'We worry about being an embarrassing granny at the school gate. But older children always think their parents are cringe-worthy, and an older mum will have more panache and confidence in dealing with...
'I'm not against classroom assistants, whom I think have a valuable role, but it is clear they are no substitute for getting class sizes down... The amount of time each child has with the teacher is...
'Labour councillors are looking for a national pay rate of 25,000 for boring each other in council meetings. If a national rate is all right for them, why is it not all right for nursery nurses who...
'Daycare is an absolutely third-rate childhood. How crazy to be worried about seatbelts, vitamins and expensive prep schools when you consign your toddler to wandering like a zombie in a room full of...
'It seems like time for us to understand that children aren't either "little angels or little devils", as ChildLine recently put it, but complicated little packages that can contain elements of both,...
'European countries recognise and value early years education and childcare as a separate profession. In this country it is often viewed as a "woman's" job, or one that is taken because the individual...
'Pay signifies personal worth. It is of primary social and emotional importance. There is no justification for paying a care assistant, a nursery nurse or a hospital worker less than they can live on...
Children and monsters go out of their way to prove they know better in the latest books reviewed by Alison Boyle You Do!
Making ‘positive attachments’ to adults and ‘forming friendships with peers’ should not be part of the Early Learning Goals for children, says early years expert Anne O'Connor
The experience of starting school could be made less daunting with the help of a new interactive website with stories, games and information to help parents and children prepare for the first few...