This article arose from a series of workshops with practitioners in early years teaching. The workshops addressed how history could be taught to very young children, three‐ to five‐years‐old. The authors were aware that there was a widely held belief that history was inappropriate for the very young child. The authors felt that this was because of a common view that history was solely concerned with facts. There was also a prevalent view that, as history was about chronology (time), it was too difficult a subject for very young children, for whom ‘yesterday’ and ‘tomorrow’ had little meaning. This article argues that successful teaching of history is possible with very young children if the teaching concentrates on interpretation and enquiry. Through using story, young children are able to interpret the behaviour, motivation and intent of the characters. The practitioners are able to question the child as to why s/he interprets the character’s actions in the way that s/he does. In other words the practitioner asks for evidence: the essence of history. When considering time, the authors’ note that young children have a subjective understanding of time and this can be used to develop a growing awareness of chronology.

Alison Bishop and Phyllis Jones both work in the School of Education at Northumbria University where they teach on undergraduate and postgraduate programmes. Phyllis Jones specialises in disability issues and Alison Bishop focuses on early years education. For the project described in this paper, they combined their areas of expertise, devising a small–scale research project to explore the experiences of a group of early years science specialist student teachers as they took part in workshops with a group of early years children with severe and profound learning difficulties. The research explores the changing attitudes and perceptions of the students with regard to the learning and teaching of science with young children. It becomes clear that there is a realization for many students that science can make a significant contribution to the education of children with severe and profound learning difficulties in the early years. The authors also discuss the need for training to equip the students to meet the challenges and rewards of working with children with severe and profound learning difficulties in their future teaching careers.

Out of an interest in trainee teachers' perceptions of themselves as effective teachers we decided to research this area. We gave a questionnaire to the entire year 3 cohort in the BA in Primary Education teacher trainee course within our educational institution. We followed this with a series of focus group interviews. This paper analyses the perceptions held by this group. This group largely desired to co-construct their perceptions with their trainers and partners in schools. The researchers discuss the impact of such a view in the current national context of teacher training, given the trainees' perceptions that the current teacher training course is overly prescriptive. The paper concludes by articulating a model that delivers the accountability required by the Teacher Training Agency and leaves space for the teacher trainees to develop their individual understanding of what makes an effective teacher.

phase in the education of young pupils. They also work within teams, including at least one other professional member: the nursery nurse. This potential leadership and management role is the area of interest for the research. In particular we focus upon the meaning of both management and leadership for each nursery teacher within her own nursery unit. Interest in this area of study is a result of the growing literature on school effectiveness and school improvement, in particular those findings which point to the strong correlation between effective schools, the ability of schools to self-improve and effective leadership. HMCI (1999) has noticed that effective schools are schools that are well led. There is a realisation that leadership in effective schools does not reside solely in the head teacher. Normative management theory views the collegial model as the one most likely to result in an effective school (Campbell, 1985; Mortimore, 1998). Nurseries have been acknowledged as the most effective phase with regard to management and leadership (HMCI, 1999), yet research into approaches and strategies with regard to leadership and management in nursery settings is extremely scarce (Rodd, 1998). There is currently a highly facilitative policy context for developing such approaches and strategies because of the priorities given to Early Years provision by the government. Yet this is an area where, we feel, there needs to be an extremely close articulation between policy, research and practice. In this article we elaborate a theoretical and critical basis for such an articulation, focusing in particular upon shared leadership within nursery units in primary schools. It is this sharedness that is seen as a strength, ‘the foundation of their work and corporate life is an acceptance of shared values’ (HMI, 1977, cited in Preedy, 1993). We would also acknowledge a complementary interest in the notion of feminine leadership styles (Hall, 1996; Ozga, 1993; Rodd, 1998), which are seen as being characterised by the desire to empower and acknowledge expertise: using ‘power to empower rather than dominate’ (Hall, 1996). Furthermore the characteristics of feminine leadership styles are seen as being more effective in post-industrial society (ibid.) because they are facilitative rather than authoritarian (Kinney, cited in Hall, 1996). We would agree with Grant’s N usery techers as leders nd m angers

This research sets out to examine the perceptions and attitudes of a cohort of early years specialist teacher trainees with regard to child protection issues as they prepare to enter the teaching profession. The trainees were at the end of a three‐year Primary Initial Teacher Training Course in the north of England. We had set out within the course to present a paradigm to the trainees of the newly qualified early years teacher as not only an effective agent in preventing child abuse but also the ‘advocates for the structural changes in society which would aim to eradicate child abuse’ (David, 1993, p. 84). We were particularly concerned with exploring whether our course had gone beyond the mechanistic and legal framework of the Standards [1] [1] The Standards referred to throughout this article are the Standards for the Award of Qualified Teacher Status—Annex A of Department of Education and Employment Circular 4/98 (DfEE, 1998). to produce reflective and effective early years practitioners able both to discuss their feelings and perceptions of child protection issues and to articulate their concerns (Braun & Schonveld, 1994, p. 92). The research found that the trainees feel anxious both about making decisions on issues concerning child abuse and working with members of families who could be abusers. Furthermore, they were extremely anxious concerning the whole area of inter‐agency working in the early years. Nevertheless they have developed strong and sophisticated levels of thinking in this area and are universal in their willingness to become advocates for the young child with regard to child protection issues. They hold firmly onto their ideological aspirations of the young child as the centre of the classroom and are willing to encompass the role of the teacher/social worker.

Concern has been expressed over many years about the lack of time and attention given to the preparation and training of teachers to meet the diverse needs of all children. In this article, Alison Bishop and Phyllis Jones describe a small‐scale research project designed to explore the attitudes and perceptions of a group of student teachers towards children with complex and profound learning difficulties. In this study, the students were interviewed before and after participation in structured workshop activities with children. The results suggest that many more student teachers would benefit from the further development of the approach described here.

The provision of nurture groups has increasingly been advocated as a strategy for meeting the needs of young emotionally disturbed children (DfEE, 1998a, p.44). This article is based on a qualitative evaluation of a nurture group in a primary school situated in an inner‐city area of severe deprivation. Though criteria for success varied, the nurture group was viewed as effective from the different viewpoints of all involved, including teachers, parents and pupils. However, questions are raised about the group in terms of policies of inlcusion and teacher‐parent partnerships, suggesting that exclusion within mainstream schools may be fostered under the flag of inclusion.

The involvement of parents in early years education has increasingly been advocated as a strategy for meeting the needs of young emotionally disturbed children. We summarise the ideal of parental involvement in the early years as expressed within recent government initiatives. We also draw on a case study of a nurture group in a primary school situated in an inner‐city area of severe deprivation. Against this background, we explore notions of the involvement of parents as a partnership. We suggest that, in providing education for young children with emotional and behavioural difficulties, the nurturing of parental involvement is inherently problematic.

Current policy in relation to special needs prioritises early intervention and inclusive education, at least as 'good intentions'. This article argues for a paradigmatic shift away from individualist models of learning and disability. The social context of play is emphasised as the crucial arena for realising such good intentions, as long as it is geared to responding to, and developing, the self-determination, control, and identity of young disabled children becoming disabled adults in a disabling society.