Early Years & Pre-Prep Archives - Page 7 of 40

Bridging the Gap: What Scientists Know and What Parents Practise in Children’s Early Reading Development

Join us for an enlightening discussion about the disconnect between scientific research and parent practices when it comes to children’s early literacy development. Dialogic reading and other evidence-based literacy practices have been widely acclaimed by experts for nearly 30 years, yet many parents are still not implementing these methods at home. We’ll dive into the literary landscape of children’s early literacy development and the crucial role of sensitive parenting during parent-child reading. Through the perspectives of 21 British parents from diverse backgrounds, we’ll explore their views on the best ways to teach children to read. Don’t miss this opportunity to gain a deeper understanding of the gap between research and practice in early literacy and learn how parents, teachers, and scientists can bridge it together.

March 10, 2023

A Quick Guide to Neurodiversity (and Related Tooled Up Resources)

It is estimated that around 1 in 7 people (more than 15% of people in the UK) are neurodivergent. There are over 120,000 autistic pupils in England’s schools, of which over 70% are educated in mainstream settings. The term neurodiversity means that brain function naturally differs across the human population and that we all have strengths and challenges as individuals, rather than there being a specific norm that people differentiate from. One of our missions at Tooled Up is to contribute towards reducing stigma and creating a safe and accepting world for neurodivergent people. We’ve put together a quick guide, extracting the most important things that parents need to know from current research, focusing on practical things you can do to help your child if they are neurodivergent and letting you know where you can find more advice and information in the Tooled Up library.

March 7, 2023

Top Tips for Reducing Anxiety Around Fire

If your child feels high levels of anxiety about fire, in a way that isn’t proportionate to their exposure or level of risk, it’s important to encourage them to work through their fear. Here are some effective tips for helping equip children with the skills to navigate anxious thoughts and adopt positive coping strategies.

March 5, 2023

Helping Children Who Feel Anxious about Fire: A Webinar with Joanna Foster

Joanna Foster is a leading specialist in the field of child-set fires, working with hundreds of London’s most vulnerable children and families. In this webinar, she talks us through how to manage children’s anxiety around fire and how to create a healthy relationship with it. She outlines useful anxiety-reducing strategies and provides some simple and effective ways of building children’s confidence and self-efficacy around fire safety. We’ve included her top tips as written notes for you to read if you are short of time.

March 5, 2023

Dr Weston Talks with Dr Verity Jones: Climate Change Education, ‘Eco-Anxiety’ and Fast Fashion

Have you ever considered the impact of the climate crisis on young people or really asked how they feel about the constant barrage of bad news that faces them? In this interview, Dr Weston chats with Dr Verity Jones about sustainable futures and education. They talk through optimal ways to discuss issues around climate change with children and young people and outline the things that young people would find helpful. They also discuss the global impact of fast fashion and how our intimate relationship with clothes can be a great way to open up conversations about issues of sustainability. Dr Jones references a vast number of fantastic resources which teaching staff and parents will find useful.

March 2, 2023

How Do Screens Affect Children and Teens?

Dr Kathryn Bates and PhD student Luisa Fassi summarise the key evidence around commonly asked questions about screen time.

February 25, 2023

York House School and the RULER Approach

Our emotions drive our social, personal and academic abilities. York House School uses a whole school programme called RULER to support and teach mental health and wellbeing. RULER was created by The Yale Centre for Emotional Intelligence and is supported by extensive research in the USA and Australia. Through the use of RULER, the pupils and adults at York House use the power of emotions to create a more effective and compassionate school community. In this online talk, Simon Pettit tells us how York House has rolled out the RULER over the past five years, embedding social and emotional learning from the EYFS through to the Prep School.

February 21, 2023

Being the Rainbow: Advice for School Staff Supporting a Bereaved Pupil

Sadly, up to 70% of schools have a bereaved pupil on their roll at any given time. It can feel challenging to know how best to support children going through grief, but as Justin Bowen, author of ‘Be The Rainbow: A Practical Guide for Supporting Bereaved Children in Primary Schools’, says, ‘Great bereavement support doesn’t need to be complicated, but it does need to be thoughtful.’ We’ve spoken to Justin to get some simple and effective tips, designed to help give confidence to staff supporting children at a difficult time.

February 13, 2023

Developing an Understanding of Disability and Self-advocacy Skills for Children and Young People

In this webinar, we talk to educational psychologist and PhD researcher, Miranda Eodanable, about the importance of self-advocacy when it comes to empowering children and young people living with a disability, from childhood into adulthood. Miranda will share research about how children and young people form their identity in relation to their disability, and will also propose how to develop their knowledge and self-advocacy skills. This webinar will inform and inspire parents, carers and educators who support young people.

February 13, 2023

Developing Children’s Independence: Five Things for Parents to Reflect On

Our top five tips on helping children to develop a sense of independence and self-efficacy as they grow.

February 8, 2023