Can you believe we are fast approaching April? It is very welcome to feel spring in the air.
We continue to use Leaders and Managers briefings to stay connected and share key information and keep you updated. As always, it was great to see so many of you join us this term. We all know that having the opportunity to share practice and connect with colleagues across the sector has never been more important.
In this issue, find out more about our EYFS networks, an opportunity to talk with other colleagues in Early Years. This time with a focus on assessment and intervention, specifically for early language and communication development.
As always, we wish to thank all of our early years colleagues for your continued commitment, professionalism and dedication to the children and families of Derbyshire. As we look ahead to April, we hope that you all have an opportunity to have a break and well-earned rest over Easter.
Best wishes from the Early Years Team
Sarah Bryan – Senior Adviser for School Improvement (Early Years)
If you see a bear out in Derbyshire today, it will not be a big surprise!
The Relationship Aware Programme helps schools and settings ensure children feel safe, secure, happy and ready to learn. Building on the Derbyshire 'Teddy Bear Project', it has a focus on attachment-led practice and parental engagement through the use of a transitional object.
Thanks to a Public Health grant, Derbyshire Early Years Service was able to introduce the Relationship Aware Programme in Autumn 2021 free of charge. We had lots of interest and 6 clusters of 28 schools and settings began their Relationship Aware journey to securing positive beginnings for children starting school in Derbyshire. This term we have had a further 12 clusters involving 48 schools and settings join the programme.
As part of the Programme we are holding termly 'Communities of Practice' virtual events, giving all who are participating or have previously participated in the Programme an opportunity to come together and share ideas. Last term, a teacher from Speedwell Infant School shared how they have put the training into practice and the lessons they’ve learnt along the way – feedback from those who attended was very positive, saying they found it really useful and enjoyed the opportunity to talk together in breakout rooms.
“Our long-term vision is to create happy and healthy learners. We need to work in partnership with parents in order to achieve this”
Find out more about how your school/setting can access this programme by contacting us via CS.EYS@derbyshire.gov.uk . We’ll be recruiting to our Autumn 2022 cohort in the summer term.
The war in Ukraine is difficult for us as adults to comprehend and we know that children are quick to pick up on our anxieties and also that they hear about the conflict and destruction in the news
How can we find the right words to provide them with the ongoing support and comfort that children need?
See below for links to several organisations who have produced lots of free, useful advice and materials to support having difficult conversations with children.
Derbyshire mental health support line tel: 0800 028 0077. Mental health support line for Derbyshire people of all ages. Open 24 hours per day, 7 days per week.
These networks provide you with the opportunity to talk with other colleagues in Early Years.
The focus will build on the March Leaders and Managers’ briefings where we briefly looked at assessment. In this Covid world, we are mindful that the main feedback we’ve been receiving is that children’s Communication and Language has really been affected. To this end, we’d like to focus on how supporting those children with less experience, in the short term, improves outcomes and enables children to catch up with a little extra support.
We would like to discuss and reflect on:
Any intervention that has helped children on their journey to catch up; perhaps those children with less experienced communication and language development.
Successful practice that tipped those children back on track
How you have effectively supported the children who needed it most.
Low level intervention with the things you have already have in your setting/home/school e.g. people? Interactions? Environment? Resources?- perhaps used in a different way.
As this is a network please be prepared to talk and share your current experiences of assessment and intervention within the revised EYFS as part of small group chats.
No need to book, please click on the appropriate link below:
Good sleep is important for our health and wellbeing. It has a direct impact upon our happiness, our mood, our learning and development.
In babies and young children, sleep plays a vital role in the development of the mind and body. It is necessary for the development of physical skills, memory, attention and alertness.
Safe sleep practice is essential and vital for every sleep. Sadly, around 4 babies a week still die from SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome) – the sudden, unexpected, and unexplained death of an apparently healthy baby. The vast majority of SIDS happen when babies are less than 6 months old. However, “very sadly there are still a very small number of young children that die suddenly and unexpectedly, in a manner which appears to be exactly similar to SUDI (Sudden Infant Death in Infants), but is usually referred to as sudden and unexpected death in childhood.”
Meeting the Statutory Framework Guidance for sleep
Safe Sleep has also been raised by Ofsted at several recent inspections, especially around children sleeping in buggies and pushchairs, etc.
How do you know you meet the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) Statutory Framework safeguarding and welfare requirements especially in relation to safe sleep? Why not take a look at the 'Meeting the EYFS safeguarding and welfare requirements support materials' on SchoolsNet: EYFS statutory framework (derbyshire.gov.uk) where Document P: 'Premises' contains information, links and questions to reflect on sleeping practice.
Did you know that you are eligible for a library card for your setting to borrow books from your local library to use and share with the children in your setting?
The library card entitles you to borrow 24 books at a time for 6 weeks. We have a great range of picture books and board books with regular deliveries of new titles.
Our services are free of charge and available to all Nursery and Pre-school settings in Derbyshire. Please contact your local library or email ask.library@derbyshire.gov.uk for more information
An introduction to teaching strategies for young children with SEN
Reducing Sensory Processing barriers to learning
Including children with ASD in Early Years settings
Addressing Inclusion for young children with complex needs
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
