<br />

consultation can be found at:<br />

assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/<br />

media/653a7a0ee6c9680014aa9bc6/<br />

<strong>Early</strong>_years_foundation_stage_regulatory_<br />

changes_-_consultation_response.pdf.<br />

How to implement change<br />

Some people find change stressful, so as<br />

a manager or leader, you will need to take<br />

steps to ensure a smooth transition from<br />

one way of working to another. Always<br />

stress the positive aspects of the change<br />

and try to avoid the tendency to focus on<br />

negative aspects. Make sure you inform<br />

and train your staff accordingly - and offer<br />

them support as and when needed. You<br />

may need to support managers too if they<br />

are responsible for delivering changes.<br />

Practitioners are called on a lot to make a<br />

“professional judgement” so it’s important<br />

to support your staff and managers to<br />

make these, be reflective about what<br />

is working and what is not, and adjust<br />

procedures and practices when needed.<br />

It may be a good idea to contact other<br />

local nurseries, or review industry advice<br />

to see how others are coping with the<br />

changes, and perhaps contact your Local<br />

Authority to see if they have any further<br />

advice or courses relevant to the changes<br />

needed. Some companies like <strong>Parenta</strong><br />

offer CPD for staff which could be useful.<br />

Embedding the changes<br />

As with most aspects of the statutory<br />

guidance, the best way to prove that you<br />

are compliant and following the rules, is<br />

to have strong evidence and to embed<br />

things across the setting. Ofsted inspectors<br />

want to see practices embedded across<br />

the whole setting, rather than a one-off<br />

example as a tick-box exercise.<br />

Creating a parent guide<br />

If you have not already done so, sending<br />

parents a short guide to the changes and<br />

how this will affect their children is useful.<br />

This could be done as:<br />

☑ Article or blog on your website<br />

☑ Newsletter or information sheet –<br />

either printed and sent/handed out,<br />

emailed home or published online<br />

☑ A video or vlog outlining the changes<br />

☑ An in-person parent information<br />

session<br />

☑ Telephone calls home<br />

At the very least, you should signpost<br />

your parents to sites which show them<br />

the general changes that have been<br />

introduced, but it would be good practice<br />

to personalise the changes so that they<br />

are relevant to their children in your setting.<br />

☑ nationalnurserytraining.com/<br />

navigating-the-2023-changes-to-theeyfs-a-comprehensive-guide/<br />

☑ app.croneri.co.uk/feature-articles/<br />

what-changes-eyfs-mean-providersseptember-2023<br />

Scan here for<br />

more references<br />

& information:<br />

34 <strong>January</strong> <strong>2024</strong> | parenta.com<br />

parenta.com | <strong>January</strong> <strong>2024</strong> 35


EYFS activities:<br />

Literacy<br />

In the EYFS, literacy plays a pivotal role in fostering crucial developmental skills in young children. <strong>Early</strong> exposure to<br />

literacy activities, including reading and language-rich interactions, lays the foundation for effective communication<br />

and comprehension.<br />

It not only promotes achievement in language but also enhances cognitive abilities, critical thinking, and problemsolving<br />

skills. Moreover, it nurtures a love for reading and learning, setting the stage for a lifelong journey of<br />

exploration and knowledge.<br />

The emphasis on literacy in the early years is integral to preparing children for academic success and equipping<br />

them with essential tools for communication and self-expression.<br />

Word tracing with pom-poms<br />

You will need:<br />

• Printed word templates or marker pen and<br />

paper<br />

• Plastic tweezers<br />

• Small pom-pom balls<br />

• Collect printed word templates or use<br />

a marker pen to write words on sheets<br />

of paper. Write simple words or create<br />

sentences on the paper, either using<br />

printed templates or a marker pen<br />

• Make sure to write in large print, or use<br />

large word templates for easy placement of<br />

the pom-pom balls<br />

• Introduce the plastic tweezers to the<br />

children and explain the activity, then<br />

instruct them to use the tweezers to pick up<br />

the small pom-pom balls<br />

• Encourage the children to trace the outline<br />

of the words on the paper using the pompom<br />

balls<br />

• Emphasise feeling the words as they trace,<br />

associating the tactile experience with word<br />

recognition<br />

• Make the activity more engaging by<br />

allowing the children to create their own<br />

patterns or designs while tracing the words<br />

• If using sentences, discuss the meaning of<br />

the words and the context of the sentence<br />

to reinforce understanding<br />

By combining a sensory experience with word<br />

learning, this activity provides a playful and<br />

effective way for children to engage with<br />

language while refining their motor skills.<br />

More on this activity and others can be found<br />

here: https://kindergarteniscrazyfun.com/10-<br />

ways-to-teach-sight-words-for-literacy-stationand-guided-reading-group-activities/<br />

Alphabet matching puzzle<br />

You will need:<br />

• Paper plates<br />

• Coloured marker pens<br />

• Child-friendly scissors<br />

• Cut the paper plates in half using scissors<br />

• Aim for slight variations in the cuts for each<br />

plate<br />

• After cutting a plate, use the coloured<br />

marker pens to write a lowercase letter on<br />

one half and the corresponding uppercase<br />

letter on the other<br />

• Consider starting with the letters of the<br />

child’s name for a personalised touch<br />

• Continue this process for all the plates,<br />

creating sets of puzzle pieces with<br />

matching uppercase and lowercase letters<br />

• Once all puzzle pieces are ready, shuffle<br />

them around on a flat surface<br />

• Encourage the children to match the pieces<br />

by connecting the uppercase and lowercase<br />

letters<br />

• Prompt discussions about the alphabet<br />

letters and their sounds as the children<br />

engage in the matching game<br />

• While playing, discuss the similarities and<br />

differences between the uppercase and<br />

lowercase letters<br />

• Reinforce learning by emphasising the<br />

importance of recognising both forms<br />

This simple and interactive activity not only<br />

enhances letter recognition but also provides<br />

an engaging way for children to explore the<br />

alphabet and its characteristics.<br />

More on this activity and others can be found<br />

here: https://toddlerapproved.com/alphabetpaper-plate-puzzles/<br />

Storytime fun<br />

You will need:<br />

• A fun storybook<br />

• Choose an engaging and age-appropriate<br />

storybook that captivates the children’s<br />

interest<br />

• Begin reading the story, and after each<br />

sentence or page, encourage the children to<br />

participate actively<br />

• Prompt them to act out the actions of the<br />

story characters<br />

• Engage the children by asking questions<br />

related to the story<br />

• Encourage them to express themselves<br />

by answering questions and sharing their<br />

thoughts on the narrative<br />

• Watch as their imagination shines through<br />

as they bring the story to life through<br />

actions and responses<br />

• Use this interactive approach to enhance<br />

comprehension skills by ensuring the<br />

children understand the storyline and<br />

characters<br />

• Utilise this opportunity to promote<br />

communication skills by encouraging the<br />

children to articulate their thoughts and<br />

experiences related to the story<br />

• Experiment with different stories and<br />

adapt the level of interaction based on the<br />

children’s age and preferences<br />

• Allow room for creative interpretations and<br />

adaptations of the story actions<br />

By transforming traditional storytime into an<br />

interactive experience, this activity not only<br />

makes reading enjoyable but also contributes<br />

to the holistic development of children,<br />

encompassing comprehension, confidence, and<br />

communication skills.<br />

More on this activity and others can be found<br />

here: https://www.firstdiscoverers.co.uk/earlyyears-literacy-games-activities/<br />

36 <strong>January</strong> <strong>2024</strong> | parenta.com


Child<br />

development<br />

Gina Bale<br />

Dance and movement - part 1<br />

This is a two-part article on<br />

dance and movement with<br />

information, simple guides,<br />

and questions to help you<br />

include this valuable activity<br />

in your setting.<br />

Dance and movement<br />

Dance and movement allow children to<br />

use their whole body as they explore<br />

movement and develop an awareness<br />

of their physical abilities. It is also unique<br />

as it is both very physical and expressive<br />

all at the same time. Movement is the<br />

fundamental means of human expression.<br />

It doesn’t cost anything to do as no<br />

equipment is needed apart from their<br />

own body (the instrument) and the area<br />

or space (the medium) in which they can<br />

move. This is incredible when you think<br />

of all the skills movement and dance<br />

promote in developing personal, social,<br />

and emotional development, critical<br />

thinking skills, and movement memory,<br />

that will help them in school and life.<br />

Movement memory: is the ability to copy,<br />

repeat and remember actions, phrases,<br />

and patterns. This starts with actions and<br />

rhymes with babies and progresses to a<br />

movement phrase or dance that lasts for<br />

several minutes.<br />

Sadly, despite this, movement and dance<br />

are almost invisible if you compare them to<br />

the volume of music and other visual arts<br />

that are all around us through the medium<br />

of social media, TV, radio, art galleries,<br />

cinemas, magazines, advertisements and<br />

books.<br />

Question: Have you researched the<br />

age-appropriate, opportunities in your<br />

local community for children to dance and<br />

watch dance?<br />

The art of expression<br />

Dance and movement are the universal<br />

language of communication. The way<br />

the body expresses our emotions and<br />

thoughts is critical as we read body<br />

language before we hear and listen to<br />

what is being said. This is known as the<br />

‘Communication Rule Theory’ (created by<br />

Professor Mehrabian and Morton Wiener<br />

in 1967). The 3 C’s of communication are<br />

divided into spoken words, tone of voice,<br />

and body language.<br />

The chart below shows how much we<br />

express our thoughts and emotions with<br />

our bodies.<br />

Question: Have you thought about how<br />

you express your emotions of happiness,<br />

excitement, anger, and sadness in your<br />

body movements?<br />

Body<br />

language<br />

55%<br />

Dance and movement is<br />

for ALL!<br />

Everyone can move and dance no matter<br />

their needs and physical abilities. The<br />

biggest hindrance to children’s movement<br />

is adults. Adults, unconsciously, bring in<br />

their assumptions to the class of children’s<br />

abilities and potential. In our diverse<br />

population, it is also important to be<br />

sensitive to varied beliefs and attitudes<br />

about movement and dance as an activity<br />

in your setting.<br />

Question: What are the obstacles to<br />

incorporating movement and dance<br />

in your setting and how can they be<br />

overcome?<br />

With movement, some children may be<br />

anxious, or resistant and find it easier to<br />

work with adult support and guidance,<br />

while others are confident and selfassured.<br />

Our role is to facilitate and<br />

engage them in the activity.<br />

Spoken word<br />

7%<br />

Tone of<br />

voice<br />

38%<br />

If you are enthusiastic, having fun, and<br />

confident in your movement, this will<br />

encourage your children to become<br />

involved. When they are involved, you are<br />

helping to nurture their physical, creative,<br />

imaginative, emotional, and cognitive<br />

skills.<br />

By incorporating movement and dance in<br />

your setting, you are helping to prepare<br />

them to lead healthy, active lives and feel<br />

confident with the activities within the PE<br />

National Curriculum when they transition<br />

to primary school.<br />

Cultural exploration<br />

All dance has a cultural context and can<br />

be explored with your children. Dance<br />

defines communities but can also bring<br />

them together through the universal nonverbal<br />

communication that is the language<br />

of dance and movement.<br />

Question: Have you explored dance from<br />

different cultures and countries with your<br />

children?<br />

What can our bodies<br />

do?<br />

✨ Actions<br />

Our bodies can travel, turn, jump, gesture<br />

and be still. All children can join in all<br />

these activities with your assistance and<br />

adaption to their physical needs.<br />

Travelling: The transfer of weight to move<br />

across space either by using our feet or<br />

other body parts.<br />

Turning: The body rotates around an axis.<br />

It can be varied by the body shape, size of<br />

the rotation, use of feet, level, and speed.<br />

Jumping: Leaving and landing on the<br />

floor and this can be done with different<br />

types of jumps.<br />

Types of Jumps<br />

One foot to the same foot, one foot to the<br />

other foot, both feet to both feet, one foot<br />

to both feet and both feet to one foot.<br />

Gesture: Moving a part of a body that<br />

does not involve a transfer of or bearing of<br />

weight. This is used to communicate the<br />

meaning of the movement.<br />

Stillness: The ability to control or stop a<br />

movement.<br />

✨ Dynamics<br />

The qualities of movement and dance<br />

are known as the dynamics and how the<br />

body moves. This provides the colour and<br />

textures of a movement. Laban’s analysis<br />

of movement has given us four elements.<br />

Weight, space, time, and flow as every<br />

action the body does has energy, speed,<br />

and continuity.<br />

✨ Space<br />

Where the body moves provides the visual<br />

design of dance. The use of space helps to<br />

communicate the meanings using shape,<br />

level, and air patterns.<br />

✨ Relationships<br />

How we move and dance with each other<br />

varies from the simplest relationship of<br />

leading, following, copying, and mirroring<br />

to the complex use of counterpoint.<br />

Now we know what the body is capable<br />

of, we are ready to create and move and<br />

dance together.<br />

In part 2 of this article, I will cover<br />

movement and dance as an ‘Art’<br />

model and how you can incorporate<br />

this in your setting for ALL children.<br />

Scan here for<br />

more resources<br />

from Gina:<br />

38 <strong>January</strong> <strong>2024</strong> | parenta.com<br />

parenta.com | <strong>January</strong> <strong>2024</strong> 39


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Liz Shoreman, Senior Speech and Language<br />

Therapist and Manager, The Speech Bubble<br />

Liz Shoreman, Senior Speech and Language<br />

Therapist and Manager, The Speech Bubble<br />

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Nicky Sanford, <strong>Early</strong> <strong>Years</strong> Teacher,<br />

Marcham Pre-school<br />

Nicky Sanford, <strong>Early</strong> <strong>Years</strong> Teacher,<br />

Marcham Pre-school<br />

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