Winner of the ERA award for Early Years _______________ On average, children from low income backgrounds enter reception with lower scores in literacy and mathematics than their peers. This book provides early years practitioners with the skills to narrow this gap. In the early years, children's cognitive development is largely shaped by their home environment, but research shows that on average, children who are entitled to free school meals start primary school with lower scores in reading and mathematics than their peers. As an early years practitioner, you can influence these children's learning within your setting, and help them to achieve the same levels as their more affluent peers. That's what this book aims to do: help you to narrow the gap. This unique book shows you how to provide a 'safety net' for children who are most at risk of underachievement. You will be taught about the different factors that positively impact upon children's learning (including adult interaction and literacy and mathematical experiences) and how they link to good practice within the EYFS. From tips for creating a rich, and diverse play environment for them to enjoy, to suggestions on how to carefully guide activities and experiences, this book will help you to establish a strong, long term education programme. You will be amazed at the impact you will have upon these children simply by making small changes to your practice and planning, and you might even increase your setting's chance of gaining an 'outstanding' Ofsted grade.

Why is movement so important to ensuring young children's smooth overall development? How may their physical skills be supported by adults? And what are the implications for practice? Answering these questions and more, this book clearly demonstrates the link between physical competency and emergent literacy and numeracy. The first half introduces the eight core principles of movement-based learning. It explains why movement plays such a critical role in children's development and how physical activity underpins the skills that support effective communication and school-readiness. The second suggests ways in which they may be implemented in practice with all children from birth to five years. All children need to be confident and competent movers, effective communicators and ready to tackle the challenges of new experiences and environments. This book will provide the knowledge and tools to ensure that they are.

Schools do amazing work to support children from disadvantaged backgrounds. But this book will enable them to do more. Disadvantage comes in many forms, but cultural poverty, where some students have relative knowledge gaps compared with their more affluent peers, can be addressed successfully by schools. The Working Classroom explores how working-class students are disadvantaged by a flawed system and what schools can do to close the gap. Written by two experienced authors with a deep understanding of the challenges that poverty and low aspiration can bring, and a passion for social justice, The Working Classroom examines how and why we must seek systemic changes. The book focuses on actions within the control of teachers and school leaders which will ensure that we create a socially just education system - one that builds on the rich heritage of the working-class, rather than seeing their background as a weakness. It offers practical ways for students and families to build on the best of working-class culture, whilst also empowering teachers, students and parents to change the system. The Working Classroom provides teachers with useful methods to improve the cultural capital of students from disadvantaged backgrounds that can be easily replicated and implemented in their own setting. Backed up by practical case studies that have a proven impact in schools with high levels of deprivation, this book will enable teachers to audit their current provision and encourage them to adopt new systems and practices so that they, and the wider school, will have a greater impact on the lives of working-class students and their families. Suitable for both teachers and leaders in a secondary school or sixth form college setting who seek to support social change in education and anyone in the corporate or non-education world who wants to practice effective altruism or philanthropy.

"Inequality at the Starting Gate is a new EPI study of the learning gap between rich and poor children when they enter kindergarten. This study, by two education experts from the University of Michigan, analyzes U.S. Education Department data on 16,000 kindergartners nationwide, showing the direct link between student achievement gaps and socioeconomic status. The report finds that impoverished children lag behind their peers in reading and math skills even before they start school. It shows how a lack of resources and opportunities can cause lasting academic damage to some children, underscoring the need for earlier and more comprehensive efforts to prepare children to succeed in school."--Http://www.lights.com/cgi-bin/epi/shop/shop.cgi.