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February 2022

Dear Colleagues

We hope this finds you well and that you have had a good start to the spring term, although we are aware that some of you continue to face challenges with staffing due to COVID. As always, the early years sector is playing a critical role in keeping the children of Derbyshire safe, secure, and learning.

It was great to see so many of you at our leaders and managers briefings this term. This was an opportunity to share with you the collaborative work we have been doing with colleagues from across early years including health, children centres and early years practitioners.  Find out more about the new Integrated Review materials for 2 year olds and the development of the Early Years Professional Programme in this issue.

However, it is with a heavy heart that we dedicate this newsletter in memory of our dear colleague, Dawn Miller, who passed away earlier this year after her long and brave battle with cancer. Many of you and your staff will have been supported by Dawn in her role as an Early Years Improvement Officer. Dawn joined the service in 2009 and worked with many schools and settings in that time. Her passion and commitment for early years was evident in all aspects of her work. She will be truly missed by us all.  We are sure you will join us in sending our deepest condolences to her family at this difficult time.

We recognise that these have been challenging times for everyone but would like to say again a huge thank you for your dedication, professionalism and commitment to your children and their families. Please remember to continue to be kind to yourself and keep safe and well.

Best wishes from the Early Years Team

Sarah Bryan – Senior Adviser for School Improvement (Early Years)

Amanda Gordon – Early Years Sufficiency Manager

Rhiannon Kennion – Early Years Manager

• Progress Check at Age Two
• NEW Integrated Review
• Safeguarding - important updates & training
• Shaping the future of Healthy Eating in Derbyshire
• SEND Corner
• Contacts

Progress Check at Age Two

The EYFS Statutory Framework states: “When a child is aged between two and three, practitioners must review their progress, and provide parents and/or carers with a short written summary of their child’s development in the prime areas”. This two-year progress check is designed to help practitioners identify how children are developing. Are they developing as expected or do they require some additional support?

The two-year EYFS check should ideally be undertaken collaboratively with parents/ carers.

For all providers, please complete the check as soon as possible then email a copy to the Health Team via either:

North hub- dchst.0-19ChildrensAdminNorth@nhs.net 

OR

South hub-  dchst.0-19ChildrensAdminSouth@nhs.net

In addition, for providers in the South only, if you have any concerns about the child’s development, with signed permission from the parents, please put ‘CONCERNS’ in the email subject heading so it is flagged up to the Health team.  Additionally, then call the Derbyshire Family Health Service on 01246 515100 and raise your concerns.

NEW Integrated Review

The Derbyshire Early Years Team have worked closely with the Derbyshire Health Team, Children’s Centres and Providers to update and simplify the 'Progress Check at age Two' documents for use in your setting. Please view this short video for more information: Integrated review - YouTube Copies of these documents have been emailed to you. We hope you find them useful and would appreciate your thoughts on the ease of use and ease of the process. Email your thoughts to CS.EYS@derbyshire.gov.uk

Safeguarding - important updates & training

Derby and Derbyshire Safeguarding Children Partnership (DDSCP)

The DDSCP have recently updated their information for the following areas that we thought may be of interest to you:

• Domestic Abuse
• Working with parents who are misusing substances

Take a look at the changes here : Amendments (proceduresonline.com)

Don’t forget you can register for updates on the DDSCP website: Register for Updates (proceduresonline.com)

'Providers must have and implement a policy, and procedures, to safeguard children. These should be in line with the guidance and procedures of the relevant local safeguarding partners (LSP).' EYFS paragraph 3.4

DCC Early Years (Group Care and Childminders) approved model policies for safeguarding are available on SchoolsNet Early Years Safeguarding

Training for Designated Safeguarding Leads (DSL) in PVI Settings, including Childminders

Being a Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL) in Derbyshire A 2-part course for those who are new to the role of DSL or who have not undertaken DSL training before. It covers those all-important local guidance and procedures. Thursdays 03 & 17 March; 9:30 -11:30 am Book via Eventbrite NB This event each repeated each term and will be held in an evening in the Summer Term. Follow us on Eventbrite to get notifications when training becomes available to book.

Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL) Refresher Training Annual refresher training, covering updates and those important local procedures and guidance. We currently have a morning or evening option (attend just one): for February 17th, 9:30 -11:30am book here via Eventbrite for March 17th;  6-8pm  - Book here via Eventbrite

Shaping the future of Healthy Eating in Derbyshire

Derbyshire Public Health are currently focusing on the family and community food environment in early years as part of the Derbyshire Childhood Obesity Strategy. As a valued childcare provider, your views and knowledge of families and children are key for Public Health to capture as they move forward with this strategy.  Public Health aim to explore opportunities to improve how they can work with you to improve food in early years for children in Derbyshire and have put together a questionnaire that aims to find out more about your views on early years and food. The questionnaire should take you no longer than 15 minutes to complete and as an incentive, when you complete the questionnaire (including your contact details) you will be entered into a free prize draw for some food-related early years resources:

Early Years Food Questionnaire for Public Health.

- continuing our series of ideas shared by your EYPDP colleagues

We need to ensure that parents realise that Maths isn’t just about counting. It may be useful to explain that there are many areas of Maths in the Early Years –  Number (counting and cardinality), Numerical Patterns, Measurement, Space and Shape. In its widest sense therefore, Maths has the potential to be everywhere.

Remembering to encourage the sharing of vocabulary as part of the activity, here are some examples that were suggested for parents and families:

Parents could be encouraged to take photographs with their children of maths they see in the environment (both in the home or when out and about). They could send the photos into school/setting so they can then be shared and discussed. Photographs could be used to make scrap books for children to look back on, talk about and review their learning.

Gardening and plants lend themselves to some great Maths concepts. Could you send seeds home? One setting shared that they’d been growing pumpkins. Consider filling and emptying opportunities, counting out seeds and harvesting, size comparisons, measuring heights of flowers and changes over time. If a home has no garden, then many plants can be grown in everyday containers with holes made in the bottom; herbs can be grown on a windowsill.

When getting dressed, buttons and poppers can be counted, the order of clothes predicted and patterns described.

In the kitchen, talk could be about the weights of things relative to their size. One practitioner shared their real-world example of weighing an apple and tea bags and the child’s surprise at the different quantities required for them to be equal. Fruit kebabs – counting and subitising opportunities plus creating repeating patterns.

EYPDP Thanks

The EYPDP could not have existed without the determination, passion, and dedication of the champions. They continue to teach and support the EYPs, contribute to quality communities of practice, as well as championing the cause with school, setting and community leaders. Thank you to our Tutor Champions Clair, Kirsty, Kathryn, Gill, and Laura and our Mentor Champions Julie, Zoe, Marie, Sarah, Becky, and Karla. You have, and continue to do, a remarkable job.

We would also like to acknowledge some people missed off the EYPDP list in the last EY newsletter who have tirelessly worked through the programme developing their own skills, supporting other EYPs through webinar discussions and their own work teams to embed the programme principles:

Clair, Kirsty, Amy, Carlie, Kathryn, Jess, Rachel, Claire, Sharon, Sam, Nic, Natasha, Kaye, Lucy, Sarah, Nic, Diane, Sally, Nicola, Michelle, Jane, Julie, Lindsey, Katy, and Claire. Thank you 

Get ready, get set, count! Develop deeper understanding of number concepts

Virtual training course

A two-part course with content specific to the age of children you are working with:

3 & 4 year olds: 2nd & 16th  March; 18:30 - 19:45 4 & 5 year olds in School: 1st & 14th March, 13:15 - 14:30

SEND Corner

News from the Early Years Special Educational Needs Service

'Enabling potential and celebrating success; together we help children learn.'

SENCO Briefings – invaluable updates for all foundation stage inclusion leads and SENCOs These are free 2 hour online briefings. This term we will be focusing on: the graduated response assessment tools for young children with SEN making successful referrals to our support service and for early years inclusion funding transitions  #NotJustStartingSchool. Sessions will be available soon to book on via Eventbrite https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/derbyshire-eysen-service-34416713297 or on Derbyshire S4S. Dates and times:         Tuesday March 15th: 6 - 8pm                                     Wednesday March 16th: 4 – 6pm                                     Thursday March 17th: 1 – 3pm

Our core training offer continues to be available to book via Derbyshire EYSEN on Eventbrite or on Derbyshire S4S. Don’t forget that we also offer bespoke training to meet your specific individual or setting needs.  If you are interested in bespoke training then please either speak to your specialist teacher or email an enquiry to our helpline: earlyyears.senhelpline@derbyshire.gov.uk   Spring term SEND training dates: Foundation Stage Inclusion Leads and SENCO training; 15th and 16th February 9am-12 noon. Reducing Sensory Processing barriers to learning; 2nd and 8th March, 1.30-4.30pm. Including children with ASD in Early Years settings; 9th March 9am-12 noon. Addressing Inclusion for young children with complex needs; 25th March 9.30am-12.30pm

Thank you for your feedback

We recently sent out a questionnaire asking you about our SEND training offer and had a really good response – thank you. We have analysed and discussed what you told us and will be making some changes to our offer in the summer term to make it more accessible to you as early years practitioners.

Contacts

Early Years Service general enquiries: CS.EYS@derbyshire.gov.uk

Funding & contract queries: cs.enquiries.groupcare@derbyshire.gov.uk

                     OR                   cs.enquiries.childminders@derbyshire.gov.uk

                     OR                   cs.enquiries.schools@derbyshire.gov.uk

Our Twitter account provides the latest news and updates from the Derbyshire County Council Early Years Team. Follow us on Twitter: @DerbyshireEYFS