New apps for 2-5 year olds to help families kick start learning at home
As part of the governments drive to help parents create positive learning environments at home through the use of technology, Hungry Little Minds has published an approved list of six apps to improve reading, writing and speaking.
It is widely recognised that phones and tablets are now a big part of everyday life for families but it can be hard for parents to know which apps and games can benefit their child's learning as there are so many out there.
Which is why Hungry Little Minds asked an independent panel of experts to review a host of different apps to determine which have the best educational value.
The six apps, published on the Hungry Little Minds website, cover activities ranging from interactive story books, handwriting exercises using Artificial Intelligence and educational video games. There are some excellent apps that can be used to support phonics already being taught to school-aged children in the classroom, however it is advised that parents check with the class teacher that the approaches align with the school's teaching methods before using the app at home.
Hungry Little Minds has also come up with a helpful checklist called the 'FEED test' for parents to use so they can reassure themselves that any apps their child uses are educational.
Visit the Hungry Little Minds Website for more information
Outstanding result for Ettington Pre-School in Stratford
Congratulations to all the staff at Ettington Preschool Ltd Stratford-upon-Avon who recently received ‘Outstanding’ judgements across all the four inspection areas - quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development and leadership and management.
Ofsted stated:
The whole environment has been thoroughly thought through to provide children with stimulating and challenging hands-on experiences. A rich curriculum tailored to children's individual interests supports them in making outstanding progress.
Outdoor learning is given extremely high priority for all children. Many children choose to spend the majority of their time outside. Older children expertly create 'honey making machines' from a variety of construction materials, such as planks of wood and pipes. They take great pleasure in explaining the honey making process, convincingly sharing that they have to make sure 'it is not poisonous'.
The manager, her deputy and the trustees share the same vision in the pursuit of excellence. The manager leads her team with enthusiasm and is passionate about providing children and their families with the highest possible outcomes. Following the previous outstanding judgement, continuous improvements in the provision remain a high priority. These include extensive time being applied to monitoring and the recent completion of a new outdoor learning area.
The highly motivated team is well qualified. The leadership team extensively supports staff to access training and experiences in their personal areas of interest, such as forest schools and special educational needs. All staff are included in a targeted plan of professional development. The manager closely monitors the staff's individual strengths and areas for improvement and utilises their qualities and personal attributes extremely well.
Transitions on to school are superbly managed. Children are extensively supported through this big change in their lives at a pace that is right for them. Staff create role-play experiences to ease this transition and spend time with the children in their new school.
Inclusion is a key feature in this outstanding provision. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), and those who are less settled, are fully supported. The arrangements for partnership working with parents are exemplary.
You can read the full report on Ofsted's website here.