Literacy

Early years foundation stage (EYFS) framework

The statutory framework for the early years foundation stage (EYFS) says:

It is crucial for children to develop a life-long love of reading. Reading consists of two dimensions: language comprehension and word reading. Language comprehension (necessary for both reading and writing) starts from birth. It only develops when adults talk with children about the world around them and the books (stories and non-fiction) they read with them, and enjoy rhymes, poems and songs together. Skilled word reading, taught later, involves both the speedy working out of the pronunciation of unfamiliar printed words (decoding) and the speedy recognition of familiar printed words. Writing involves transcription (spelling and handwriting) and composition (articulating ideas and structuring them in speech, before writing).

The help for early years providers website, from the Department for Education, provides information, guidance and practical support for delivering the EYFS framework.

Resources are split into 3 areas based on the educational programmes:

• Reading comprehension
• Exploring words
• Writing

These resources will help you when reviewing your current curriculum to make sure you are meeting the requirement of the revised literacy area of learning.

As you make changes to your curriculum consider what you want children to learn first and plan opportunities for them to achieve this.

Please bear in mind any current covid restrictions and/or advice when undertaking any suggested activities.

Training

Reading

• Developing early reading (Crating Eager Readers) is for settings who are looking to gain expert knowledge about how young children learn to read and how to use this knowledge to help children blossom into early readers. It is centred around five key literacy tips to support young children to read looking at how we can inspire a love of reading in all children. This session is essential for those settings undertaking the Lancashire Quality Award – Early Reading.
• Creating storytellers explores developing practitioner confidence in oral storytelling and how we can encourage and value children's storytelling in everyday situations. This session is essential for those settings undertaking the Lancashire Quality Award – Early Reading.
• Having fun with letters and sounds is practitioners who want to learn more about how to support, embed and develop the use of phase one phonics to support early reading in their setting. This session is essential for those settings undertaking the Lancashire Quality Award – Early Reading.
• Music and storytelling supports ideas to enhance early literacy experiences using instruments with practical ideas to use in your setting.
• Using puppets to enhance literacy explores how playing with puppets supports children's development, particularly their language, personal, social and emotional skills and imaginative play.

Writing

• Developing early writing (Inspiring Mark Making through Play) looks at developmental expectations for writing exploring the links from drawing into writing. This session is essential for those settings undertaking the Lancashire Quality Award – Early Writing.
• Exploring writing in the outdoors looks at playful strategies and ideas to develop opportunities for writing in the outdoors.
• Exploring talk for writing (An introduction to Talk for Writing) introduces the basic concepts of Pie Corbett's talk for writing programme drawing together practical ideas for reading and writing.
• Supporting boys writing in the early years looks at strategies and practical ideas to support boys to become confident and capable writers.

Publications

We've produced the following resources which you might find useful to support children’s literacy:

• Having fun with letters and sounds activities – phase one
• Reading cards

Visit the publications for sale page to view and order publications.

Tools

• The reading framework (Department for Education on GOV.UK)
• Writing (Help for early years providers on GOV.UK)
• Research evidence on reading for pleasure (Department for Education on GOV.UK)
• Letters and Sounds: Principles and Practice of High quality Phonics. Phase One Teaching Programme (Department for Education on GOV.UK)

Lancashire Quality Awards

LQA in early reading is embedded within everyday routines and children's play, supporting practitioners to be confident in their subject knowledge and therefore better at recognising learning opportunities in children's play.

LQA in early writing explores strategies to engage in mark making and how the adult role motivates and scaffolds children to begin to communicate their ideas as part of their role play. The programme will consider how children are encouraged to write across a range of different spaces within the environment and how we can motivate children to write outdoors.

To enrol for this award programme please contact lancashirequalityaward@lancashire.gov.uk