Jackie Musgraveis a Senior Lecturer in the Centre for Early Childhood at the University of Worcester. She qualified as a sick children’s nurse and then taught early childhood care and education at a college of Further Education. She has taught Higher Education students for the past 10 years. Jackie has a Masters degree from the University of Sheffield, where her research focused on an aspect of practice-based learning for level 3 students. Her doctorate research examined the effect of chronic health conditions on young children’s inclusion in their early education and she has just been awarded her PhD.Nicola Stobbs initially trained as a primary school teacher, and worked as a class teacher for 5 years. She worked at a pre-school and was promoted to the manager’s position, running the setting for another 12 years. She has an MA in Early Childhood and also gained Early Years Professional Status. During her time as a setting manager Nicola was a mentor for many students on placement. She is committed to providing excellent care for children and supporting students to become the excellent practitioners that children deserve. She now works at the University of Worcester supporting student practitioners.

I loved this book.- Carla Solvason, University of WorcesterI was very impressed with this book. I liked the mind maps at the beginning of each chapter and the clear writing and application of theory and practice. - Sandra Lyndon, University of ChichesterThis is a super book. I feel it will be an excellent book to support students' professional studies. - Gillian Sykes, University of Northampton

• 1. Introduction 2. Glossary of acronyms and key terms 3. Preparing for placement 4. Being a professional in practice 5. Safeguarding 6. Key documents and reports 7. Your first day 8. Linking theory to practice 9. Observation, planning and assessment 10. Statutory assessment 11. Working with colleagues 12. Working with parents 13. Relationships with children 14. Reflecting on and writing about placement 15. Appendix - Learning journal template 16. Index