 Early Years and Portage - Practical SEN Strategies - Developing Attention and Interaction Skills.
26 November, 1.00pm - 3.00pm at Civic Offices - £70
- Are you striving to support children who are difficult to engage, have fleeting attention and limited play skills?
- Develop your skills and knowledge on our next Practical SEN strategies course run jointly by Early Years Inclusion and Portage.
- Learn more about the stages of play and how to support children to make progress in their play skills.
- Learn how you can support them to move them from solitary play into more cooperative play.
- In the session you will be given practical tips, see resources and be shown how to support children through specific interventions.
- You will have the chance to learn more about intensive interaction, curiosity, and bucket type interventions, including a real-life demonstration of bucket stages.
 Please find details below of our Early Years training workshops for the remainder of the Autumn term.
Please click on the buttons to view full details of any workshops that are relevant to your setting and to book your place(s) if you haven't already done so.
PSCP Basic Safeguarding Children training (limited places available)
19 November, 6.00pm - 9.00pm at Northern Parade Family Hub - Free
Wraparound Childcare Providers - Creative Crafts workshop
25 November, 6.30pm - 8.30pm at Northern Parade Family Hub - Free
Early Years and Portage Practical SEN Strategies - Developing Attention and Interaction Skills workshop
26 November, 1.00pm - 3.00pm at Civic Offices - £70
Learning and Development in the EYFS workshop
9 December, 9.30am - 11.30am at Civic Offices - £70
If you have any questions about any of these or if you have any particular training requirements, please browse the Portsmouth Traded Services website or contact us by email at eyworkforce@portsmouthcc.gov.uk.
 Be among the first to explore the latest evaluation judgements!
We’re thrilled to announce a dynamic series of four brand-new Ofsted workshops for 2026; each designed to unpack and explore the latest evaluation judgements introduced in the revised early years inspection framework. Whether you're a seasoned leader or new to the sector, these sessions will offer fresh insights, practical strategies, and the chance to connect with peers navigating the same changes. See further details and book your place at the buttons below…
Leadership and Governance & Safeguarding
22 January, 9.30am - 12.30pm at Civic Offices - £80
Behaviour, Attitudes and Establishing Routines & Children’s Welfare and Well-being
24 March, 9.30am - 12.30pm at Civic Offices - £80
Curriculum and Teaching & Achievement
6 May, 9.30am - 12.30pm at Civic Offices - £80
Inclusion
15 July, 9.30am - 11.30am at Civic Offices - £70
 Thank you to everyone who completed last month's safeguarding survey. We’ve reviewed your responses and are pleased to see a lot of positive feedback. It’s clear that many of you feel confident in your safeguarding practices. However, a couple of areas under Annexe C of the updated statutory requirements stood out as needing further clarification.
Embedding a culture of safeguarding
Some respondents indicated uncertainty around what it means to embed a safeguarding culture. If this is something you’d like to explore further, the Portsmouth Safeguarding Children Partnership (PSCP) offers a short, live online training session that may be helpful.
Online safety
In light of recent cyber incidents where children’s data was compromised, we strongly recommend ensuring that any devices used to store sensitive information—such as phones or computers—have up-to-date malware protection and robust security measures in place. The National Cyber Security Centre offers a free Cyber Action Toolkit.
Additionally, all settings have a duty to protect children while they are online. This includes not only computers and tablets but also devices like Smart TVs. It’s also important to provide parents with resources to help them keep their children safe online.
Here are some useful websites to support your setting in promoting online safety:
 Our Quality and Sufficiency Officers, Layla and Vicky, designed and delivered a dynamic two-hour team building workshop for the teams at Apple Tree Day Nursery and Cherry Tree Day Nursery.
The session was developed in response to a request from their leadership team, who were keen to foster stronger relationships and deeper connections between the two nursery teams. Through engaging activities and thoughtful facilitation, Layla and Vicky created a space where staff could get to know one another, build trust, and strengthen team cohesion.
 The manager has given us this quote…
"The team building meeting was a positive and productive first step towards building a strong working relationship between the two nurseries. The session created a supportive atmosphere where everyone felt comfortable sharing their ideas, strengths and perspectives. Layla and Vicky provided activities to encourage open communication and gave us fun and imaginative ways that pointed our shared values, individual strengths and passion for providing quality care and learning experiences for our children".
Looking to upskill your team with a bespoke training experience? For only £265, our expert team will design a custom 2-hour workshop tailored to your specific goals and outcomes. Whether you're focusing on professional development, team dynamics, or EYFS specific skills, we’ll craft a session that meets your needs.
Email eydelivery@portsmouthcc.gov.uk to begin the conversation about your training requirements.
 Please could we ask that you display the poster at the button below reminding parents that in order to keep their childcare support, they must check their details every 3 months.
 Would you love to showcase the great work you are doing with supervised toothbrushing? Foundation Years are looking for a range of settings who are taking part in supervised toothbrushing who are happy to be shared as an exemplar setting for the programme.
This may be a new or established supervised toothbrushing scheme. The most important thing is that you are happy to share your enthusiasm and how you are making it work for your setting.
Foundation Years have regular requests from MPs interested in the programme, including opportunities to visit settings – this is your chance to champion children’s oral health!
If you would like to be one of their supervised toothbrushing champions, please complete the short form.
If you have any queries, please contact supervisedtoothbrushing@dhsc.gov.uk.
 Tuesday mornings from 10.00am -11.00am during term time for babies and children aged 0-5 and their parents or carers.
Sing, move and explore sounds together in a relaxed and welcoming space. Led by cathedral musicians, the sessions are designed to spark little imaginations and build a love of music from the very start.
 Have an idea for a nature-based project? Let's Go Zero, has teamed up with the OVO Foundation for the Nature Prize awarding 30 schools £500 cash prizes to fund nature-based project ideas. Submit ideas focused on:
- Adaptation and resilience
- Community
- Green skills
More funding support
Have another sustainability project in mind but don't have the budget? For help funding your sustainability projects:
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