Year One: The Adventure Continues...

Last year after seeing the amazing impact of a child centred, in the moment approach for our EYFS children, we decided to take the brave step of extending those essential principles in to Year One.  It was a busy and exhausting year with challenges and successes.  We all worked hard to make sure that our children's EYFS adventures continued well beyond the reception door into our Year One classrooms (inside and out).  I need to be clear before I go any further.  I am not saying we made Year One into EYFS.  Year One is Year One...it isn't Nursery or Reception...but the principles of the very best EYFS practice are essential far beyond the ripe old age of 5...a mere 60 months of existence. 

As a nursery nurse who studied child development and the power of play (from birth to 8 years) I knew this was the right thing to do.  I thought about the following:

• Why are so many of our children thrust into a formal, developmentally inappropriate, pedagogically irresponsible learning environment...just because they are no longer under the protective umbrella of the statutory EYFS framework?  
• Why do those crucial and proven effective learning characteristics no longer remain statutory...just because our children have moved into KS1?  Yet many schools choose to introduce "learning behaviours up to Yr6?
• What about the unique child? 
• What about the enabling environment? 
• What about the power of positive relationships? 
• Do these principles only matter from birth to 5 years old?  Surely that includes the majority of Year One children who join year one classes at 5 years old..perhaps just turning 5 in August?  

The truth of the matter is that these principles matter beyond Year 1, beyond Year 2...beyond Year 6! These are principles for lifelong learning; principles for life.  Surely its no surprise that so many of our children are switched off from learning at a young age and suffer from poor mental health? Surely it's because we stop giving them what they need, what they deserve...what they are entitled to. Surely it is clear that quite sadly our children are being failed by a system that simply does not understand (or care) how they learn and develop or what they need to thrive.  But we DO understand how they learn and develop and what they need.  So surely we have a duty to them to give them exactly what they need to succeed, not just "get through" phonics screening or SATs...but for life! We don't want children who merely cope, who just survive..we want, and our world needs, children who thrive!

In my school we decided to make a change to Year One. Take a leap. Was it a perfect year? No of course not...there are things that we need to reflect upon for the next cohort, but it was a good start, and all journeys begin with a start!  

In July we waved goodbye to an amazing set of parents and carers who have seen the power of this approach for their children.  For those with older children the Year One experience for their younger child was a world away from their older child's experience.  We waved goodbye to a cohort of happy, settled children. A group of children with solid foundations in personal, social and emotional development, language and physical development as well as academic learning too. A group of children who I believe didn't just recall facts because they had been told to. I honestly believe these children know and understand the things we learned together.  I honestly believe that learning wasn't just poured into their brains, it was in their bones.  My evidence for such a bold statement?  Well if I think of maths, my particular passion, these children used and applied the maths we learned in their own activities. We explored halves and quarters..but they wanted to know about thirds.  We counted to 100 in 10s...but they went to 500 because they saw the pattern, they felt the pattern. These amazing children not only learned what the curriculum says they must, but things they wanted to learn to: origami, playing instruments, speaking french, the names of a 12 sided 3d shapes...the list goes on! 

Routines, timetables and the environment changed gradually throughout the year...but those essential principles remained at the heart throughout. Were they our highest achieving ever cohort because of this approach? Was their data off the chart?  Well if there was data for creativity, imagination, connection making, problem solving, thinking, love of learning, engagement and sheer perseverance then they would have been. Unfortunately in our system its only reading, writing and maths that matter.  BUT... I know that even those children who aren't quite writing yet, or aren't reading at the expected level, or who do not yet know numbers bonds to 20...have had another year of foundation building, a year of exploration, talk and play inside and out.  A year of  nurture, nature, understanding, scaffolding, time to be and develop at their own pace; a year of exactly what they needed. And when their brains and bodies are ready...that is when they will be off the chart!

So back to now. What's happening this year?  Well over the summer there have been exciting developments! The walls which divided our 2 classrooms and communal art area have been removed! We now have a fluid open plan year one base. Today my colleague popped in and excitedly sent me some photos. (see below). My initial thoughts.. "Aaahh it's table city!!!" Our lovely cleaners have put everything back in the rooms for us... and by the end of the year we did have enough tables and chairs for each child to have a place. But that was July and we are heading back to the beginning of the year, so when I go in next week...the tables will be going! The clutter will be cleared out. "Less is more" will be our mantra.  The photos below show our environment before we have done anything to it!

The journey continues..watch this space.  Be the tortoise, not the hare.  So back to the title of this blog "Year One the journey continues"..the journey will be continuing but not just for our children, but for us too as practitioners. Who knows what will happen, but if you want to find out, stick with me to watch it unfold.  

Communal art area

One half of our new open plan Year One base

The other half

If you are feeling brave and fired up then my top tips for inspirational reading are:

Anna Ephgrave's bestselling Year One in action.

Julie Fishers brilliant transitions book

If you haven't joined Keeping Early Years Unique then come on over. There are 35,000+ of us over there waiting for you to join our mission! We need you!

If you like what you have read, join the campaign here! Every child deserves the best start...not just the lucky few!

Any questions or comment, please get involved below. I would love to hear from you!

Come and be a part of the EYs revolution!

When I first set up the Facebook group "Keeping Early Years Unique" back in March 2015, that was exactly what it was.  A Facebook group for those working in Early Years who wanted a haven from the world of craziness of EYs social media.

Two years later, 30,000 members strong, and KEYU is far more than just another EYs facebook group. It's a global phenomenon. A movement. An agent for change. A community leading change around the world.  A community where like minded practitioners find they are not alone even when it feels as if they are.

KEYU group photo. London 2015

Through the group I have met so many people and have made some life long friends.  It is these friends who continue to inspire me each day and our friendship has led to even more exciting projects, such as the KEYU book...which I am currently editing and also our very own national KEYU EYs conference tour. The first leg was entitled "Less is More" and offers the chance to hear from 6 of KEYUs leading voices. The next set of events, beginning with Brighton will be entitled "Right from the start" and will include workshop options.

KEYU Speakers L-R: Ruth Moore, Kym Scott, Elaine Bennett, Anna Ephgrave, Kathryn Solly, Sue Allingham, Leah Morris

So far the tour has visited London, Leeds, Bristol an Belfast.  In July we will be visiting Manchester and Birmingham. In Autumn we will be in Brighton and Newcastle. And in Spring we are heading home to my town Southend, and also visiting Guildford and hopefully Nottingham too!

These events not only offer the chance to hear from some of KEYU's leading voices, but also the chance to network, put faces to those names with whom you often chat, or who have given you support and encouragement on your trickiest days through their posts and comments.

These events are really something very special and the feedback from our delegates tells stories of inspiring, buzzy, practice affirming celebrations of the very best Early Years thinking!

Enjoying a KEYU bag photo opportunity!

Having a good chat with a cuppa and piece of cake!

We promise you will have an inspirational day and will leave with your KEYU bag on your shoulder. Have a look at our carefully chosen stalls and maybe win a prize in the draw!

Early Education

Community Playthings

So come and join us!  We'd love to see you! Student discounts are available with valid ID.   Help us spread the word.  We are not a large company, just a group of passionate practitioners who have been brought together by KEYU.  We do not have marketing tools at our disposal.  Our events fill up through the power of the KEYU community...and we are always looking for ways to spread word to those who are not on Facebook. So can you help us?

Don't miss out! Come and see what all the fuss is about and book your places NOW. Just click on this link... 

We are ready and waiting, don't be late!

Have a look at our  fliers to find out details of the events!
All bookings made through Eventbrite. Payment by invoice is available.

Birmingham Event July 2017

Manchester Event July 2017

Brighton November 2017

October 2017

Buckle up...Time to board EYs Air for the long haul!

Well by this time next week, we will probably know the future of the Government here in the UK and our Prime Minister.  So many questions to be answered....

• Will we be led by a Government who recognises the importance of early years and education?  
• Will there be investment in our schools and settings?  
• Will the cuts keep coming? 
• Will our children be tucking into a 7p breakfast to set them up for the day? 
• How exactly will the "f*** funding 30hr  fiasco" move forwards?  
• Will we get a Government who listens to the 4000 voices of EYs and the plentiful evidence and research of Early Excellence's "The Hundred Review"

So many questions.  So many reasons we MUST vote. But when all is said and done, who ever the Government, whatever their agenda and values...one thing remains the same:

"Our children deserve the very best start, and whether we finally start to see the funding we so desperately need or not, we will all keep fighting to give our children the start we know they are entitled to"

Those of you who are already members of the Facebook Group "Keeping Early Years Unique" will know it is our mission to battle together to make sure that we fight on to protect the early years of a child's life.  We fight to protect our children from damaging top down pressures, too much too soon, do-it-sooner formal approaches, developmentally inappropriate practice and pedagogically irresponsible approaches. 



In the short term such approaches might give the narrow outcomes (numbers) so many leaders feel pressured to get. Sometimes leaders believe these outcomes really matter.  However usually they feel the pressure because their pay, reputation and schools standing (even perhaps its physical standing) rests on the  measures set by a Government who continues to compare schools based on flawed test results. 

If you have not already bought this amazing book...buy it now!

The thing is though...I did not become a teacher for the short journey and short term effects I may have upon a child's life.  I did not become a teacher to just get young children through tests.  I became a teacher for the long journey and the footprint I hope to leave on a child's life. I became a teacher to make a difference, to help set children on a path not just through reception or year one but through life.  Maybe that sounds fluffy and idealistic to some readers.  Of course it is my job to help them to achieve academically, to learn to read, write and learn maths...but if that is all I am doing, then I am failing them as a teacher and I am failing myself.  Life is not just about reading, writing and maths, please do not run away with this and believe that I am saying its acceptable for children to be illiterate and innumerate.  I am not. Children must learn the 3 R's. But life is also about being a member of society who plays their part, a member of society who in their own way makes a difference, who understands, respects and tolerates others, who creates and invents, who bounces back in the face of adversity, who knows right from wrong and ultimately who understands and respects the world they live in...and their place within it.

So now back to the classroom-in the run up to the phonics screening there will be schools whose children are doing endless phonics screening practice papers.  The chances are their children will in the short term outperform mine and score more highly in this test.  My children will do well, we have given them the grounding they need beyond the phonics test, we have played some silly games, I have tried to make reading nonsense words as interesting and engaging as possible...although fluently reading 5 and 6 year olds do not know why they are having to read "meep" and "jang"....surely if they are aliens names they should have a capital they tell me.  So in the short term maybe I have failed.   We will be compared to other schools and maybe I will be asked what I will be doing differently next year.   Well a change of Government could ironically put the phonic screening test in the metaphorical dustbin where it so clearly belongs- along with Obb's words (if you know what I am talking about, then you are clearly playing the same games literally and metaphorically).  But if things don't change in Government...what will I change? Absolutely nothing.  My children love books, they love to read, they happily write, no one says or thinks they can't.  As I said I am a teacher who plays the long game.  And I always will. 


I recently asked the members of Keeping Early Years Unique whether we should discuss politics on the page in the run up to the election. The answer was a resounding yes.  Politics affects us all...but it will never change the teacher that I am. Governments and their ideologies come and go. But right now no matter what pressures I am under, I am not going anywhere.

So next Thursday, use your vote. Make it count.  Maybe things will get better, maybe things will get worse. Who knows. Maybe you think your little vote can't make any difference.  It can!

All I know is that whatever happens, I will never jump on board that short haul flight.  I am long haul all the way..there will be turbulence and it will get very bumpy, but I am buckled up and ready! What about you?

Nursery World Election Special: How the Election might affect you

Can you relate to these messages?  Are you in your seat fastened and ready to go?  


Come and join 30,000 of us on Facebook in the Keeping Early Years Unique community

Come and join us at our national events visiting Birmingham, Manchester, Newcastle and Brighton this year! Seats on the KEYU jet are filling fast! See you there.

EYFSP Moderation Myth Busting and Top Tips!

As those of us working in Reception classes find ourselves being moderated as part of the EYFSP national moderation process- I wanted to bust a few myths...many of which I have heard on my travels, many of which I am contacted and asked about and many of which I see being discussed on social media.

All of what I am going to say comes from little old me....an experienced nursery nurse, EYFS teacher, an accredited moderator and then LA moderation manager. 

In my role as LA Moderation manager, despite only being in post one day a week, we had an external visit from STA who highly praised the moderation plan put in place. 

So here goes my top tips and EYFSP moderation myth busting blog:

1. Have the moderation handbook and exemplifications printed and KNOW the handbook well. You may even know it better than the moderators. You need to be ready to ask "can you show me where it says that in the statutory guidance please?" There is helpful guidance around evidence, practice and making judgments. 

2. Moderating teams have to have a clear appeals/complaints procedure which they are expected share with you. This is where you go if you are not happy with your moderation. Ask about it if they do not share it with you!

3. Children are judged as either: "emerging", "expected" or "exceeding". There is no "emerging expected", "within expected" or "secure expected". The discussions with your year one colleagues will be where you discuss the children's individual development and achievement of the goal.

3. No where in any of the literacy goals does it say which specific level of phonics or bands of reading books needs to be achieved to be expected..this is because there is no prescribed level! TO BE AN EXCEEDING WRITER DOES NOT REQUIRE A FOUR OR FIVE YEAR OLD TO WRITE WAR AND PEACE ON NARROW LINES WITH PERFECT PUNCTUATION AND SPELLING IN CURSIVE WITH PERFECT FORMATION...

4. Children can achieve exceeding! Of course not all of them...these are your "above and beyond" learners. Those children that you know are clearly beyond the ELG. They do not need to be performing like an A level student or ks2 child. They are 4 or 5 years old!!!EXCEEDING SIMPLY MEANS THEY ARE BEYOND THE EARLY LEARNING GOAL!!!!

5. The exceeding descriptors are guidance. Perhaps Johnny doesn't skip to music but he can ride a 2 wheeler bike and dribble a ball like Ronaldo!!! This along with other evidence could make him exceeding! 

6. Evidence....no requirement for piles of evidence. Yes of course you need evidence but a prime source of evidence is your knowledge!!! The handbook clearly tells us this!  

7. It's all about best fit! Do not break down and tick off ELGs. Look at them. Look at the evidence. Think of the child...where do they fit best??? E.g in shape, space and measure  they may talk more confidently about some aspects than others...that's fine... IT'S BEST FIT!!! Children do not need to have equal mastery of all aspects to achieve the ELG.  

8. Make sure you keep the maths ELG developmentally appropriate for 4 and 5 year olds! To achieve the ELG for number children do not need to be recording number sentences or be adding/subtracting by marking jumps on a number line.  To achieve the shape and space ELG they do not need to be telling the time to o clock or using a ruler  to measure in centimetres.  Any children doing things like this may well be exceeding...

9. There is no expectation for children in reception to have maths and literacy books.  Evidence towards ELGs must come predominantly from child led activity! 

10. Finally remember...these are YOUR children,so you know them better than whoever visits to ask you about them....(except their families obviously 😜) You will be expected to talk about their Characteristics of Effective Learning- so use this dialogue to demonstrate how well you don't just know WHAT your children know, but HOW they know it too!

Please feel free to add myths or questions below in the comment...lets do some myth busting and empower ourselves!

Hope these documents might be of use to you all.

Download the EYFSP handbook 2017 here
Download the ELG exemplification materials here
Download the EYFSP 2017 Assessment and Reporting Arrangements here...
A useful document by Oxford LA exploring exceeding and expected

Stop the EYs bandwagon...I want to get off!

Sometimes I am absolutely shocked at the nonsense thrown at us in the world of EYs.

Today I have come across Ofsted publications being sold online, role play masks of current political leaders you can download for a price, t shirts practitioners can wear covered in phonics and numbers, the entire EYFS printed on minuscule cards to be carried around and cards telling us what to say to children...

On top of this we are sold schemes and fads galore promising to get our children doing this, that or the other better and quicker if we just buy this or that or follow this or that approach. Our children don't need any of this nonsense and neither do we! We are skilled, knowledgeable experts...who don't always have the faith in ourselves we should have.

If our practice is based on what we KNOW matters...If our practice is based on what RESEARCH and EVIDENCE tells us matters....In short if our practice is built on what we HEAR  from those leading early years pioneers such eg Froebel, Montessori, Isaacs, Vygotsky, the MacMillians (to name a few) and their contemporaries such as Tina Bruce, Julie Fisher, Ferre Laevers, Anna Ephgrave, (again  amongst others)...then we are not just promoting hoop jumping, short term outcomes but learning (and good mental health) for life.

I have been criticised in the past for using the term fancy pants...but to me it describes some of the absolute flash-in-the-pan, style over substance, unfounded gimmicks I hear about and read about each and every day.

Children don't need specifically planned fine motor sessions, they don't need to swing play dough around their heads or thread cereals on a piece of spaghetti against a timer...if the provision is right.

Children MUST NOT be sat for 45 minutes a day having phonics poured into their heads, when they should be reading, writing and TALKING in an enabling environment.

Children do not need a maths mastery scheme to follow and a maths book to record in when they are counting, measuring, comparing, exploring, using pattern,  problem solving and PROBLEM FINDING in a mathematically rich emotional and physical environment.

I guess what I'm saying in these days of print and go, the days when anyone can be an expert and write a blog saying anything they like with no evidence (I hope you can see I do have evidence).  In these days when social media can make you feel a total failure for not having a pristine mud kitchen made from palettes with working sink and perhaps your cable reels don't look like they deserve a place in the Tate gallery...it's OK! It is OK just to do what is right: plain, simple, back to basics. It is OK not to be all singing and dancing.

We need to just take a breath. Less is more. Our children don't need sparkles and twinkles to learn. They need REAL environments and adults who understand and tune into them. They need space and time.  They need all the things children have always needed...long before these days of the commercialisation of education. They need educators who know WHY they do WHAT they do instead of those who follow blindly and chase to climb aboard the latest bandwagon in a desperate bid to reach outcomes, be outstanding (thanks go out to OFSTED for their constant mythbusting), or even just to feel accepted.  

If I have offended, I apologise but we just need to get back to what matters here...children and their development.  If you are chasing that bandwagon, stop running, turn around and run the other way.  If you are on the bandwagon, politely ask it to stop and climb off. It it won't stop, then jump off! Be brave. Take the risk...take the leap.  It will be bumpy and it won't be easy, but in the long term it will be the best thing you ever did and the adults of tomorrow will thank you! 


Trust me. I know. I jumped...and I have never looked back.

Come and join the Early Years Facebook revolution!

It's a new dawn. It's a new day. It's a new blog for me....and I'm feeling good! (So watch out world!)

Just last night I posted some thoughts on the Facebook page Keeping Early Year Unique...a group of 30,000 Early year voices standing up for what REALLY matters in the Early Years of education. 

Within 2 hours over 500 of our members had liked and loved it. The comments were flooding in of people who realised they were not alone in what they believed.  It is the next morning now and over 700 stand with me, commenting, nodding their heads in agreement and yelling a resounding "YES" from their keyboard!

Now the problem with a Facebook post is that it can very quickly get lost in the world of posts, questions, debates, memes, surveys and photos...all of which are very important! So when someone asked me if I have a blog, I realised I have been missing a very simple point here.  I DO have a blog.  IT IS HERE!!! 

I have been viewing this blog as something extra and different, something I need to find time to do. It ISN'T'!  From this day on this blog is going to be a place where I will start sharing my most talked about posts..so that they can be accessed and shared more widely.

Is this a risk? Yes.  I am stepping out of the comfort zone of a 30k strong community who are on my page (quite literally) and bringing my straight from the heart musings to the world outside.  Some of whom will agree, and some of whom will not.  But for all those who may not agree, I hope there will be those people new to Keeping Early Years Unique who will find the reassurance, confidence and affirmation that so many of us have on that one little Facebook page! So get involved and watch this space! And to these people I say...WELCOME HOME!

Come and join the revolution!

Our children need you! Join the revolution.

Hello everyone.
Let me start with the usual "Sorry I haven't posted a blog for ages...", but I do have a genuine reason! I simply have not stopped.  The Keeping Early Years Unique FB page goes from strength to strength, we have more national events planned for the year and I am still writing books.  But aside from this perhaps my biggest adventure has been my move to Year One. As I cleared out my reception class cupboard to move next door, I packed my EYFS principles and the pedagogy into a box for the move to Year One...because I know they don't just need to exist in our Reception and Nursery classrooms! 

In an ideal world, I would tell you I've opened the box, unpacked them and its been a breeze. In some ways it has. We have very happy settled children who love school, we have families who are thrilled with how their  children are thriving, a happy team of staff and a very supportive leadership team who are putting their faith in us. But..to be honest it is pretty exhausting.  I am swimming against the tide.  Giving children freedom, independence, the chance to play (and yes I do say play...not get busy, learning time, doing jobs or any masks that attempt to cover this now expletive word) and spend time learning inside and out when, how and where they choose, isn't exactly in keeping with the largely irrelevant, dry national curriculum enforced up on me.  Some days are fantastic and I come away knowing some magic has happened, memories have been made...but other days as I drive home I contemplate how much easier my life would be if I would just play ball, if I would just do as Mr Gibb et al want me to, pour knowledge into the children's heads, tell them what to think...or even apply for the store manager job at Aldi that I walk past at every shopping trip.  But those of you who know me well will know that this thought only lasts a fraction of a second before I realise that I could not ever do this...these children just like the hundreds I have taught before, deserve the best and I will give them that no matter how hard it is for me. They will always see Mrs Bennett, laughing, playing, listening, learning, discovering with them..they will never see the frustrated, tired, stressed person this Government is making me into.

So.. over the past 24 hours it is fair to say I have found myself on an emotional rollercoaster going from the sublime to the ridiculous and back again. 

On Thursday evening I shared a real story of how I had observed some magic happening in my classroom, through following a child's interests. This child and I together had created a memory that neither of us will ever forget.  The response on KEYU was phenomenal. People were inspired, people felt emotional, people thanked me for giving children these basic experiences, some even shed a tear.  I went to bed feeling like I was a part of something amazing...

But then I awoke to read Mr  Gibbs speech catchily entitled "The Evidence in Favour of Teacher Led Instruction".  This report referred to the type of practice that we are all so passionate about, the type of practice that we know makes the difference, the type of practice that we know secures good mental health as "fashionable, experimental theory". This phrase alone shows the utter disregard Mr Gibb holds for our children and their development.  Those of us who have worked with children and studied hard will know that our practice is based in years and years of work led by our founding Early Years mothers and fathers...Froebel, Isaacs, McMillian, Montessori et al not to mention their contemporaries: Bruce, Laevers, Moylett, Fisher et al. So to call child centred learning "fashionable and experimental" is either extremely ignorant, highly offensive or most likely both. 

So it was fair to say that I went off to train in London yesterday feeling rather frustrated and wondering exactly where our mission is to go next.  As I ended my training session yesterday I thought I would share our petition to extend EYFS principles to age 7 with the teachers I was working with.  It was at this moment that I almost shed a tear.  A petition that has taken 11 months to reach 7.5k supporters had almost doubled to 13k in under 7 days. I was visibly taken aback, and thought perhaps I had clicked on someone else's petition by mistake.  And then I realised. It hit me like a trike in the leg when I'm in the garden:  I most definitely am not alone.  I am standing shoulder to shoulder with families, educators, leaders, researchers, academics, psychologists, in fact I am standing with experts...real experts who work with children, or who pick up the pieces when they come home stressed and frustrated.  We will not tolerate this assault on our children's well being any more.  They deserve better and we will fight with every bit of us to give it to them.

There are many ways you can get involved! So please do. There is so much unrest out there, and our education system is really under attack, and we need to take action. 

Sign and share our petition

Support these fantastic groups/campaigns:
Save Childhood Movement
Let Our Kids Be Kids (Parents support teachers)
More than a score (Parents, teachers, organisations together)
Keeping Early Years Unique

Sign this petition to save our nursery schools

Find out how the funding cuts will affect your children's schools here



If you are teach in Reception, or have experience of teaching in reception, please sign up and get involved in Early Excellence's Hundred review. Make your voice heard, lets tell everyone what good Reception practice is all about. Get involved here!

Please get involved..it is only by standing together against those who look to reduce our children to scores with no regard for their holistic development and mental health, that we can make a difference. Enough is enough. Our children deserve better than this archaic system they find themselves in. The Government would have you believe it is a world class model. It is not. It is prehistoric. And if we continue down this path the only tables we will be topping in the global community will be those for poorest child mental health and number of teachers leaving a profession through ill health.

Please join me.

Many thanks for all you do, to keep the fires burning. Your support makes me stronger and gives me the will to keep going.  If you think you can help the cause in anyway get in touch...

We will speak soon I promise..and I won't leave it nearly so long!

Warmest wishes as always
Elaine