Despite the hot sunshine of the past week or so, autumn is definitely underway and the holidays over, so far as developments in the early years world are concerned.
The consultation on the revised Early Years Foundation Stage has now closed. You can read about the responses from various parts of the sector in our news (pages 6-7). We hope as many of you as possible made your views known, as the early years team at the Department for Education will need all the ammunition it can get to be able to make a robust case for a framework that will reflect best practice and meet children's needs.
Certainly, the book Too Much, Too Soon? - Early Learning and the Erosion of Childhood has shone a light on the hopes and fears of a range of early years sector figures (News, pages 4-5), who, despite different backgrounds and interests, have found common cause in the fight to stop the joy of childhood being diminished by misguided policies and practices.
On our website, you'll find an exclusive extract from this important book - a chapter written by the eminent Lilian Katz on perspectives on the early childhood curriculum, as well as a review of the whole book (http://www.nurseryworld.co.uk/go/books/news/1095423/).
As children's minister Sarah Teather points out in her column opposite, we're also awaiting Cathy Nutbrown's review of early years qualifications, and a consultation on the free entitlement Code of Practice. It will certainly be a very busy season.
Nursery World Awards 2011
In the centre of this issue, you'll find our special Nursery World Awards coverage. Photographs of the glitzy awards night will be up on our website too.
