Welcome Ellie, Karen and Rachel
Ellie joins our team with 15 years’ experience in education spanning all age ranges from birth to 16. Ellie has held a variety of roles including early years educator, nanny, teacher and DLD HLTA (Developmental Language Disorder Higher Level Teaching Assistant). Ellie’s passion lies in speech, language and communication as well as phonics and reading within the early years. Ellie is based in Amber Valley.
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Karen joins our team after working in the early years sector for over seven years, working in preschools and primary schools, and has supported the professional development of the sector in teaching and training roles across FE, HE and adult learning in education and early years courses. Karen is also a passionate SEND advocate and believes in an inclusive environment and curriculum, learning through play and the outdoors; she has level 1 Forest School and is a dab hand with the Kelly kettle! Karen is based in High Peak.
Finally we welcome Rachel who joins our team with 15 years’ experience in the education sector. Rachel's previous roles have included class teacher, mentoring of teaching and college students and, more recently, working within the Local Authority's Childcare Sufficiency Team. This has enabled Rachel to blend her educational knowledge and experience with the provision of business, sufficiency and funding support, especially in relation to the new Childcare Reforms. Rachel’s passions lie in social and emotional wellbeing, active learning and the powers of nature! Rachel is based in Derbyshire Dales.
I am sure you will join us in giving a warm welcome to our team and know that Ellie, Karen and Rachel look forward to meeting you in the future.
Important updates
We’re excited to share important updates now available in the DDSCP Documents Library
These updates include vital revisions to key documents aimed at supporting practitioners and caregivers in safeguarding our youngest and most vulnerable children.
Among the highlights:
The Keeping Babies Safe Strategy has been re-written since its launch back in 2021, this document now incorporates Every Baby Matters work and concealed and denied pregnancy, and includes specific areas of support such as introducing dogs to babies and water safety.
The updated Threshold Document provides clear and comprehensive guidance to ensure consistent and informed decision-making when identifying levels of need and appropriate responses. Be sure to review these essential updates to stay informed and aligned with best practices.
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The Safest Place - The Lullaby Trust
We know that greater awareness of safer sleep leads to a decrease in the numbers of babies dying.
Sadly around 3 babies a week still die from SIDS and if all parents were aware of safer sleep advice many lives could be saved. Around 700,000 babies are born every year in the UK and we need to continue to reach out to all new parents with our life-saving messages.
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Safer Sleep Week 2025 will focus on what baby sleep should look like, versus when you may want to seek advice. This year, The Lullaby Trust will also bust the common myths that are often seen online surrounding baby sleep, and will support you when supporting parents who are feeling sleep deprived. The Lullaby Trust - Safer Sleep Week 2025
What will you do to share the safer sleep messages in your setting? How will this include getting these all important messages out to parents and wider family members?
Products that could pose a safety risk
The Child Accident Prevention Trust (CAPT) has identified ten baby products that may pose significant safety risks to infants. This article covers:
- online markets and UK safety standards
- baby bath seats
- nappy sacks
- self feeding products
- slings and carriers
- novelty sleeping bags
- hug pillows
- cheap toys
- dummy clips
- bath products including neck floats and thermometers
How will you share this article with your team and families?
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Explore the latest resources
Did you know that Anaphylaxis UK have complied a comprehensive set of guidance and recommendations for early years practitioners including Wraparound Care, to use when supporting a child with an allergy? You can also sign up to receive a free newsletter.
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This handy website includes new DfE-approved allergy policies, safeguarding excellence webinars and free resources.
There are also a range of free online webinars and Q&A sessions including:
A focus on inclusion
Thursday 13th March 2025
A focus on transition
Thursday 15th May
A focus on end of year events
Thursday 19th June
With changes to the EYFS Statutory Framework from September 2025, be sure that you are receiving the most up to date information and support when supporting children who have allergies. We know that by adopting a holistic approach to allergen management you can create a safer, more inclusive environment that fosters trust and loyalty for all.
Part 3 - A long developmental journey
Part 3 of our series into early reading and phonics explores seeing and remembering known as Visual Discrimination. This begins when children are very young, through toys like shape sorters, stacking cups and simple shape-based puzzles.
This links with Visual Memory, a critical pre-phonic skill which helps us to remember visual similarities and differences. Think about how important it is to distinguish the difference and similarities between m and n, s and 5. And hold onto that information.
Training pre-school brains to distinguish and remember visual content is central to our role as practitioners, especially in a world where technology does a lot of the remembering for us.
Ways to develop Visual Discrimination and Visual memory.
- Pairs and snap games
- Jigsaw puzzles
- Loose parts collections
- Observational drawing and painting
- Noticing what is missing games such as Kim's game.
Auditory memory is essential when children come to blend sounds together. You might see children who begin by reading each of the separate sounds in a word like c-a-t, but then struggle to remember them to blend.
The heart of this difficulty lies in auditory memory. For children who struggle to remember songs from memory, copy a complex clapping pattern or follow a two-part instruction, remembering a string of abstract letters in the right order is going to be way too difficult.
Ways to develop Auditory Discrimination and Auditory Memory
- Sing songs everyday without YouTube, too much visual stimulation reduces the auditory memory process.
- Read the same stories and rhymes repeatedly; this builds strong neural pathways in the brain in the area which associates processing with storing what children hear.
- Organise your stories and songs into a progression, starting with easy rhymes like Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, building to complex songs like One Man Went to Mow. Think less about topics and themes, and more about where children are along the pre-phonic progression.
- Play games like Simon Says, I Went To The Shops and I Bought… or whispering 'pass it on' word games to help the children hear, store and repeat what they’ve just heard.
Next stop comprehension and reading for pleasure...
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A call to action by Frank Cottrell-Boyce
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Children’s Laureate and author Frank Cottrell-Boyce has urged action to ensure every child has access to books and reading, highlighting its critical role in improving life chances.
Speaking at the Reading Rights Summit in Liverpool, hosted by BookTrust, he addressed the issue of ‘invisible privilege and inequality,’ emphasizing that many children are falling behind due to a lack of early reading experiences.
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Cottrell-Boyce outlined the power of shared reading as an effective and economic way to promote mental health and happiness, advocating for it to be available to all children.
He warned that children without early reading experiences face disadvantages beyond vocabulary and cultural capital, including a diminished chance of happiness.
Despite the challenges, Cottrell-Boyce offered hope, stating that the problem could be addressed with simple solutions. He called for a reset of the conversation around reading, highlighting its importance not only for education but also for mental health, bonding, and giving children the best possible start in life.
BookTrust research reveals that six in 10 parents of young children wish they had understood earlier the importance of reading and sharing stories. Cottrell-Boyce noted that while children excel globally in reading mechanics, they lag in reading for pleasure, likening the situation to knowing the steps of a dance but not enjoying it.
What's on your bookshelf?
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The "Reflecting Realities" report, an annual survey on ethnic representation in UK children’s literature, continues to shed light on an essential aspect of publishing: diversity.
The report published in November 2024 highlights the challenges in ensuring that books for children authentically represent the society they live in. As the UK grows increasingly multicultural, it becomes imperative that children’s literature reflects this diversity, not only to foster inclusivity but to empower young readers from all backgrounds.
Key Findings
The report highlights a slow yet steady increase in ethnic representation, with more characters from diverse backgrounds appearing in children’s books. However the report stresses the need for greater representation among authors and illustrators from underrepresented backgrounds.
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Why This Matters
Representation in children’s literature shapes how children perceive themselves and others, laying the foundation for empathy, confidence, and a sense of belonging. Books that reflect a diverse society enable children to see their realities mirrored, fostering pride and self-worth in underrepresented groups while encouraging understanding among all readers.
Call to Action
The report is a reminder that while progress is being made, there is still much work to do. What does your bookshelf look like when you shine the lens of representation on it? Do you have stories that celebrate diversity in all its forms? Only by prioritizing authenticity and inclusivity can children’s literature truly reflect the realities of its readers.
Colin and Lee, Carrot and Pea
Author & Illustrator - Morag Hood
Colin and Lee, Carrot and Pea is a story book that I wish I'd had when my boys were younger. My one son loved carrots, and my other son loved peas so, as I read this story, I remember the toddler arguments around my dining room table about what was better, the colour blue or the colour red, apples or strawberries, bikes or scooters...and carrots or peas! This book would have definitely helped me when trying to sort this scuffle out!
Whether you prefer peas or go crazy for carrots, I love how this story shows the obvious ways these two friends are different, and I especially love how, despite being too tall and terrible at hide and seek, pea loves carrot for being a brilliant bridge, slide and tower. I can see this story creating mini experiments to test out carrot’s building ability and can imagine little minds going into overdrive when they explore carrots that are in all shapes, sizes, and colours! The possibilities from this story really are endless…move over rolling sprouts, peas and carrots are the new kids in town!
A book that has so much to take, from friendship, differences, and preferences you really can't go wrong with this book...unless, that is, you don't like carrots and peas hmm!
Sarah Taylor
Early Years Improvement Co-Ordinator
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Oi Dog
Author - Kes Gray Illustrator - Jim Field
When thinking about some of my favourite children’s books, this book immediately came to mind. Funny, quirky and entertaining! This book is guaranteed to put a smile on your face. The book developed from Oi Frog into a series (Oi Frog, Oi Dog, Oi Cat, Oi Puppies, Oi Aardvark) that I fell in love with and had to buy each time a new one came out!
I still can’t resist a good mooch in a children’s section of a bookshop and I’m very glad that I stumbled across Oi Dog many moons ago. Kes Grey & Jim Field have teamed up to create some of my all time favourite children’s books and are always worth keeping your eye on.
Throughout my years as a teacher, every class I shared this book with fell in love with it and it soon became a requested favourite. As a bookworm myself, I could see the children in my classes developing the same love of books and each time we read the next book in the series, their love grew a little bit more. This, for me, is always one of the best parts about sharing books.
The characters in this series are entertaining, funny and a little bit sassy! The rhyming nature of the book makes it a pleasure to read, and the different characters mean that you can add fun into it with different voices and personality traits. All the children I have read this to have gone on to find places that they would be able to sit so for me that would be Ellies sit on wellies.
Try the series… you won’t be disappointed!
Ellie Harrop
Early Years Improvement Officer
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The Odd Egg
Author and illustrator - Emily Gravett
The Odd Egg was brought as a Christening present for my eldest daughter and it became one of our favourite, go-to books. Its simplicity made it a '5 times a day' read. The clarity of the type of personalities of the characters are revealed page by page, as are the loving relationships between the parent and ‘child’.
The surprise hatching at the end of the book is simply wonderful. It certainly started my eldest on a life-long love of reading. The anticipation of what will happen next ensures squeals of joy and excitement throughout, evidenced by the bent pages after years of use. The structure of the book is that every page is different in size, made perfect for little page-turning hands. You will never tire of this book.
Vicky Buxton
Vicky Buxton - Early Years Improvement Coordinator
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Our Early Years offer
The Library service offer for children and early years continues to be very important to the library service so please do take a look at what is available to you:
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Library cards
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 your children? 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.
Visits
If you have a library within a suitable distance you will be very welcome to contact them and arrange visits with your children. We can help you encourage parents to get their children enrolled and start using our services as well.
Story and rhymetimes
Most of our libraries hold story and rhymetimes, these are very relaxed, informal sessions, that are free and do not need to be booked. These sessions can help with transition into a more structured setting as they involve sitting and listening, joining in, taking turns and sharing.
Working with parents and families
Libraries are a wonderful free resource for families. Children and parents can read and share whatever books they want and there is always someone to ask if you need some help. There are usually activities laid out for the children, even in our smallest branches and facilitated activities are often laid on by our staff during the holiday periods.
Summer Reading Challenge
The annual Summer Reading challenge in the 6 weeks holidays is always a popular draw with families and involves reading books and having lots of fun. We want people, children and their families to explore reading and have fun.
Website
To keep up to date with our children’s offer and the services we provide, please do visit our website and sign up for our newsletter:
Library services for children and young people - Derbyshire County Council
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
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Learning from our conference
Thank you to those who joined us for our conference, Being Active, Brave and Connected in the Early Years, in November. The feedback was fantastic with 100% of responses rating the overall experience as Good.
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"Really enjoyed it and have returned to work with a new way of thinking/perspective that I am eager to share!"
"I have been inspired by some very passionate practitioners"
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Some of the key points of learning have been summarised by those who attended as:
- Know that risk provides children with challenge
- Trust children to know their own limits
- Encourage and empower staff to give risky play a go
- Use positive language to show you trust the child
- Step back and observe and be slower to judge
So how have you moved forwards with the key messages?
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ACTIVE: How can you increase opportunities for large movement and activity in all spaces and age phases?
BRAVE: How can you support the idea “Brave enough to make mistakes, valued enough to try again, and again”? How are we using the principles of ‘risky’ or adventurous play to develop growth mindsets and social communication?
CONNECTED: How is learning explicitly connected? How are we practicing professional love?
LEADING FROM WHERE I AM: How does choice of words and responses accurately reflect the attitude of possibility and growth rather than doubt in the children and our team?
We hope that the conference gave you a moment to review, revisit and reenergise
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The Science of Active Storytelling
Recent feedback has highlighted that you would welcome more opportunities for face to face training, therefore we are delighted to share with you our upcoming in-person sessions to explore the impact of combining gross motor and language skills in storytelling activities for 3-5 year olds.
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Join us at:
Come and meet Walter the Owl as we explore active storytelling in the Early Years and find out about the power of combining story and physical activity to increase learning and engagement, in a fun and exciting way.
Best start in life: Part 3
Ofsted has published part 3 of their Best start in life: a research review for early years - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
The research review explores literature that relates to early years education and draws on a range of sources, including academic and policy literature. The review focuses on the pre-school age range, from birth to 4 years and has been produced to support early years practitioners to raise the quality of early years education.
Part 3 is part of their series of curriculum research reviews and considers the 4 specific areas of learning and which principles of curriculum design and delivery ensure that all children, including disadvantaged children and those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), learn what they need to succeed in life:
Big Listen action monitoring report
Have you read the latest Ofsted 'Big Listen action monitoring report'?
Within this report Ofsted share their three overarching objectives:
- reset our relationship with those we regulate and inspect;
- working collaboratively with them to put children and learners first; and
- foster a culture of integrity in which we always treat people with professionalism, courtesy, empathy and respect.
Ofsted continue to work closely with the Department for Education (DfE) and key stakeholders on a renewed education inspection framework (EIF) alongside a new way of reporting the inspection findings through a report card. Ofsted share that this work is on track ahead of implementation in September 2025. This includes removing the single-word judgement for overall effectiveness across all education remits by September 2025, and developing an approach to tailor early years inspections to different types of providers and their sizes.
Big Listen action monitoring report: December 2024 - GOV.UK
Professional Development Programme 2024-2025
CONGRATULATIONS to the EY practitioners who have completed their learning with DfE’s Professional Development Programme in 2024-25.
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Thank you for your diligence in participating in the learning, discussions and implementation of your individualised action plans.
The following have graduated the programme:
Cohort 3 graduates
Andrea and Nicola at Barlborough Hall School
Jessica at Scallywags Nursery
Amy at South Wingfield Preschool
Iona and Claire at Sunnybank Nursery
Rosie at Whistlewood Forrest School
Sarah Smith
Cohort 4 graduates
Jodie Pownall
Donna Sprackman
Josie Stoppard
Sarah Homan
Abigail Robinson
Emma Lowe
Clare and Michelle at Springfield Farm Day Nursery
Certificates will be arriving in the post very soon. We wish you every success.
What do we have for you this Spring Term?
We are thrilled to be bringing you our next instalment of courses, after a very successful autumn term.
We continue to focus on the Prime Areas of Learning and Leadership, alongside our regular Safeguarding training offer and our new addition 'Active Storytelling'
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Please look at our Collection of Leadership training here: Leadership Series by Derbyshire Early Years Service | Eventbrite or you may wish to have a look at our training offer here: Derbyshire Early Years Service Events - 25 Upcoming Activities and Tickets | Eventbrite
Are you 'new' to Derbyshire?
For our providers brand new to Derbyshire, please check your email account for details on some courses tailored to you.
Your feedback matters!
The feedback received has been amazing and we thank you for your time taken to do this. The impact of our training has been demonstrated on every course! On average, participants said their knowledge and understanding before training was 2/5 stars, with it being 4 or 5/5 stars after the event, which is fabulous to hear!
“We loved the ideas put forward by course trainers and the suggestions from other participants.” Meeting the Needs of 2 year olds - running again Thursday 27th February 4pm
“Interesting information was discussed about how many words a child has, and how this depends on exposure.” 'Vocabulary Matters: Closing the Word Gap'
“I learned how to become a good leader and all that that entails, plus how to become more of an active listener, stay calm in certain situations, and be more assertive when needed”. Sarah from Scallywags Day Nursery
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Update from the Sufficiency Team
The Local Authority is working towards the Government ambition for all primary school aged children, who want it, to be able to access wraparound provision by September 2026 from 8.00am to 6.00pm every day. Since the programme launched in September 2024, over 1,000 wraparound places have been created in Derbyshire, which has provided valuable childcare for parents.
Wraparound Programme Funding is still available, and we are continuing to accept applications.
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The National Wraparound Childcare Programme has been developed to increase the amount of out of school provision available to parents. The aim of the programme is to ensure childcare provision is regular, has longer hours and is more dependable for working parents, enabling them to access employment or expand working hours. The wraparound programme aims to remove barriers to setting up new provision or expanding current provision, including removing the financial risk of setting up new provision when demand is not yet guaranteed. The expectation is that provision will become self-sustainable through parental payments alone by the end of the funding period.
The funding can be used to support the creation of new provision or the expansion of existing provision.
Please email the Sufficiency Team: CS.SufficiencyService@derbyshire.gov.uk, if you are considering setting up/expanding wraparound provision and would like to apply for funding or if you would like to find out more about the programme.
Sufficiency of Early Years and Wraparound Places in Derbyshire
If you are aware of any sufficiency issues in relation to the number of places available for wraparound places, please email the Sufficiency Team: CS.SufficiencyService@derbyshire.gov.uk.
Welcome to Sam, Early Years SEN Lead Officer
Following the update at Early Years Leaders and Managers briefings in January, we are delighted to introduce Sam Cardwell who is joining Derbyshire as the Early Years SEN Lead Officer.
My first role in Early Years instilled in me the importance of building sound foundations for children and a passion for Early Years that has remained with me throughout. Having worked with many teachers, practitioners and external agencies in a range of settings and schools across Rotherham and Derbyshire, I recognise the positive impact that truly consistent, inclusive practise has on the life chances of children, particularly those with SEN. I also understand, all too well, the challenges faced today in achieving this for increasing number of children with more complex needs.
As Early Years SEN Lead Officer, my role is to provide the support which enables the provision of care and education, by settings and families, which will ensure that some of the most vulnerable children in Derbyshire get the best possible start in life. By sharing expertise and coming together we can achieve greater things.
I am eager to get out with the team to visit settings and am keen to hear your thoughts and ideas.
This is an exciting time for Early Years and the next stage of the improvement journey for SEN services. I am looking forward to working with you as partners, to embrace change, shape services and together overcome the challenges that we face in achieving the very best outcomes for the children with SEN in Derbyshire.
Sam Cardwell
EY SEN family stay and play coffee mornings
As part of the Early Years workstreams work we are looking to run some EY SEND stay and play coffee mornings for parents with Derbyshire Parent Carer Voice. If your setting has suitable facilities and you would be interested in hosting one of these events, then please contact Rebecca.jones2@derbyshire.gov.uk
SEND Bookstart packs
Did you know that the BookTrust charity also provide Bookstart packs for children who have SEND or English as an additional language?
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Dual language
Books and guidance leaflets in a range of languages are offered for families for whom English is a second language.
Additional needs
Packs for children with additional needs include:
- a 'Booktouch' pack for blind and partially sighted children
- a 'Bookshine' pack for deaf or hearing-impaired children
- a 'Bookstart Star' pack for children with a condition or disability that delays or impacts on their fine motor skills
These packs have been developed by Bookstart working in partnership with RNIB and the National Deaf Children’s Society.
Any setting can request a SEND Bookstart pack, Bookshine for hearing impaired, Booktouch for vision impaired and Bookstart Star for developmental/fine motor skills delay. These can be requested from Trudy Lowen, Library Manager Matlock Cluster, and her email address is trudy.lowen@derbyshire.gov.uk
EYSEN Helpline: EarlyYears.SENhelpline@derbyshire.gov.uk
Targeted level of the graduated response
EYIF: Early Years SEN Inclusion Fund - Derbyshire Local Offer
Outreach team referrals: EYSEN Outreach team - Derbyshire Local Offer
Specialist level of the graduated response
EYIF: Early Years SEN Inclusion Fund - Derbyshire Local Offer
Specialist support referrals: Early Years SEN Panel - Derbyshire Local Offer
Applying for a statutory EHC needs assessment: Apply for an assessment - Derbyshire Local Offer
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Are you following us on X (formally known as Twitter)?
Make sure that you don’t miss out on accessing the most up to date information, safeguarding updates, training reminders, and more!
To follow the Derbyshire Early Years Improvement Service on X, search for @DerbyshireEYFS
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Helping Families Thrive with Reliable Information & Support!
The Families Information Service (also known as FIS) provides free, impartial information and guidance to any family caring for children or young people aged 0-19 (or up to 25 years, for children and young people with SEND).
FIS can support you with:
- finding the right childcare and information on eligibility for childcare funding schemes.
- finding family support services locally and nationally for parents at every stage, from infancy to adolescence.
- information on maintaining family health, supporting mental well-being, and finding healthcare resources.
- information about local family activities and events across Derbyshire.
- Plus, much more...
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Please share the FIS website and social media pages with the families you work with. It’s a simple way to offer them support and keep them informed.
You can find us here:
If you have any questions or would like more information about our services, please feel free to get in touch!
Early Years Service general enquiries: CS.EYS@derbyshire.gov.uk
Early Years Service - info on Schoolsnet
Funding & contract queries: cs.enquiries.groupcare@derbyshire.gov.uk
OR cs.enquiries.childminders@derbyshire.gov.uk
OR cs.enquiries.schools@derbyshire.gov.uk
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