At Peques, learning never stops. It is true of the children in our care, and it is just as true of the practitioners who care for them. Earlier this September, the teams from both of our settings, Fulham Broadway and Parsons Green, came together for a shared CPD session led by Stacey, Early Years Advisor at the London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham.
What we explored
The session focused on the Characteristics of Effective Learning, a central part of the Early Years Foundation Stage. They describe not what children learn, but the ways in which they learn: through playing and exploring, through active learning, and through creating and thinking critically.
Together we looked at how the young brain develops, the science behind early stimulation, and why the quality of a child's everyday experiences matters so much in these first years. For families who read our recent post on the first five years, this was the same science seen from the practitioner's side of the room.
How a child learns, not only what
The idea that ran through the whole session sits at the heart of our approach. We do not only ask what a child is learning. We ask how they learn, and that question shapes how we plan, observe and respond.
In practice, this looks like small, attentive moments. A practitioner notices that a child returns to the water tray again and again to test what floats, and extends that curiosity rather than moving them on. Another sees a child persevere with a tricky puzzle and waits, offering encouragement rather than the answer. A third follows a child's own idea into a new game and helps them talk through what they are thinking. None of this is dramatic, but it is where deep learning happens.
What this means for your child
For families, the Characteristics of Effective Learning offer a helpful way to understand what you see when you visit the rooms or read your child's observations. Concentration, curiosity, persistence and the pleasure of trying something new are not extras alongside learning. They are learning, and they build the foundations children carry with them into school and beyond.
Every child brings their own way of approaching the world. Sessions such as this help our practitioners tune in to that individuality with greater skill and confidence, in English, Spanish and Mandarin alike.
Part Two
The learning continues. Part Two is already planned for later this term and will go further into the practitioner's role: how we observe, respond and interact in ways that move children's thinking forward, grounded in the connections between neuroscience and early years practice. Our practitioners left the first session inspired, and they are already looking forward to what comes next.
We would like to thank Stacey and the LBHF Early Years Team for such a thought-provoking and enriching session.
Join our team
If you are an early years practitioner who values ongoing professional development and wants to grow within a team that takes learning seriously, we would be delighted to hear from you. Our current vacancies are at peques.co.uk/workwithus, and you can write to us at careers@peques.co.uk. Other opportunities also arise throughout the year.
Visiting Peques
Both of our settings are currently close to capacity. Places are offered first to siblings of children already with us, then as temporary spaces where available, and then through our waiting list. Visits are arranged by personal invitation, and families are welcome to get in touch through peques.co.uk/contact.
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