New Foundation Years vodcast on online safety

Foundation Years is pleased to share with you their latest vodcast taking a look at the topic of online safety in the early years. In our ever-increasing digital world, young children have access to devices, both at home and in early years settings. This often causes concern over the amount of screen time young children have, the negative impact of this and the risks associated with young children using devices.

Towards the end of the vodcast, a number of free resources that can help managers and practitioners in this area, which you can find below:

•  Safeguarding children and protecting professionals in early years settings: online safety considerations (for managers and practitioners)

•  Keeping children safe in education 2022

•  Smartie the Penguin

•  Little Bird’s Internet Security Adventure

Early years practitioners play an essential role in helping young children learn the foundations of safe online behaviour, supporting parents and children to recognise the value of technology and use it safely. In this vodcast, Gill Holden, Principal Officer of the Early Childhood Unit at the National Children’s Bureau, speaks to Sue Asquith, an Early Years Consultant, to discuss this and offer some practical tips for practitioners   working with young children.

Click here to watch the vodcast.

DfE want to hear your views and experiences of implementing the 2021 EYFS reforms

The DfE has commissioned IFF Research to conduct an important national study to understand how the most recent reforms to the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) have been implemented by early years providers and what the impacts have been.

Leaders, staff, and childminders at selected settings will be emailed by IFF research inviting you to participate in a short, 10-minute online survey. This survey will ask about your experiences of implementing the reforms, including any barriers you may have faced or additional support you think you would have benefited from. Your responses will be reported in aggregate to the DfE, which means that nothing you say will be attributable to you or your setting.

DfE want the findings to be representative of different types of early years settings, so it is vital that a wide range of providers take part. Everyone who takes part will help DfE to build a better understanding of the impact that the reforms have had. DfE will use your insights to inform options for possible further action and support in the EYFS, and the findings from this research will be published on gov.uk in due course. The  survey will launch Monday 31 October and close on Friday 9 December. This is your opportunity to make your views count. 

Learning to talk

The DfE have launched new online resources to promote the importance of the home learning environment (HLE) in boosting children’s language and socio-emotional development in the early years.

HLE is just one part of the wraparound support provided to ensure every child has the best start in life and support for the HLE will be delivered through the new network of Family Hubs.

The new webpages provide a full range of evidence-based, detailed – yet accessible – advice for parents on activities they can do with children at every stage between birth and 5 years old, and a search facility to connect them to local support. The launch has also been accompanied by a family-facing campaign focused on social media such as Facebook and Twitter, and is supported by materials designed for stakeholders to promote the campaign to local families.

If you would like more information on our resources or how you can get involved in the campaign, please contact us via HLE.COALITION@education.gov.uk.

Check early years qualifications

The DfE has launched a new service to help early years settings and staff check if qualifications are approved for use within the Early Years Foundation Stage staff: child ratios.

Run by UK Ecctis, the service offers advice and guidance on qualifications awarded in the UK and brings back the early years statement for qualifications awarded outside of the UK.

You can find out more information here

Giving children the best start in life

Ofsted’s strategy, Early years research reviews and how Ofsted’s thinking about inspection and curriculum in the Early Years will be shared through road shows, conferences .

New DFE Guidance: Safeguarding children, young people and adult learners vulnerable to Radicalisation in England.

Upcoming EYSEND Training

Ensuring quality SLCN support in Early Years settings - in-depth webinar Part A & B (I CAN)

• Date: Tues 8th Nov & Tues 22nd November
• Time: 3:30pm - 6:00pm

Attend this two-part webinar to gain clarity on roles and responsibilities in relation to young children with speech, communication and language needs (SLCN) and monitoring effectiveness in the workplace. Book your place here: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/.../ensuring-quality-slcn...

Equality Act seminar - discussion session (Council for Disabled Children)

• Date: Mon 14th November
• Time: 10:00am - 11:30am

Following a successful first Equality Act seminar, this follow up session will allow for discussion in more depth about how the Equality Act applies in Early Years settings. This is open to all people, regardless of whether they attended the first session or not - https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/.../equality-act-seminar...

Meeting the needs of every child (nasen).

• Date: Wed 23rd November
• Time: 1:00pm - 3:00pm

The 2-hour webinar will cover the responsibilities of a PVI setting towards children with SEND and what effective inclusive practice looks like in a PVI setting.

https://nasen.org.uk/.../meeting-needs-every-child...