Current Research

Artfull - Early Years Action Research Project

We are working on a new action research project full of curiosity, wonder and creativity with community-led arts programme Made with Many and dance company Turned On Its Head.

An action research project to explore the question: What impact can we have on children, families and communities by embedding artists and specialists in an early years setting for one year? An Anchor Artist will work through the whole year with management, staff, children and families. Artists will be recruited through a child-led process. The research will be evaluated through reflexive thematic analysis by Pen Green’s Research Centre, and results shared widely through early years networks.

ArtFULL is enabling young children to explore a myriad of exciting creative experiences, made possible with generous funding from Arts Council England.

The project creates an exchange of ideas and practice between staff at the Pen Green Centre and artists; making work that is wholehearted and full bodied, through participation and performance, where all involved are immersed in experiencing how creative practice strengthens intergenerational relationships. ArtFULL also explores the notions of co-design alongside a panel of early years experts – the children themselves!

Research Projects & Innovation

Working with the Reformed EYFS

The early years foundation stage (EYFS) is a statutory framework which sets standards for the learning, development and care of children from birth to 5 years old. A reformed version of the EYFS became mandatory for use by schools and all early years providers at the beginning of September 2021.

Pen Green, along with colleagues from St Pauls Nursery School and Redcliffe Nursery School in Bristol and Kenilworth Nursery School and Whitnash Nursery School in Warwickshire have been working with the Department for Education to provide detailed guidance for Early Years providers, supporting them to implement the reformed EYFS. The new guidance is now live on the government website and features suggested activities and examples of good practice alongside videos and guidance to support Early Years practitioners to implement the Reformed EYFS in their own settings.

Working with the Reformed EYFS

Strategic Approaches to Early Years Provision (Presentation to National Teaching Schools)

Felicity Dewsbery and Kate McKenna recently delivered a presentation on Strategic Approaches in the Early Years stating how Early Years Teaching Schools can work alongside professionals from across the sector.  You can view the recording of this session via the link below.

Strategic Approaches to Early Years Provision (Presentation to National Teaching Schools)

Investigating young children’s learning through a Schema Lens: How can Schema Theory inform practice in an early years class in a special school?

Christine Parker (Pen Green Teaching School Alliance) and Antonio Griffiths-Murru (Kingsley Special Academy) have a published paper on Investigating young children’s learning through a Schema Lens. You can read the paper via the link below.

Investigating young children’s learning through a Schema Lens

Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on school-based Initial Teacher Education: Holding onto respectful assessment processes

Felicity Dewsbery, Christine Parker and Angela Prodger (Pen Green Teaching School Alliance) have a published paper on Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on school-based Initial Teacher Education. You can read the paper via the link below.

Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on school-based Initial Teacher Education

Virtually Pen Green

Recalling how the learning environment had changed for their adult learners when the pandemic started back in 2020 and what they have learned about their students' thoughts, needs and feelings, as well as the role of the tutors as enablers and supporters.

Kat Clark and Sandra Mole presented ‘Virtually Pen Green’ at the BECERA Conference 2021 on Tuesday 16th February.

View Presentation

Ordinary Lives, Extraordinary Circumstances

During these unprecedented times we have thought carefully about how best to support the thriving Pen Green community and help understand personal experiences through this global pandemic.

As a research team we set about gathering a selection of stories, from across the Pen Green Centre, which capture the ordinary lives of people living in these extraordinary circumstances. We spoke to members of staff, parents, children and students about their experiences and have compiled a series of ‘case studies’ which we would like to share with you all. We hope that by doing so we can strengthen the online community, by honouring all of our experiences and offering support for those who need it, now or in the future.

Pen Green: Ordinary Lives, Extraordinary Circumstances

Priority projects for future funding

We are always seeking to maintain and improve the services we provide to children and their families but everything costs money and budgets for children’s centres and nurseries have been squeezed. We are currently seeking funding for the following projects:

Sponsor places at Pen Green or Kingswood for children from families with the greatest need

We wish to provide a safety net to local families by sponsoring places within our Early Years and/ or Nursery provision for children from families at times of greatest need. These places will be funded based on individual needs, they might for example provide respite care to give families a break during a time of crisis or offer an opportunity for the most vulnerable of children to get a better start in life.

Maintain our current provision of support groups and playschemes for children with special
educational needs and disabilities and their families

We run a number of support groups and playschemes for children with SEND and their families. These provide an opportunity for children who may not easily be able to participate in mainstream services to play together and integrate into society. They provide families with respite and a much needed peer support network.
Cuts to children’s centre and nursery budgets have resulted in reduced funding for these existing services. We are seeking grant funding and donations to ensure the continued provision of our much needed and much valued support groups and play-schemes running to enable us to continue to support these families.

Extend support for children with Special Educational needs and disabilities and their families

We have a large number of children with SEND who already access our centre, but there are many more who do not. Too many families find themselves facing these challenges alone once their children are discharged from hospital. We want to improve access to our community based services by placing a liaison officer in our local hospital to make families aware of the community support services that are available to them once their children are discharged from hospital. This would help to provide families them with the support and support networks they need to meet the challenges life has thrown at them.

Carry out Research to provide evidence to maintain our current services and provisions

We know that the work we do makes a real difference to children’s lives and to those of their families. Our family support services and early education provision help children to achieve to their full potential, we provide support families in crisis or poverty, and help all families to feel part of their wider community.
With cuts to children’s centre and nursery budgets, many of our services, and those of other children’s centres are under threat. We want to carry out research to demonstrate the impact of our services to help us to justify their costs and secure the funding we so desperately need to keep them going, before it is too late.
Research providing evidence of the impact of our work would also enable us to share our knowledge and methods with the aim of improving or maintaining services for children and their families nationally.

Upgrade our facilities

We need to upgrade and refresh our facilities to improve accessibility and make sure we can enable all children to exercise their right to play and learn in a safe, comfortable and inspirational environment.

To donate towards the work of Pen Green contact us