1.13- Communication and language are the cornerstone of an early year’s curriculum, which can provide all children with an equal chance of success.
It’s needed to help the children to learn because it helps with their vocabulary and things such as: singing songs, reading books or literacy lessons allows them all to have an equal chance to succeed, tailored to meet their individual needs so they can all achieve. Shows them different communication techniques to help them when socialising with people in public and knowing how they can communicate if someone is deaf, blind, EAL or speaking a different language.
1.14- The impact of an effective communication and language curriculum shows positive benefits for young children’s development, including their spoken language skills, their understanding of language, and their early reading skills, including for children from disadvantaged backgrounds.
Benefits the children’s speech development If they have different communication activities, helps their understanding of language as your effective communication skills by repeating phrases they have said incorrectly, sounding out words, asking questions, explaining what specific words mean to each other. It impacts their early reading skills by sounding things out and repeating sentences whilst reading out the letters of the word e.g., big B-I-G. Disadvantaged backgrounds may prevent the opportunity to communicate with others if they’re an only child, or as an opposite they may not get an opportunity to talk due to living in a house with a lot of children in and lack attention or support. They can hear a lot of slang or incorrect grammar/ pronunciations such as not saying their t’s in the word water or saying innit instead of isn’t it.
1.15- Some children are at an earlier stage of language development and can experience speech and language difficulties.
Stutters is a fluency disorder, selective mutism is a non-speaking disorder, lisping is a common speech issue that results in a ‘th’ sound when attempting to say an S or Z, dysgraphia is a form of ASD where people have difficulty turning their thoughts into words, cluttering rapid speech disorder. In my placement we have a child who has cerebral palsy, and it affects his ability to coordinate the muscles around his mouth which are needed for speech. Egocentrism is common in the nursery class where the children say ‘my’ instead of ‘I’ when referring to themselves, this is because they are self-focused and have yet to learn perspectives other than their owns.
1.16- There are ways to communicate with all children, appropriate for their stages of development. This may include those who have speech or language differences, such as some SEND or neurodivergent children, and those for whom English is an additional language (EAL).
For non-verbal children we communicate through sign language and using simple terminology, also encouraging the use of small words for them and having one to one time. Having speech therapist coming in for children with pronunciation difficulties as this will allow them to build on their speech skills with a professional as well as the therapist giving the practitioners some things that can help them to also support the children daily.
1b(g)- Identify delays in communication development and describe appropriate support services for babies and children.
Speech therapist visits our school to help specific children in the setting, and she comes in every couple of weeks, and the parents of the children who are needing this support. Using visual aids, such as picture cards (show tutor visual card folder), using sign language for any EAL children to help whilst they’re still learning the English words they will know the hand signals for things. Allowing the children to take time to think about how they’re going to respond to you and not rushing them or answering for them, having patience. Children that may mispronounce words that are beyond three years old can be supported by their practitioners that work closely with them to remind them it is ‘I’ instead of ‘my’ when referring to themselves, etc.
1.20- Assessment plays an important part in helping parents, carers and practitioners to recognise children’s progress, understand their needs, and to plan and provide activities and support.
Assessments are placed into learning journeys and parents get them at the end of the year. Can see where they need more support in and can they tailor future activities to help them more. Getting children t complete small assessments, such as the colouring in a specific shape on the page, this can allow practitioners and parents to visually see where they’re levelled at in their math development. Observing which students struggle to keep focus and which can sit for longer periods of times. Getting children to repeat specific things you have just said/ showed them to see if they can remember or if we have engaged them correctly so as the practitioners, we can learn what ways can engage different children.
1.21- Ongoing assessment (also known as formative assessment) is an integral part of the learning and development process. It involves practitioners knowing what children can and can’t do, and then shaping teaching and learning so that children develop the broad range of skills, knowledge and attitudes they need as foundations for future progress.
Showing the children two answers and allowing them to select the correct ones, like the colours on the board or the sheets and pebbles for their numbers. Role-play, building towers to help fine motor skills and spatial awareness, playing with peers to show their sharing, negotiations and managing emotions. By observing the children practitioners can write up any milestones or take photographs of any work that stands out to record their improvement in that area of development.
1.22- An effective early year’s educator considers when and why to carry out accurate and proportionate assessment. Assessment is about noticing what children can do and what they know. It is not about lots of data and evidence. It should not involve taking lots of time away from teaching and supporting children or have a disproportionate impact on workload.
Bad times when they’re sleeping, hungry, tired, dysregulated or near to home time. Good times is when they’re doing an activity, they show interest in as they will be more engaged in it.
3.2- An effective early year’s educator understands their own role and responsibilities, including appropriate supervision of others, in relation to safeguarding and security, including child protection, duty of care, reporting and confidentiality of information.
The responsibilities of an early year’s educator is for them to provide a safe, nurturing and stimulating environment for young children typically between the ages of 0-5years, as well as delivering age-appropriate activities to support their development. Also, observing children’s interactions and their developing achievements is important so they can keep records and track their learning goals and progress. Early years educator must also maintain strict and confidential information regarding children and their family’s personal information. Professional boundaries are the ‘legal, ethical an organisational framework that protect children and practitioners from physical and emotional harm and help to maintain a safe working environment’.
5.1- It is important to develop and maintain good relationships and partnerships in an early years setting to ensure the needs of all children are met.
It means there’s a visual positive relationship for the child and can make them feel safe and secure with the practitioners as they’ve seen their parents trusting them. It helps the practitioner to understand the child’s home life and therefore learn their interests and tailor activities to meet and support a child’s specific needs. It enables them to feel involved with their child’s education and have access to support and advice that can be used at home for them to also support their child.
5.5- It is important to be an advocate for the child’s learning and development, parental and carer engagement, the home learning environment, and their roles in early learning.
Help the child to feel safe within the setting and allow them to understand that they have someone who does support them. This can also help them to find their own voice and confidence levels may increase as they
