I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to attend the Early Years 2012 conference as part of school training in preparation for the revised framework, which comes into play from September. As I will remain in Reception, I viewed it as an excellent opportunity to learn what the national expectations will be, which I can then feedback to colleagues in Bradford. It began with keynote speakers including Sarah Teather, Children’s Minister and Lib Dem MP, Sue Robb, Head of Early Years at ‘4Children’ and Graham Allen MP. The event was chaired by Dame Clare Tickell, Chief Executive of Action for Children.
The main emphasis of the day was ‘quality improvement’ and this was reflected on throughout the day.
I was pleased to learn that there will be:
• more trust placed in teacher’s professional judgements;
• free entitlement for 2 year olds which will increase over the coming years;
• better training in universities for trainee practitioners.
The day incorporated a fleeting but concise visit from Cathy Nutbrown, talking about her philosophy and the aims of her work; she reiterated that it is a revised framework, not a new one.
It was reassuring to hear her state, “that this vision must offer the very best for babies and young children by having a professional and highly skilled workforce which leads to getting the best investment in early years”. (Nutbrown; 2012 taken from The Nutbrown Review website)
Graham Allen MP’s work with Iain Duncan-Smith on ‘Early Intervention: Good Parents, Great Kids, Better Citizens’ is particularly poignant and to be fair, they look to have ‘got it right’.
It was issued in September 2008 and on the ‘Centre for Social Justice’ website, it says that “the philosophy of Early Intervention goes much further than prevention. It is about breaking the intergenerational cycle of underachievement.” (The Centre for Social Justice website)
This is something that inspires me even more when working in the Early Years. I appreciate how important the first few years of a child’s life are and I feel privileged to work alongside young individuals, helping to lay the foundations and equipping them with skills for later life, regardless of their social background. It is probably not going to be the case that little so-and-so, aged 4, will say “My Reception teacher was my favourite teacher”, let alone even remember my name but it is one of the most rewarding parts of the job, the knowledge that I have done my best to give each child a chance to become a ‘better citizen’.
Later that week, I was invited to attend the Lilac Sky Education Awards at the Barbican Centre in London. It was refreshing to watch the many educators embrace the stage to collect their awards and receive the recognition they deserved. To meet fellow teachers and consultants alike made for an enjoyable evening. Whilst enjoying the complimentary champagne and canapés, I chatted to various people including members of @use_the_key (a service for school leaders), @LilacSkySchools (Mr Trevor Averre-Beeson, Director of Education at Lilac Sky Schools) and @MrMichaelShaw (Deputy Editor of the TES). Many thanks to the organisers of the event and congratulations to the winners.
Further information:
Sarah Teather
*Plans for EYFS
( http://www.libdemvoice.org/sarah-teather-announces-plans-for-early-years-education-20202.html )
*Sarah Teather discusses the review of the Early Years Foundation Stage
( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ozew41d977Y )
*Sarah Teather visits St Matthew’s pre-school in Newham
( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YwHqT9AVi94 )
Sue Robb
*Home page of ‘4Children’
( http://www.4children.org.uk/Home )
Graham Allen
*Early Intervention: The Next Steps Booklet Jan 2011
( http://www.dwp.gov.uk/docs/early-intervention-next-steps.pdf )
*Brain Hero – Harvard University explanation of importance of a good start in life
( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s31HdBeBgg4 )
*The Centre for Social Justice
( http://www.centreforsocialjustice.org.uk/default.asp?pageRef=269 )
Cathy Nutbrown
*The Nutbrown Review website
( http://www.education.gov.uk/nutbrownreview )
*Cathy Nutbrown’s speech from the EY2012 conference
( http://www.education.gov.uk/inthenews/speeches/a00210418/nutbrownrevspeech )
Foundation Years – (The Revised Framework)
* Home page of ‘Foundation Years’ – up to date and hot off the press for EYFS information
( http://www.foundationyears.org.uk/quality-provision/early-years-foundation-stage-framework/)
Catalyst for Learning 