Early Excellence Podcast

Do you have wordless books within your classroom provision? In your setting, are wordless books used to support children’s language development and storytelling skills? Join us for this week’s episode of The Early Excellence Podcast where we explore and review some great wordless books and discuss how the books can be used to support the development of a wide range of skills. Watch the Video “The Piano” Book on to our webinar - It's More than Reading & Writing Explore our range of books

This week, we’re joined by Professor Sam Wass from The University of East London. Sam is a child psychologist and neuroscientist specialising in concentration and stress in young children. You will probably remember Sam as the on-screen child psychologist in the popular Channel 4 programmes The Secret Lives of 4 Year Olds and The Secret Lives of 5 Year Olds.Order The Secret Lives of 4, 5 and 6 Year Olds bookWatch Sam’s TED Talk on How the Modern World is Changing Young Children Inspire your EYFS team with our Early Excellence Child Development webinar package

There are often stark differences in approaches to teaching and learning once children move in to year one, but, does this have to be the case? In this week’s episode, we explore how a rich, well-planned learning environment in Key Stage One can provide both the continuity and the challenge that young learners need.Explore our Guide to Continuous Provision for Key Stage 1Access our Free Webinars focused on KS1Order Julie Fisher’s Book - Moving on to Key Stage 1

This Episode is Available on the Early Excellence Inspirational Hub AppDiscover the App TodayChildren have a strong drive to repeat actions. They can become fascinated by transporting objects, moving in circles or creating enclosures as they explore, and make sense of, the world around them. In this week’s episode, Llewella explores how to identify these repeated patterns of play, known as schemas, and begins to consider how practitioners can use schematic play as a means of tuning in to, and extending, children’s thinking.Read the BlogWatch our Let’s Explore Schemas WebinarExplore the Best Practice Birth-4yrs Programme

With Kath Murdoch’s “The Art of Enquiry Teaching” event fast approaching, we explore what we actually mean by Enquiry Based Learning. In this week’s episode we introduce the concept of Enquiry Based Learning, consider aspects such as the right environment and the adult role, and discuss some key questions to get us thinking. Attend our Conference with Kath Murdoch Read the Blog

This Episode is Available on the Early Excellence Inspirational Hub AppDiscover the App TodayWelcome back to the first episode for the new school year!September is a crucial time for your practice, so for this week’s episode, Andy & Llewella explore the key things for you to remember at the start of this school year.Join our Free ECT WebinarAttend our Conference with Kath MurdochExplore all our Upcoming Training

This Episode is Available on the Early Excellence Inspirational Hub AppDiscover the App TodayWith lots to get ready for the new school year, it can be difficult to know where to start. In this week’s bonus podcast episode, Andy and Llewella offer lots of advice and also discuss which jobs are the key prioritiesExplore our free Planning Guides & AuditsOrder our Guides to Continuous ProvisionEnquire about our free room planning service

In our final podcast for this school year, Andy catches up with some of the founding members of the popular Facebook Group: Early Years Early Adopters. Formed initially in 2020 during the pandemic as a support network for any early adopter schools, the group has now become a key social hub for the Facebook education community where people share ideas and offer advice and support. During this fascinating episode, Andy finds out how the group was formed, what they have learned and where they’re going next. Explore the Early Adopters Group Join our Early Excellence Facebook Group Book our webinar "The Revised EYFS Curriculum"

This Episode is Available on the Early Excellence Inspirational Hub AppDiscover the App TodayIn this episode, Andy and Llewella share and explore a range of key practitioner texts to really get you thinking. So whether you’re needing to get to grips with the key principles of EYFS practice, looking to develop your outdoor learning environment, working with two year olds for the first time or in need of a fresh outlook on Key Stage One, there’s a book here for you!Shop our Professional BooksExplore our CPD TrainingUtilise our Free Audits & Planning Guides

In this week’s podcast episode, Andy is joined by Esther O’Connor, the EYFS Leader at the British School of Brussels. Esther opens the doors to the inspirational EYFS learning environments at the school and describes how children’s fascinations are nurtured as part of their child-centred practice. Take a look at Esther’s photos of their environments Take a 3D tour of our centre Explore our complete classroom collections