Bold beginnings or black holes? The encroachment of summative assessment into the reception curriculum

Black holes themselves are invisible against the backdrop of space. We only become aware of their presence as they begin to drag in objects around them, warping the very fabric of the universe....

Effectively deploying teaching assistants to support pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND)

This blog draws on an important piece of research published by the Education Endowment Foundation (EEF) in England in 2015: Making the Best use of Teaching Assistants (Sharples, Webster and...

Rethinking reasons behind lower educational outcomes of looked after children

The lower educational attainment of looked after children compared with their peers not in care has long been the subject of interest and research. The dominant position is that the reason behind...

Close-to-practice research project

BERA has identified close-to-practice research as an area of interest for the Association, and many BERA members are also committed to such work in the context of teacher education and...

Is a shared understanding the key to effective learning?

A child starts learning in the womb, but real learning is perceived to start much later and is certainly not often associated with the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS).  Real learning is often...

The value of Literacy as a Social Practice approach to exploring young children’s experience of being taught to read and write in school

Over the last thirty years in English and Welsh State primary education, successive governments have placed increasing emphasis on ‘raising standards’ in literacy. Children’s attainment or...

Hyper-governance and datafication in early years education: children as ‘abilities-machines’ or ‘like sausages in a factory’

The growing use of data in education has both been lauded as a revolution and criticized as detrimental to teachers and children; no wonder then that it is increasingly a focus for educational...

What younger children really think and understand about internet safety: The value of stories and role play as research methods

Younger children under the age of eight are increasingly embracing the digital world (Mekinc, Smailbegovic & Kokic, 2013). My intention at this year’s BERA conference is to consider younger...

Biscuits or Banquets?

Becoming a lifetime reader is dependent on developing a love of reading[1] and few would argue against the fact that the ability and motivation to read impacts on the life chances of all...

Observing to Understand – Using the Tavistock Method of Observation to Support Reflective Practice

The Tavistock method of infant observation has developed and grown since its original use as a tool to train psychotherapists at the Tavistock clinic. It is now widely used across many...

Participation in recreational activities: views, experiences and choices from children and young people with cerebral palsy

  http://www.playwales.org.uk/eng/ ‘All children and young people have the right to rest, leisure, play and recreation and to take part in cultural and artistic...

The Missing Link? Brain and Body in early learning and development – what the research review does and doesn’t tell us

BERA Blog Special Issues: BERA/TACTYC

The early years education field has always emphasised the holistic nature of early development and learning despite the continued prevalence of separate subject- or development-based domains...