Forest Schools Education bases its developmental ethos on enabling children to develop self awareness and self regulatory strategies, thus enabling them to understand the town behaviours and learning. The foundation found that these strategies had a very positive impact on disadvantaged children, as well as those from more socially economically sound backgrounds.
The researchers suggest that this self regulation can in some children lead to an average of seven extra months of progress.
The report says, ‘It is not possible to tell from existing evidence whether providing extra hours (at nursery) is a more promising strategy for three-year-olds or four-year-olds.’ However, where the integral ethos to the nursery as it is at the Forest School Nursery, is to promote these aspects then it could have a positive benefit
Research has been formulated from 1,600 studies and the toolkit addresses the following topics
- Communication and language,
- Earlier starting age in early years education,
- Early literacy,
- Early numeracy,
- Digital technology,
- Extra hours,
- Parental engagement,
- Physical development,
- Physical environment,
- Play-based learning, and
- Self-regulation strategies.
Steve Higgins, Professor of Education at Durham University, acknowledges that evidence is now available to enable early years professionals to make important decisions around their every day planning and strategy. He is hopeful that the Early Years Toolkit helps to bridge the divide between research and practice and will enhance a more effective early years provision for all children.
- The Early Years Toolkit can be found here