Early years

When we think of transitions in education, often what comes to mind are the ‘macro’ transitions from home to early childhood settings, and then into school and beyond. But just as important are the everyday ‘micro’ transitions between spaces, activities and people. Here, we speak with Dr Loraine Fordham about why these transitions are important, and tips for educators to handle them sensitively.

A recent study has analysed the experience of over 3000 children aged four and five attending preschool in the United Kingdom during the COVID-19 pandemic. Children's achievement in prime learning areas, as well as their overall development, during September 2020 and July 2021, were compared to national pre-pandemic averages recorded in the 2018/19 school year.

Age-appropriate consent education will be mandatory in all Australian schools from 2023. Kit and Arlo Find a Way: Teaching consent to 8-12 year olds is a fictional chapter book created for use in primary classrooms. In the first instalment of a two-part Q&A with author-educators Ingrid Laguna and Vanessa Hamilton, we find out more about the resource and research about the impact of consent education in schools.

Home support of children’s literacy skills in the early years is a well-known indicator of their reading progress at the start of school. A new study has explored how different reading experiences at home have an impact on children’s continued reading development at school.

Taking turns and sharing in early childhood develops children’s pro-social skills in the early years, helping them to thrive in school and later life. In the second part of a Q&A with Teacher, Lauren Armstrong – Lecturer in Early Childhood Education at the University of Tasmania – discusses how early years and primary teachers can support the development of these important skills.

Taking turns and sharing in early childhood develops children’s pro-social skills in the early years, helping them to thrive in school and later life. In the first instalment of a two-part Q&A, we speak with Lauren Armstrong – Lecturer in Early Childhood Education at the University of Tasmania – about the impact of these skills for school readiness, and the current research on the topic.

Phillippa Adgemis is Principal at Coldstream Primary School – one of the six schools highlighted in a recent Australian study exploring the common features of exemplary school playgroups. In this article, she shares more about how the playgroup is run, and the effect it has had on the school.

Children’s experiences inform the development of their vocabulary and, subsequently, how they view the world around them. As we head into the third year of pandemic challenges and restrictions, interesting themes have continued to emerge through students’ writing.

The transition to primary school is a big step for children and families, and there are many things to consider for educators supporting students in their transition to school. In this article, we outline five further readings that examine successful transitions.

School playgroups benefit children, their families, schools and communities. New Australian research has identified six key features of high-performing school playgroups.