Julie Fisher

‘We used to play in Foundation, it was more funner’: investigating feelings about transition from Foundation Stage to Year 1

In English schools, transition from the Foundation Stage (at age five) into Year 1 (the first year of ‘primary school’) has been identified as lacking continuity. A range of government initiatives has led to marked differences in the pedagogy that underpins classroom practice in these two consecutive year groups, which, in turn, has raised concerns at both local and national level. This paper explores the reason for these pedagogical differences and the impact they have had on childrens experiences of being a learner. Drawing on a research project undertaken in one local authority, it examines the feelings of children, parents and teachers leading up to the transition into Year 1 and considers what impact the differing pedagogies in the Foundation Stage and Year 1 may have on childrens feelings about and confidence in themselves as learners.

Building on the Early Years Foundation Stage: developing good practice for transition into Key Stage 1

The Independent Review of the Primary Curriculum and the independent Cambridge Primary Review both highlight the need to re‐think childrens educational experiences in English classrooms between the ages of five and seven. Recent government initiatives have led to experiences in these early primary years being adult‐directed and often in whole‐class groups, with little place for the play and self‐initiated learning familiar in the Early Years Foundation Stage, which regulates education from birth to five years. This discontinuity in pedagogy has led to concerns at national and local levels. This article describes the efforts of teachers in one English local authority to develop practice in their classrooms which was less formal and teacher‐led and which responded more to the needs and interests of individual children. It describes the reasons for teacher participation in the project, the barriers that they faced and the outcomes for both teachers and children.

A Compliance Management System for the pharmaceutical industry

Abstract The management of compliance with rules, policies, guidelines, practices, and standards is largely done through a manual and labour-intensive process. This process can be facilitated through the use of a computer-based Compliance Management System (CMS). A CMS identifies compliance tasks, tracks the performance of these tasks with respect to a set of requirements and documents their compliance status. The output from a CMS can be used to satisfy a variety of reporting requirements and initiate alerting mechanisms. A CMS can be particularly useful in managing regulation change and overlap. This paper presents the first step in the development of a decision and compliance management tool, in particular, a prototype CMS for the pharmaceutical industry is described. The CMS has been tested with a simulated case study.

Learning & Development:: Practitioner Role, Part 2 - In tune

Without careful observation and responsive listening, adult interaction could become interference in childrens play, says Julie Fisher, independent early years adviser and visiting professor of Early Childhood Education at Oxford Brookes University

Learning & Development: Practitioner Role: Part 1 - Time to talk

To be effective communicators, young children need attention from adults who are tuned in to what is worthwhile to them, writes Julie Fisher in the first of a four-part series about the role of the practitioner in early learning.

Learning & Development - Practitioner Role: Part 4 - Now you're talking!

Some essential principles should guide conversations with children, says Julie Fisher in part four of her series on adult roles in early learning.

Transitions: Part 3 - Developmentally appropriate practice

Supporting children making the transition to Key Stage 1 requires teachers to strike a balance between adult-led and child-initiated learning, with the right environment and resources

Transitions: Part 1 - Preparing children for the move to Key Stage 1

Put children securely on the bridge from the Early Years Foundation Stage to the more formal curriculum of primary school with careful planning and an enthusiastic attitude.