The Optimus blog

The blog that inspires leaders in the UK education sector

The Optimus blog

The blog that inspires leaders in the UK education sector

Early Years

Alex Masters

Early years pupil premium funding: expert advice from Dr Julian Grenier

How should you implement the early years pupil premium funding? Watch this two-minute video interview with Dr Julian Grenier , headteacher and national leader of education, for advice you can begin using today. The Department for Education’s introduction of the early years pupil premium in April...
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Alex Masters

The early years funding challenge

The DfE’s decision to introduce an early years pupil premium was welcomed with open arms. But with opportunity comes challenge, as content lead Alex Masters discovers Did you know that 90% of all brain development occurs by the age of five ? Did you also know that recent research shows a 19-month...
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Tom Kerslake

Early years in 2015: what lies ahead?

Last year proved to be an uneasy time for the early years sector, and an extremely turbulent year for education in general. From a range of concerns about nursery funding and provision, to Michael Wilshaw’s ‘unsure start’ debacle , the sector certainly experienced its own tremors last year. The...
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Alex Masters

The state of play: how Lego can lead to deeper learning

‘Play is the beginning of knowledge,’ so a wise man once said. Indeed, recent studies have found clear links between play and deeper learning...so much so that there have been calls for Ofsted to stress the importance of play in its inspection framework. There are many compelling cases for the link...
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Alex Masters

‘Tis the season... 12 festive educational pieces to share!

On the first day of Christmas, Optimus gave to me... 12 top tips to ensure you and your school have the best Christmas! Get traditional...and bring back Christmas ... or create your own nativity to tell a ‘real’ Christmas story Engage children in a multicultural setting Use the religious and...
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