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Body language

Children become aware of their bodies at an early stage, and with personal, social and emotional development at the core of the Foundation Stage, 'Our bodies' makes an excellent topic for the early years. Principles

Principles

Our bodies remind us of our differences as well as our similarities. Practitioners, therefore, need to heed the principle of inclusion and their own perspective on ethnicity, gender and disability before embarking on the topic.

The principles outlined in the QCA's Curriculum guidance for the foundation stage state clearly that 'practitioners should ensure that all children feel included, secure and valued' and that 'no child should be excluded or disadvantaged because of ethnicity, culture or religion, home language, family background, special educational needs, disability, gender or ability.'

Ethnicity

Issues surrounding ethnicity are more likely to provoke thought and action among practitioners in a multicultural setting, yet even here 'institutionalised' understanding may still predominate.

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