This web site of HEFCE offers an explanation and promotes the opportunity of successful participation in higher education to everyone who can benefit from it.
This government website offers guidance for mature students where the government promotes the right to study even if you don’t have traditional qualifications.
This summary presents the main findings from research undertaken for the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) to understand the current nature of higher education (HE) in further education colleges (FECs) in England.
Work-based learning is training or development which is delivered in the workplace, usually through a university, college or training provider. This government web site gives you a clear guidance what it really means and what the options are for a practitioner who is employed to help others with their training in the workplace.
The website of the British Association for Early Childhood Education, with some useful downloadable resources, for example, ‘Helping children with their behaviour’.
The Bristol Early Years Research and Development website aims to promote opportunities for rich professional learning and innovation through reflective practice and setting-based research and enquiry. There are a range of specialist 'hubs' exploring areas of interest, and an excellent range of links to further reading.
The members of Early Childhood Action offer an alternative curriculum which proposes that imaginative play is at the heart of children’s learning. The group express concern over strict age related outcomes for children in the Early Years and stress the importance of the key person approach and opportunities for children to explore their physical development, outdoor learning and the arts.
This links you to Development Matters (DM) guidance where the characteristics of effective learning are described in context of the Early Years Foundation Stage as well as other useful links to Nancy Stewart’s book and a page explaining the currency of DM.
Siraj-Blatchford, I. (2009) ‘Conceptualising progression in the pedagogy of play and sustained shared thinking in early childhood education: A Vygotskian perspective’, in Educational and Child Psychology,Volume26, No. 2 [online] Available from http://eprints.ioe.ac.uk/6091/1/Siraj-Blatchford2009Conceptualising77.pdf
This will help you better understand the value and practices of sustained shared thinking from a primary source.
Thinking Schools International; Learning Dispositions [online] Available from
Here you can watch short film clips in which American educational consultants discuss habits of mind, critical thinking and metacognition. There are links to some free resources that will help you think about thinking.
Tims, C. (ed) Creative Learning in the Early Years is not just Child’s Play…, Born Creative Collection.
This consists of 11 articles by a range of authors on the subject of creativity in early years. There are many links from theory to practice and it should encourage you to reflect further on your own practice.
This site has information on how children learn and the place of arts and creativity in this. There are ideas for practitioners wanting to be creative in their practice as well as access to a range of articles which include developing creativity in early years and brain development.
I CAN is the children’s communication charity. It provides useful information and guidance for practitioners and families in order to support speaking and understanding.
The Communication Trust. Every Child Understood. The website brings together fifty organisations working to support children’s speech, language and communication.
This site provides resources and ideas for promoting healthier lifestyles to all ages. However the section for toddlers and pre-school children and their families provides extra links for further research and resources.
This site provides links to a wide range of health policy and promotions and is a good resource for projects on child health as it gives clear examples of health promotion in practice.
Although government websites on ‘children’s mental health in the early years’ provide comprehensive information, this website not only provides case studies for current coursework but also guidelines for possible career opportunities.
Chapter 15
www.whataboutthechildren.org.ukincludes a variety of research papers related to the social and emotional needs of very young children, also advice, book lists and information which may provide a deepening understanding of the links between theory, current research and practice within this area of children’s learning and development
www.sciencemediacentre.orgprovides up-to-date connections to a very broad range of scientific topics including the brain and neurologicaldevelopment, diet and nutrition, mental health, paediatrics which could enable you to discuss issues relating to social and emotional development in depth resulting in critique and analysis.
www.waimh.orgprovides access to publications and resources that support the aim to promote the mental health, social and emotional development of infants.
This provides a link to the Ofcom (2013) report mentioned above, Children and Parents: Media Use and Attitude, giving you up to date information and statistics on children and media use.
This provides information to support Hugh Cunningham’s book The Invention of Childhood and is collaboration between Open University and the BBC. It provides links to the episodes and will be an invaluable resource to support your understanding of childhood.
This website provides useful information around global childhoods including several downloadable versions of the UNCRC. Reports on the Millennium Development Goals and The State of the World’s children provide statistics on child poverty, global literacy and infant mortality rates and show how progress is being made to ensure greater equity for the world’s children
Statutory framework for the early years foundation stage: Setting the standards for learning, development and care for children from birth to five. Effective from September 2014.
TACTYC: Association for Professional Development in Early Years.
This website was founded by a group of early years teacher trainers and is a suitable resource for a wide range of early years professionals, early years researchers and education consultants working with children and families in day-care, education, health, play work and social service contexts.
The NSPCC is the leading charity in the UK and Channel Islands that is fighting to end child abuse. The information is constantly being changed to reflect current changes in policies and practices. There are some fantastic resources for practitioners and also some research papers that will help to support students.
The National Children’s Bureau is a national charity whose aim is to improve the lives of children and young people, especially those considered to be the most vulnerable. Apart from providing a source of invaluable and up to date information, the research area of the website will provide many good quality reports that students will find useful for their studies.
The EYFS Statutory Framework sets standards for the learning, development and care for young children. Look in the Safeguarding are on this site to find out some useful information.
UNICEF – this website outlines the ways in which this organisation aims to build a world in which the rights of every child are realised. It provides a wealth of statistical data that emphasises global inequality and outlines children’s rights.
CISE – Centre for Studies on Inclusive Education. This organisation promotes the development of inclusive education. There is a wealth of resources for practice and academic study
The Council for Disabled Children aims to make a difference to the lives of disabled children and children with special educational needs by influencing government policy, working with local agencies to translate policy into practice and produce guidance on issues affecting the lives of disabled children.
The National Association for Special Educational Needs (NASEN) aims to promote the education, training, advancement and development for those with special and additional needs. The journals and training opportunities are very helpful for students and practitioners.
The Centre for Studies on Inclusive Education (CSIE) is a national charity that works to promote equality and eliminate discrimination in education. This site offers a wide range of resources for schools, parents and students.
This website will give you access to the latest Department for Education publications, including up to the minute research which has been commissioned by the Department for Education.
This website offers advice and guidance to early years workers and the general public on health and safety law, regulation, risk assessment and safety. This also gives access to a range of leaflets and posters which may be useful to those working within early years or managing settings.
This is the official Office for the Standards in Education website for inspection processes. It will provide you with access to early years inspection reports and approved publications, including information regarding requirements for inspection, and a range of resources and framework guidance.
Chapter 26
Forman, G. and Hall, E. (2009) Wondering with Children: The Importance of Observation in Early Education, in Early Childhood Research and Practice 7(2) [online]. Available from http://ecrp.uiuc.edu/v7n2/forman.html
This article explores the role of observation in understanding children’s learning and provides short video clips to support discussion and develop understanding.
Effective Pre-school, Primary and Secondary Education (EPPSE) Project (1997–2013) [online] available from
Siren Films offer some free content, videos and articles plus DVDs to purchase showing children’s learning and development which offer opportunities to practise observation.
The National College for Teaching and Leadership offers advice and support for those leading both schools and early years settings. They aim to improve the quality of the education workforce. The change facilitator’s handbook also offers useful advice about how to implement change successfully.
It is important to acknowledge that there are some differences between a leader and a manager. Warren Bennis (1989) gives some useful differences to help you.
The Early Years Foundation Stage Forum website is a vibrant online community for passionate EYFS professionals from a range of early years settings, including nursery practitioners, early years professionals, childminders, teachers, advisers and consultants, educators and writers and provides a platform to discuss and debate contemporary early years practice.
This website provides a database of Ofsted reports carried out in early years settings. Reviewing Ofsted reports is a useful tool to support your knowledge and understanding of how to become an outstanding provider.
An organisation which aims to influence policy and practice in relation to breaking the link between family background and educational inequality and as such conducts research and supports a range of programmes to this effect.