This one-day seminar was the third in a series of interactive events comprising the BERA Research Commission 2019 – 2020,  Competing Discourses of Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC): Tensions, Impacts and Democratic Alternatives across the UK’s four jurisdictions.  This seminar focused on ‘A  curriculum for the Early Years’ at a time when this is being re-envisioned across the UK. The history of curriculum development in the sector follows stories of pioneers, theoretical developments and response to children’s needs and, in recent years, political interest in what children should be learning.  Considerations of curriculum are at the very heart of what we understand early education and care is for; should ECEC offer children opportunities to engage in a wide range of appropriate activities for their stage of life, or is this a time to secure literacy and numeracy skills as part of preparation for the next stage of education? Are these decisions to be made by educators, by parents or are they part of policy to shape the next generation of citizens, workers, managers? The seminar provided opportunities to explore the issues that shape curriculum and how these are connected with policy making. 

During this seminar, we aimed to hear the widest possible range of voices from the early years community in Wales about development in curriculum. The day consisted of focus group discussions and stimulating presentations to build on the themes emerging from our earlier seminars on school readiness and collaborative agency.

There is simultaneous translation available throughout the event and contributions are welcomed through the medium of English or Welsh. The documentation for registration is in English for administrative reasons.

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