A Monday morning lesson recently gave me a lot to think about.I’d planned something I’m genuinely passionate about – understanding behaviour – and expected an active, lively session. Instead, the room felt flat, and I found myself adapting ‘in action’, assuming it was simply “Monday morning energy” or my delivery.

As with many of my colleagues in the early years sector, I’ve spent a lot of time recently reviewing the new Early Years Inspection Toolkit and reflecting on what the future of inspection may look and feel like in practice.

I

It's common to see early years practitioners feel a little uneasy about introducing mathematics. It's easy to forget that we are the biggest resource, and maths is literally everywhere!I believe the core issue often isn't a lack of knowledge, but a lack of maths confidence—perhaps stemming from negative personal experiences in the classroom. We need to flip that narrative for our children!While dedicated maths areas are useful, the most impactful way to teach is by embedding mathematics in everything, everyday. We do this already with counting, comparing, patterns, and shape—we just need to become more aware of it! By understanding the "why" and making our teaching purposeful, not incidental, we can build incredible mathematical foundations.hashtag#EarlyYears hashtag#EYFSM hashtag#MathsConfidence hashtag#EarlyMaths