Developing School Readiness: Creating Lifelong Learners

Shortlisted for Best Professional Book by Nursery World Awards 2017! We′ve all heard of the term school readiness but how many of us understand what is meant by it? What does it mean in the context of child development and wellbeing and what implications does it have for creating enthusiastic lifelong learners? How can we really give our children the best start in their most formative years? This book will ensure you understand school readiness but also understand: the experiential nature of children′s learning  how future success is affected by the experiences that have gone before the importance of your role in the child’s journey This book will give you the confidence to deliver practice that exceeds expectations and the knowledge to stand by your approach to teaching and caring for the children you work with. Kathryn Peckham will be discussing key ideas from Developing School Readiness: Creating Lifelong Learners in the SAGE Early Years Masterclass, a free professional development experience hosted by Kathy Brodie.

Table of Contents:
Chapter 1 - Understanding the concept of ′school readiness′; a journey already begun at birth Chapter 2 - The history and development of school readiness Chapter 3 - Ensuring the best start in life Chapter 4 - How children learn Chapter 5 - The essential role of the practitioner Chapter 6 - Families and practitioners working in partnership Chapter 7 - The importance of play Chapter 8 - Working specifically with babies Chapter 9 - Working specifically with under-threes Chapter 10 - Working specifically with under-fives Chapter 11 - An alternative way forward

About the Author :
Having initially trained as a secondary school teacher of mathematics Kathryn fell in love with the early years and made the move in 2005.  Retraining by gaining her Early Years Professional Status and a Masters in Early Years she worked within early years practice for many years, managing a number of settings and writing a monthly column for Nursery World. Going on to direct care and education at senior management levels she combined practical experience with strong theoretical knowledge enabling her to lead practice throughout many settings.  Presenting research at international conferences and a Key note speaker Kathryn’s engaging style and delivery has inspired those interested in early childhood at all levels. With research interests in outdoor play and the effects of early experiences on children’s lives Kathryn is an active member of Early Childhood networks, a consultant to outdoor play designers and actively involved in the All Party Parliamentary Group on A Fit and Healthy Childhood, contributing to publications making a real difference in the lives of young children.  Having taught across graduate and post-graduate programmes at three universities Kathryn is now a Senior Lecturer at University of Northampton where she leads the Foundation Degree in Early Years. Kathryn Peckham will be discussing key ideas from Developing School Readiness: Creating Lifelong Learners in the SAGE Early Years Masterclass, a free professional development experience hosted by Kathy Brodie. To sign up, or for more information, click here

Review :
Whether you are a parent wanting an in-depth look at the topic, or an Early Years practitioner looking to get the best possible outcomes for the children in your care, there is plenty of practical advice based on experience to be found here. Enlightening, practical and confidence-building, the book will ensure readers have the confidence to deliver practice that exceeds expectations and the knowledge to stand by that approach to teaching and caring for the children you work with, as well as enabling them to pass that knowledge on to others. This book is easy to read and covers the many different facets of school readiness.  Very relevant for UK teachers and early years practitioners, it also offers ideas for practice at the end of each chapter. The book also encourages the reader to reflect upon the topics covered by offering questions for reflection regularly within the text.  It has different chapters relevant for different age-groups and suggests that we should re-brand school readiness, looking more towards a holistic approach of the lifelong learner, keeping children firmly at the centre.  Well worth reading.