A range of useful documents, videos and websites for Early Years practitioners

• • Courses
  • Teaching and learning
  • Assessment
  • Leadership and Management
  • Parent Partnership
  • Policies and Practice
  • Ofsted
  • Research
  • Independent Training
  • University of Brighton contacts

 

COURSES

Early Years Education PGCert with EYTS
Graduate Employment Based Route to Early Years Teacher Status (EYTS) with PG Cert (Level 7 credits)

Early Childhood Education and Care BA(Hons)
Full time (3 years)

Early Childhood Practice BA(Hons)
Part time (4 years)

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EARLY YEARS ORGANISATIONS

• Early Education – The British association for Early Years Education offer support to all early childhood education practitioners
• TACTYC promotes and advocates the highest quality professional development for all early years educators in order to enhance the educational well-being of the youngest children. They have also published their response to OFSTED’s proposed changes to the Initial Teacher Education (ITE) Inspection Framework and Handbook 2020 and question Ofsted’s focus on the approach to early reading exclusively through phonics.
•  EYE- Early Years Educator is a website  for early years professionals looking for best practice advice, activity ideas and research-led features. It is designed to be user friendly, with articles labelled by EYFS theme, to help you quickly and easily find the information you need.
• The Early Years Alliance offer information and advice, run training and aim to influence policy and practice in Early Years provision.
• The Foundation Years website provides the latest news, policy and resources for Early Years professionals.

TEACHING AND LEARNING

Planning resources

The BBC provide  free video and audio resources  for Early Learning covering a range of topics through stories, music, movement and songs.

Early Learning HQ provide EY teaching resources designed to engage, inspire and educate children.

Downloadable resources from Early Years Resources

There are further links to planning resources on the Primary Resources tab.

Personal, Social and Emotional Development

• Sue Cowley gives advice on how to build better behaviour in the Early Years.
• Pikler Approach
• PLEYS – professional love and attachment in Early Years
• Growing an emotional brain

Physical Development

• Physical Activity Guidelines (NHS)
• Healthy Start (NHS)
• Start4life Baby Moves (NHS)

Speech, language and communication resources

• The Communication Trust (TCT)

Phased learning of Synthetic Phonics

• Letter and Sounds

Speech, language and communication resources

• ICAN

Resources to promote children’s literacy

• Sue Cowley explains how to encourage mark making in the Early Years.
• Sue Cowley explains how to set expectations when approaching Early Years writing.
• National Literacy Trust
• Early Writing (Early Education)
• The road to reading (Early Education)

Resources to promote children’s maths

• Exploring maths in early years
• Maths is Everywhere (Early Education)
• The importance of the CPA approach to teaching maths

Resources to promote Understanding the World

• Technology in the early years – This resource includes advice and tips for parents on how to use technology with their child in the early years as well as videos to help early years practitioners plan for using digital technology effectively.

Resources to promote Expressive Arts and Design

• Resources to inform and inspire Early Year Art and Design
• Making noise for music (Early Education)

Sustained Shared Thinking

• High Scope – the development of self through interactions between adult and baby
• Linking learning – Professor Iram Siraj talks about why language development is the most important aspect of development in the early years

Babies

• Alison Gopnik: What do babies think?
• Foundation Years: Supporting babies through play
• Patricia Kuhl – the linguistic genius of babies

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FRAMEWORK AND ASSESSMENT

Framework

The Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage (2017) can be found on the government website 

The new Early Years Foundation Stage Profile (2021) can be found on the government website.

Reception Baseline Assessment

In response to the 2017 primary assessment consultation, the government announced plans to introduce a statutory reception baseline assessment (RBA) in autumn 2020. Due to the challenging circumstances faced by schools in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic, statutory introduction of the RBA has been postponed to Autumn 2021. Instead, schools have the opportunity to sign up to the RBA Early Adopter year in order to familiarise themselves with assessment materials before the RBA becomes statutory. Information about the new Reception Baseline Assessment can be found on the government website.

Foundation Years have provided links to all the published key documents including consultation summaries and responses, comparison tables to show key changes and the Early Adopter framework. They also have a webinar which covers:

• EYFS reforms context and update
• Scope of the consultation
• Overview of the proposed changes
• Supporting the workforce and implementation
• Pilot findings: understanding and using the revised ELGs

Foundation Years also have a page dedicated to the Reception Baseline Assessment which includes links to all relevant documents, information videos and a webinar covering:

• Background to the reception baseline assessment
• Assessment development process
• Pilot feedback
• What happens next?

Development Matters in EYFS

• Non-statutory guidance material to support practitioners

The EYFS progress check at age two

• A know how guide from Foundation Years

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LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT

EYFS Documents

• Range of documentation linked to EYFS and latest guidance from Foundation Years

Data Protection (GDPR)

• Early Years Alliance provides an introduction to what early years settings, nurseries and childminders must do to comply with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) which came into effect in May 2018. 

Early Years Qualifications

• Government guidance on Early Years qualifications and levels

Funding

• Government link for early years funding

Early Years Pupil Premium

• Early Years Pupil Premium guidance from Foundation Years.

Health and Safety

• The Health and Safety Executive provides guidance for all health and safety issues.

First Aid

• Millie’s Mark is an award for nurseries and childcare providers with 100% Paediatric First Aiders 

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PARENT PARTNERSHIP

Parents, Early Years and Learning

• PEAL have written a programme to support practitioners in developing
  work to engage parents in their children’s learning

Working with parents

• Ideas and links to resources from Foundation Years

What to expect when?

• A parents’ guide to child development linked to EYFS from 4Children.

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POLICIES AND PRACTICE

DBS Checks

• Latest government guidance

Prevent Duty and Fundamental British Values

• Advice from Department for Education on Prevent
• Fundamental British Values in Early Years

E-safety for young children

• ThinkUKnow – Child Exploitation and Online Protection (CEOP) for children
• Online Early Years safety toolkit

SEND

• New Code of Practice for 0-25 years
• SEND: guide for early years settings DfE

Eat Better, Start Better

• Resources and information for Early Years from Action For Children

Nursery Milk Scheme

• Department for Health milk scheme

Organisational sample policies 

• Pacey.org

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OFSTED

Early Years Inspection Handbook

• Ofsted EY inspection guidance and grades (including grade descriptors)

Inspecting Safeguarding in Early Years

• Ofsted guidance regarding safeguarding in EY

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RESEARCH

• British Association for Early Childhood Education
• Association for Professional Development in Early Years (TACTYC)
• Harvard University

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INDEPENDENT TRAINING

We have no links with the following organisations for commerical gain.

Future Learn – range of course related to childhood and management

• Courses with The Open University
• Babies in Mind course

Early Years TV

• Interviews, discussions and presentations from leading theorists and practitioners

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UNIVERSITY CONTACTS

Eve Lumb
Senior Lecturer
e.lumb@brighton.ac.uk

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