From the science of play to the infinite possibility of childhood, HfL’s online conference took a fresh look at the curriculum, with child development at the heart…
A packed schedule on 2 March saw industry leaders sharing first-hand experience and expertise to explore what makes an effective EYFS curriculum.
The morning began with inspirational key note speeches from familiar names: June O’Sullivan MBE, Greg Bottrill and Penny Tassoni MBE.
The online event focused on what constitutes an effective early years curriculum and the essential need to keep child development at its core, especially in light of the impact that the pandemic has had on children under five.
Delegates could choose from a range of afternoon workshops covering various aspects of child development from gender diversity to emotional regulation.
Workshops were led by experts in their field who packed presentations with sound research and suggestions for improving practice.
Here’s a few key messages from the day:
Championing the early years sector during a passionate keynote speech, June O’Sullivan, CEO of LEYF Nurseries, discussed the power of pedagogy and empowered delegates to recognise the importance of your work as early years teachers.
June explored early years pedagogies and the science of play, imploring delegates to “think about the art, craft and science of early years teaching,” and the critical role that early years teachers play in the lives of young children, commenting, “We touch on a child’s life like a ripple in a pond.”
The author of Can I Go and Play Now? had delegates rethinking play and childhood as he asked, “At what age does childhood end?” He described the magic and wonder of childhood and the infinite possibility that children see in everyday things.
Greg continued, “The days don’t just belong to adults, they belong to children” and explored the need for a learning landscape beyond early years that encompasses play in education. He finished with a quote from his third book, Love Letters to Play: “Play is possibility. If we fail play, we fail childhood; if we fail childhood, we fail ourselves.”
There was no shortage of valuable advice from Penny Tassoni, education consultant and president of PACEY, who focused on the importance of tailoring your early years curriculum to your unique setting.
Penny also explored how crucial it is to have a sound understanding of child development to ensure that we balance ambition with developmentally appropriate resources and activities, and emphasised the key role of attachment and relationships, discussing different approaches to settling in 2-year-olds compared with younger children to alleviate separation anxiety.
Early years lecturer Shaddai Tembo discussed the extent to which we are surrounded by gendered materials and media. These can send out problematic messages to children about body shape, stereotypes and a lack of ambition for children.
Shaddai explained the difference between gender balance, gender neutrality and gender diversity, giving practical steps towards developing a gender diversity approach, including ways to challenge expectations and importantly, open up the conversation with families as well as colleagues.
We’re all dysregulated at times, says early years consultant and author Tamsin Grimmer. We need to better understand some of the causes of dysregulation for children and consider how we support young children with their big emotions.
A key message from Tamsin is that self-regulation is sometimes unhelpfully framed within behaviour management, but all behaviour is a form of communication and the way we respond to young children’s emotions is key. As adults, we need to help co-regulate. Ultimately, “Young children don’t want to misbehave; they want to be loved and understood”.
The message from Dr Julian Grenier, nursery head teacher and Director of East London Research School, was clear – every child development journey is unique. We need to know the overall direction and tendency of the journey, but children don’t develop in a straight line; it’s like a spider’s web with many strands.
He discussed the importance of rich early years experiences that enhance children’s development, and of repeated experiences to secure new concepts. Another strong message was that everything in the EYFS is connected. For example, emotional wellbeing supports communication, and physical development links to self-regulation. “All areas of the EYFS weave together.”
Watch all the sessions
If you didn’t manage to watch all of the sessions, every keynote speech and workshop is available to event participants to watch on-demand until Wednesday, 30 March 2022.
Tickets are now also available to anyone one else who would like to gain access to the recordings until Wednesday, 30 March 2022 for the reduced cost of £79. Find out more and access the recordings.
Mireille MacRaild, Education Director – Early Years, HfL, commented: “The sector has been under immense pressure over the past couple of years, so we were delighted to have been able to bring together such a wide range of national speakers who helped to ignite the spark back into many who attended.
“Many left to focus on adjusting their curriculum provision so it is the best it can possibly be, for a generation of children who have experienced a significant proportion of their young lives in the shadow of the pandemic.”
Herts for Learning is an award-winning provider of products and services to schools and educational settings within and outside Hertfordshire.
