Get paid to train

The Education Development Trust (EDT) are delighted to share an invitation to join a series of upcoming discovery webinars. These webinars will allow Early Years Practitioners to find out more about the Early Years Professional Development Programme from EDT’s Learning Manager, Rebecca Norris.

The Department for Education has published an Early Years Practitioner Wellbeing Support resource, which bring together:

• Information on the benefits of investing in staff wellbeing in early years settings
• Case studies from four early years settings who have shared their insights on best practice to support staff wellbeing
• A list of external resources for early years practitioners and managers

 Please share these resources with your team.

The Education Endowment Foundation has designed an evidence store to support early years staff to strengthen their practice and boost learning and development. Each theme summarises evidence-informed approaches and illustrates how they could be put into practice with children in all types of early years settings. Themes include communication and language and personal social and emotional development. Access the Evidence Store: here 

New online learning for employers launched

The key to preventing stress at work and supporting good mental health is by making it a part of daily working life and culture. To help you do this a free interactive tool has been developed that brings the Working Minds campaign principles to life.

To help employers prevent stress and support good mental health, the Working Minds campaign promotes the principles of risk assessment, with a focus on five steps:  Reach out, recognise, respond, reflect, make it routine.   

The new bitesize online learning is made up of six short modules that offer step by step support with helpful tools, and relatable everyday scenarios to consider, along the way. There are games and quizzes peppered throughout to keep things interesting and it typically takes no more than an hour to complete.  

You’ll come away with an understanding of what the law requires of employers and how to be compliant. We’ll share all the tools you need to get started in one place, and you can come back as many times as you like. 

Learn something new, refresh your existing knowledge or share with others to spread the word and help drive change. 

What is it?

It is now four years since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Research has shown the impact on children, particularly the youngest and most disadvantaged children, has been far reaching and will potentially be long term.

Areas of development impacted include:

• Personal, social and emotional development
• Communication and language
• Physical development

The Department for Education has recognised the impact and is offering a childminder mentor programme to childminders across England to support them to narrow the gap between disadvantaged children and others. This is part of the Government’s Early Years COVID-19 Recovery Programme.

What support will I get?

The support is free for one term. It is tailored to your needs which may include:

• Improving confidence in or knowledge of child development
• Planning an effective curriculum
• Supporting children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND)
• Supporting children with English as an additional language (EAL)
• Building strong relationships with parents and carers

It does not provide support for complying with the EYFS Safeguarding and Welfare requirements.

You can apply on your own or with a group of other childminders.

Who will be supporting me?

Support and advice will be provided by mentors who have at least three years’ experience in the childminder sector. You will also have an opportunity to network with other childminders in your area who are part of the programme.

Support is free and will be mainly virtual. If suitable, there will be an option to meet face-to-face.

How do I apply?

Applications are open now for the Spring 2024 term. Please us this link to complete the short application form, it will only take a few minutes to complete.

Want to know more?

Watch this clip of a childminder and mentor sharing their experience about being part of the programme.

https://youtu.be/HmgOCov-3sA

Email: childminders@hempsalls.com

The annual ICO top tips have been published to help guide early years providers. Follow the link below to read more about these.

ICO Top Tips

DfE are excited to let you know that a new module has been added to the DfE’s Early Years child development training.

Module six: Mathematics is now available and covers:

• Nurturing mathematical development from birth
• Number including verbal counting, object counting and subitising
• Patterns and relationships
• Spatial reasoning, including shape, space and measures

In addition, five other modules covering child and brain development, personal, social and emotional development, communication and language and physical development are now also available. Further modules which will be added in the coming months.

Users can access the modules from their ‘My Modules’ page. DfE recommend that they are completed in consecutive order as the training has been designed to build on previous modules, starting with child and brain development which underpins the rest.

The new poster is to clarify Ofsted’s role in childcare registration and regulation, and to clarify how to contact Ofsted and where parents can find additional information on early years settings and childcare.

Please find link to the poster below and display for your parents.