early years alliance - Professional development

DfE early years programme helps practitioners to support children after Covid-19

caroline.graham — Tue, 17 May 2022 13:30:32 +0000

The early years sector has faced multiple challenges in recent months: the pandemic, staff shortages, increased safeguarding concerns, higher numbers of children with SEN, a new statutory framework to implement, as well as huge financial pressures.

Despite this – or perhaps as a result – there was demand from the sector for good professional development to give practitioners the tools to support children effectively.

In response, in September 2021, the DfE funded the ‘Building on Success’ programme — a revised version of the government's successful Early Years Professional Development Programme (EYPDP) — a key element of the national government initiative to improve children’s outcomes in early language, literacy and mathematics. 

Delivered by Education Development Trust, the BoS course had new content added in response to the pandemic and was offered to practitioners as part of the UK government’s early Covid-19 recovery plan.

High interest and enthusiasm

By December 2021, all 2,000 places for the fully-funded online training programme were filled.

Participants were enthusiastic and appreciative of the timing of the course.

A practitioner from Sandwell said: "This programme is coming at the right time – people want more direction. They’ve had a go at the EYFS, battled Covid and seem to be coming through the other side of that trauma. Their normality is different to before. This programme is fantastic, focusing on the key things – it fits beautifully with what is needed.’

The programme is fast-paced and demanding, with participants learning via online videos followed by a live webinar with a Programme Trainer each week.

The speech, language and communication content was created in partnership with subject specialists, Elklan Training Ltd and covered key elements such as how children learn to communicate, how children develop language, the importance of early narrative skills and how practitioners can incorporate language development into children’s play.

As a result of the course, 98% of participants reported feeling more confident in supporting children’s speech, language and communication development.

Good feedback

Feedback has been positive – 97% of participants said the course effectively helped them to improve their day-to-day practice, and many gave examples of demonstrable impact after just a few weeks on the programme.

A practitioner from Reading said: ‘This course is altering the way I connect with the children in my care so much. I look forward to the learning part and interaction with my group and practitioner every week.’

A childminder from West Sussex said: ‘The training has really made a difference. I have been working in Early Years for over ten years, but I have learnt so much in the last four weeks! The impact has been so much more language and vocabulary being used in my setting – and this in a short space of time.’

‘It is difficult to find appropriate training that can challenge higher qualified and experienced practitioners, but we can already see that our member of staff will be able to bring her increased knowledge and resources into our whole setting.’ — Staffordshire Nursery

After the seven units of Speech, Language and Communication training, participants then moved onto six units of Early Mathematics training, written by subject experts Dr Sue Gifford and Dr Catherine Gripton, and then onto five units of training on Personal, Emotional and Social Development written by leading mental health charity the Anna Freud Centre, whose patron is HRH the Duchess of Cambridge.

Looking ahead

The Building on Success programme ends in July 2022.

At the end of the course, practitioners devise an action plan, with the support of their Programme Trainer, on how they can implement what they have learned and embed their learning throughout their settings.

They will then receive a certificate of completion from OCN London, the awarding body who have endorsed the quality of the training.

For some useful resources visit Early Years Professional Development Programme.

Professional development opportunities

If you would like some training to support you in your role visit the ��'s Training and Networking area.

�� members also get access to more than 30 EduCare courses free as part of their membership as well.

Professional development

What makes a great early years manager?

rachel.lawler — Wed, 28 Aug 2019 09:47:47 +0000

What makes a great early years manager?

Editor Rachel Lawler speaks with Tracey Davis, manager at Shoebury Nursery about her experience.

Like many early years practitioners, Tracey Davis started her early years career as a volunteer. She joined Shoebury Nursery 12 years ago and has since worked her way up through from an assistant role, to a deputy manager and has now been manager at the setting for the past five years.

Practical experience in the early years is essential for setting managers, but does the job require additional skills?

“Yes, absolutely,” Tracey says. “You need to be patient, approachable and persistent but you’ll also need to be good at multi-tasking and learn to always have a back-up plan!” Lots of these skills will be best learned on the job as new managers build confidence in their leadership.

But while managers will need to make decisions and lead their team, they also need to be ready when staff need support.

“It’s not a desk job,” Tracey says. “You’ve always got to be prepared to be hands-on and work with your team. A good manager leads from the ground up.”

Challenging times

During a difficult time for the sector, being a manager can bring real challenges. “Working with other professionals can be hard,” Tracey explains.

“Those outside of the sector often don’t understand what we do in settings as they have very little day-to-day experience of our work.” This can make dealing with local authorities and other contacts testing.

But by far the biggest challenge facing most settings today is the issue of budgeting. Budget restraints often leave settings struggling to recruit good staff and worrying about their sustainability.

To keep hold of good team members managers need to make sure they are feeling fulfilled and challenged in their role. “You need to encourage staff to keep working on their CPD and make sure you are being constructive with any comments or criticisms you have,” Tracey suggests.

Finding time

Recruitment and budget concerns can also make it difficult to find time to work on your professional development.

“There is never enough time in the day as we don’t have enough budget to have a spare person and are working close to our ratios,” Tracey says.

Online training can offer staff a chance to work on their knowledge and skills without having to take time out of their busy days.

“Lots of my team choose to work through their EduCare courses at home. Of course for some courses you need that face-to-face training but when you are short on time, online training is great,” Tracey says.

Despite the challenges, managing a setting can also be hugely rewarding.

Tracey says that seeing the impact of your work on the children is the best part of the job. “Watching children develop and grow into confident little explorers is so rewarding,” she says.

It’s essential to learn to balance these rewards with the stresses of the job. “It’s important to know when to switch off, too,” Tracey adds. “You’ve got to be able to leave it all behind when you go home for your own wellbeing.”

Be the best: Manager

Our new EduCare training bundle makes it easier for you to take your managerial expertise and skills to the next level while boosting your continuing professional development.

Be the Best: Manager includes nine Cache-endorsed, CPD-approved online training courses especially recommended for early years leaders and managers. Once you have completed all the courses, you will be able to apply for your free Certificate of Training.

�� members can enjoy all these training courses for free as part of their membership. Non-members can purchase the Be the Best: Manager bundle for the special offer price of £95 or opt for full �� membership – which starts from £112 a year and includes all of the bundle courses as well as our comprehensive range of benefits and offers.

Find out more

This promotion originally appeared in the September 2019 issue of Under 5 magazine.

Professional development

Can the GCSE U-turn solve recruitment difficulties?

sarah.evans — Tue, 16 Oct 2018 16:14:13 +0000

CEEDA are independent research experts who are currently running the About Early Years (AEY) research programme with support from the �� and other sector partners. Here Dr Jo Verrill, CEEDA's Managing Director, writes for the �� blog on how the government's recent U-turn on GCSE requirements is impacting on early years recruitment, as well as looking at expected likely trends for the future of the sector.

In summer 2017 there were an estimated 24,600 vacant posts in voluntary and private nurseries and pre-schools, with 45% recruiting staff and 84% finding it tough. Will the reinstatement of functional skills as acceptable equivalents to GCSE maths and English be enough to turn the tide on recruitment difficulties?

The impact of GCSE requirements

The removal of functional skills as alternatives to GCSE English and maths for the Level 3 Early Years Educator (EYE) in 2014 saw level 3 awards drop from a high of 20,820 in quarter three of 2012 to 12,325 in quarter three of 2016. Following reversal of this decision in March 2017, numbers are starting to rise, but recovery will take time.

A detailed look at the evidence base from Ceeda’s independent About Early Years (AEY) research programme shows that the recruitment problem is multi-faceted and will not be resolved by the GCSE U turn alone.

Graduate recruitment

At graduate level, enrolments on Early Years Teacher courses continue to fall from 2,327 in the 2013/2014 academic year to just 595 students in 2017/2018. This decline is unlikely to halt, following the Department for Education’s (DfE) decision to drop its workforce strategy plans to grow the early years graduate workforce in poorer areas and allow those with Early Years Teacher Status or Early Years Professional Status to lead nursery classes in maintained settings.

Workforce diversity

The stereotyped perception of childcare as a ‘job for girls’ has long been a major barrier to recruitment in the sector, wasting much needed talent and the opportunity to create a diverse environment in which children can experience gender equality from the earliest age. The summer 2017 AEY survey showed signs of growth in the male workforce from 2% last captured by the DfE in 2013¹ to 5% of the sector’s workforce. This is a positive trend upon which to build.

An increasingly competitive job market

Childcare providers must compete for staff in an increasingly tight labour market. Record employment levels of 75.6% in April to June 2018² are fuelling wage growth, with earnings increasing by 2.7% over the same period.

The spring 2018 AEY survey found average pay rates of £8.49 for early years practitioners, whilst official statistics³ show jobs such as bar work and cleaning pay just 2 pence less per hour. Sales and customer service occupations earn almost £1 more per hour at an average of £9.41. Nursery managers earned an average of £13.43 per hour in spring 2018 whist comparable roles in other sectors attract average earnings of £21.74 per hour.

These figures show that the need to raise the status of early years as a positive career choice, with competitive pay and clear career paths has never been more pressing.

Funding shortfalls

Whilst sector costs are rising, funding rates are fixed to 2020. The spring AEY survey measured day nursery and pre-school delivery costs and compared them with funding rates, revealing an estimated funding shortfall of £616.5 million in 2018/19. Childminder losses are not included in this figure.

This snapshot shows that whilst the reinstatement of functional skills has removed a significant barrier to recruitment, real progress will require a significant shift in sector status and rewards. Until funding levels better reflect the sector’s contribution and cost-base, early years is likely to remain in a weak position as the labour market heats up.

Get involved

About Early Years is an independent sector research programme delivered by Ceeda. Over 2,400 early years settings have joined the research panel to date, to contribute to surveys and enjoy the benefits of timely sector analysis. Register today and take part in our current workforce survey to receive a FREE copy of our annual sector report, on general sale at £75. The report covers all the need-to-know figures on sector fees, delivery costs, salary rates, occupancy and much more.

Further information

Register to join the panel

Purchase CEEDA's annual sector report and download free bulletins

Find out about �� publication Recruiting Early Years Staff

Read our blog on staff wellbeing, Happy staff, happy setting

References

Department for Education [DfE] (2014). Childcare and Early Years �� Survey 2013. TNS B28MRB Report JN 117328. September 2014.
Office for National Statistics [ONS] (2018). UK Labour market: August 2018.
Office for National Statistics [ONS] (2018). EARN06: Gross weekly earnings by occupation. August 14, 2018.

Policy

Professional development

Research

20% off seminars at Childcare Expo Manchester

sarah.evans — Mon, 09 Apr 2018 11:09:00 +0000

Childcare Expo Manchester is once again set to take over EventCity this June. If there is one show guaranteed to give you inspiration, this is it. Running over two days, 15 – 16 June, the third northern event promises a bumper agenda with a full exhibitor line-up, as well as a range of interesting speakers and workshops.

As a �� member, we would like to offer you an exclusive 20% discount off ALL seminars during the two-day event.

Simply use the code K31FL5 when booking!

If you have not yet registered for the event, you can do so here.

This year, we are delighted to welcome back Alistair Bryce-Clegg to the stage. Alistair will be welcoming you through the front doors at 10am on opening day before he takes to the stage to talk about how an environment built around children’s interests can have a significant impact on wellbeing and progress. We advise booking early to guarantee your seat during his seminar A World of Endless Possibilities.

Childcare Expo is designed to support and develop your early years practice through a comprehensive seminar programme led by some of the biggest names in the early years education including Niki Buchan, Verity Welch, Paul Clements, Catherine Jackson and Stella Nalini.It’s not just Alistair who we are excited to welcome back to the exhibition. The pea, the giraffe and the bear are also making guest appearances throughout the day for photo ops and a much-needed cuddle. For those who braved the weather in London will know exactly what we mean!

We look forward to welcoming you all soon!

Find out more and register for your place here

Events

Professional development

How can we make the transition between the EYFS and Year 1 easier?

sarah.evans — Mon, 09 Apr 2018 10:11:55 +0000

Jessica Gosling, founder of Step to Pre-school, has years of experience teaching in both the early years and primary schools, in the UK and internationally. In this blog, she talks about her differing experiences of working with both the early years and primary cirriculums, and how an understanding of child development and the EYFS can help professionals working with young children to ease their transition between the two.

Can the differences between the pedagogy of EYFS and Year 1 be reconciled?

I have now travelled along my career path beginning in KS1 before moving to the early years, then back to KS1 again. After having time ‘out’ to raise my daughter - and partially due to enjoying her early years so much - I wanted my career to re-commence in early years.

However thinking back to when I worked in the early years, I recalled a close colleague’s concern:

"I just don’t know what to do here… am I doing it right?"

And she left to return to Primary. Then, the comment didn’t bother me. I was enjoying myself and was happy for the first time in my career. However, her statement would enter my thoughts again later in life. What I did not realise back then, was that this is a concern of many teachers entering EYFS without specialized training: "Am I doing it right?"

I struggled through my first teaching role in Year 1. Working with children fresh out of Reception, I drowned in the stress of how to squeeze them into the academic ‘boxes’ they were required to be molded into. Trying to get them ‘trained’ to sit still in circle times. Play was slotted in the day briefly as earnt ‘golden time’ only, which I endeavoured to include three times per week. The school was highly pressured in terms of high grades and for that I felt lessons had to be structured and outcomes based. Play was a mystery, what would be the guarantee that they’d learn anything from play, that it would help them to reach the expectations? For me play in the classroom was to release the pressure of the ‘proper’ lessons of the morning. I ‘let them play’ whilst I struggled to wade through mountains of paperwork, emails and marking.

However, I became more frustrated, as did the children. This new school day structure of enforced teacher-led lessons… battling to get through a huge curriculum and achieve almost unobtainable goals - was like walking down a mountain in skis. I felt exasperated with the children and they too manifested stress through fidgeting, distracting and being distracted, and struggling to remain focused.

"...the teacher could hold the role of facilitator offering guidance, successfully extending the child through meaningful interactions..."

So when contemplating returning to Early Years once again, that original question re-emerged.

How do I do it right?

I set about learning as much as I possibly could about EYFS in practice, especially in terms of curriculum, enabling environments and interactions. EYFS pedagogy is so different to Primary. It’s obvious to me now that my Year 1 class should have experienced a great deal of play-based learning before I ‘imposed’ the full curriculum on them. I now know that my classes in the early years were far too teacher-led. A different pedagogy and curriculum, daily structure, environment and teacher’s role. How is it that Primary teachers can teach in early years when the ethos is entirely different?

The curriculum is far more child-led and centred. This intrigued me, as a Primary trained teacher I could not see how child-led play could constitute learning. What was the teacher to do? Through my reading I discovered the teacher could hold the role of facilitator offering guidance, successfully extending the child through meaningful interactions and/or resourcing. These ‘new to me’ methodologies, such as Reggio Emilia, grabbed and held my interest. When working with children in Primary of course there were interactions, but these were swayed by an objective or outcome. But what if there was a different, ‘better’ way? What if children learnt better through their own interests in which a practitioner did not plan but instead, responded to. This is what effective EYFS interactions seemed to provide. So I set out trying to find out how best to do this in my own business, Step to Pre-school HCMC.

I have now finished my early years practise and I am taking time to write up my dissertation. I have accepted a new role in August as a Year 1 teacher, with a very supportive school which is sympathetic to the transition from early years. When I received the news, it felt comfortable and unsettling at the same time. Returning to the known… always a good feeling after a career break from a school. But at the same time, this was a year group I had struggled with in the past. So I reflected on what I have come to learn and understand since my last experience of teaching with children of this age, and I feel I can now more adequately support children in Year 1. Some of the objectives I've created for myself, based on my new knowledge and experience of the EYFS, may also be helpful for other teachers looking to support children at this important time. In no particular order:

I will ensure I follow the child’s lead and provide play activities which support their learning. Previously when play was offered in Year 1 I hadn’t thought about the learning outcomes and how if I observed the children, I could further enhance their learning. I will put in place dedicated child-initiated play times.
Short and/or reduced circle times. With young children I quickly understood that they learnt best when they were highly motivated and in less formal environment. I will endeavour to practise key ideas as we explore them outside of a circle.
Provide opportunities to give the children a ‘voice’. To respond to a child's motivations, a teacher must know what they are. I feel much more aware of this as a necessary step in their learning. I would like to ensure that I hear every child’s ‘voice’ as often as possible. The ‘voice’ can also come from watching them with close observations, so I can see and understand their motivations. Working with young, non-verbal children has fine-tuned my skill in this area.
Ensure that the Early Learning Goals are addressed and mastered before we move on to a Primary curriculum. I will ensure children who have not reached these goals have planned experiences where they can work on them.
More freedom – I will gradually work on structure, moving gently towards the Primary Curriculum so each child can develop into more formal learning at their own unique pace.
Establish links with parents so I can understand my classes' social, historical and cultural backgrounds. Working together with parents' has been one of the key outcomes of my small-scale research study for my dissertation.

I hope through this, as well as of course support from my colleagues and a curriculum which relates to young children, I can excel with the cross-over from Early Years to KS1.

Jessica Gosling is the founder of Step to Pre-school and has years of experience teaching in both the early years and primary schools, in the UK and internationally.

Want to know more about this topic? Check out the ��'s SMARTpd pack Moving On Up! - Managing Transitions in the Early Years

Where next?

Child-centred and led learning – dispensing with the circle time

Opinion

Best practice

Professional development

No time for a story?

sarah.evans — Thu, 29 Mar 2018 12:48:34 +0000

Mary Medlicott is a professional storyteller, storytelling trainer and storytelling workshop leader with over 30 years' experience. In this blog for the ��, she explains the benefits of storytelling with young children, and how both practitioners and parents can help children get the most out of storytime whilst having fun and creating a stronger bond between adult and child.

Parents are busy. Parents get tired. And according to a recent survey, these are the major reasons that ever fewer parents are reading to their children at night. I think another reason could be added, namely the powerful attraction of screens. Anyone who’s ever tried separating a child from the cartoon or game on their device will instantly know what I mean. It’s hard!

Yet reading to children has enormous value for both child and parent. Stories in books help create new worlds inside young children’s brains. They expand children’s imaginations, teach them about people and places and, along the way, bring new words to their tongues. Enabling this to occur is a massive gift for any parent to give. Besides, the warmth and pleasure of the process can only help deepen the bond between parent and child.

So finding regular time to read to children is abundantly worthwhile for parents and Early Years workers. Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, agrees. Shortly before this year’s World Book Day, she described in the Sunday Express how much joy it gave her as a child that her father had read stories with her. She explained why the tradition is vital: "Reading to our children and our grandchildren is something we can all try to do every day of the year. Not only does it give us pleasure but it leads them on a voyage of discovery and enrichment that only books can bring."

But Under-Fives aren’t always easy, especially not in a group. Until you learn how to capture and keep their attention, they can prove a difficult, demanding audience. I was lucky. I learned how to do it back in the early 1980s on a scheme then being run in Lambeth where I live. The scheme had been created by an enterprising librarian, Janet Hill, who realised that children on local estates did not have books. Nor did they know any traditional stories. What she initiated involved part-time employees such as myself making weekly visits to Under-Fives centres and playgroups to read picture-books to the children. Also in holiday times, we’d tell stories to children of all ages at holiday play-schemes.

Bringing books alive

The scheme became my gateway into becoming a professional storyteller. The first thing it taught me was that books don’t talk. You as the adult have to bring them alive. The emotions of whatever you’re reading must be conveyed through voice and facial expressions accompanied by actions which the children can join in with. Plus, where necessary, quick explanations of what’s going on can be helpful. I also learned the value of making up little riffs of words and actions to introduce a story or episodes within it. Besides, just as with a child at home, I learned that making space for response is vital. But equally important is to control the response, listening closely while it’s happening, then getting on with the story before chaos results.

"Learning how to bring books alive showed me that, alongside what author and illustrator have given, a lot must also come from you."

Learning how to bring books alive showed me that, alongside what author and illustrator have given, a lot must also come from you. This in turn became my initiation into many of the skills that oral storytelling involves, including remembering stories sufficiently well to tell them without a book. For it really is true that some stories you read – Goldilocks and the Three Bears, for example - become so familiar to you that, honestly, you could just as well put the book aside and tell them instead.

Learning to tell

But why would you ever want to do that? Training Early Years workers and parents has taught me that the very idea gives many the proverbial willies. My new book, Storytelling and Story-reading in Early Years, outlines how you can prepare yourself for it and what you might gain. Try it and see! The book explains that, to tell a story, ‘you have to become able to tell it in your own words. You have to feel it is coming from you.’ So go through it in your own mind, see its scenes with your internal eye, imagine what characters might be saying, feel their emotions. The results can be spectacular. They can bring you personally a welcome new sense of the power of your own imagination, something the pace and nature of modern life can all too easily squash. With the children, there’s much more attention. Also again and again, adults have reported back to me that doing a story ‘out of your mouth’ gives children fresh respect for them as the storyteller. No book in sight? This must mean you know things. Listening then brings a sense of wonder as the story becomes present in the room.

Stories are wonderful things, pathways into hitherto untravelled worlds. They’ve existed since human civilization began. Let us find every possible way to realise their continuing potential for today and the future.

Mary Medlicott

Find out more about Mary, about her work, and about her new book Storytelling and Story-Reading in Early Years, on her website here.

You can also read more of Mary's blogs over at her weekly blog here

Best practice

Professional development

Happy staff, happy setting

sarah.evans — Thu, 29 Mar 2018 07:47:32 +0000

Sonia Mainstone-Cotton, early years nurture and wellbeing trainer and early years consultant, explains how you and your staff can take care of your own wellbeing.

This article originally appeared in the ��'s Under 5 membership magazine. Find out more about the magazine, request your free taster copy, or sign up to the newsletter mailing list here

�� members can now also read the latest issue of Under 5 online by logging in to their members' area, here

Wellbeing is a term that is increasingly used in the early years. We hear it so often in relation to children and young people, but as early years workers we are not always very good at implementing the ideas for ourselves. I firmly believe if we have a good wellbeing then we will be in a much better position to support children’s wellbeing.

Here are some simple ideas that you could try out to help promote practitioner wellbeing in your setting:

Eat well

Each day make sure you eat something that is both good for you and makes you feel good. We talk a lot about children needing to eat breakfast, but how often do we skip it ourselves? Thinking about the food we eat does not need to be hugely time consuming, but if we give it some thought and make some easy changes we can improve our wellbeing. Foods that are classed as ‘good mood foods’ include: blueberries, avocado, kale, marmite, sweet potato, spinach, dark chocolate and chamomile tea.

Sleep well

We need around eight hours of sleep each night. Between hours six and eight, the mind goes through a ‘detox’ process, making memories and problem solving. If we don’t regularly get this amount of sleep it will start to impact on our wellbeing. It is important to form good sleep habits – turn electronic devices off at least an hour before you go to sleep and avoid stimulants such as smoking or alcohol. Think about having a hot bath or warm drink before you go to bed. If you’re still finding it hard, try a lavender essential oil in the bath or a few drops on your pillow.

Spend time outside

There is a growing amount of research about the benefits of spending time outside. In Japan, people practice ‘shinrin-yoku’, which means forest therapy or forest bathing. This is simply about spending time in the woods or forest. There have been several research studies in Japan looking at the effects of being in forests. The research showed that a casual walk in a forest had a 12.7% decrease in the participant’s cortisol levels and a 103% increase in their parasympathetic nervous activity.

We could all find five or 10 minutes to go for a walk, ideally in a park or wood if possible. We don’t all live or work near green spaces but even the act of parking slightly further away from your place of work and walking in, or walking around the block at lunchtime can improve your wellbeing.

Be kind to yourself

We put high expectations on ourselves so often. We can be very self-critical when things are not perfect or if we think we haven’t got enough done. Think about the words you use when talking about yourself. If they are negative – change them. Tell yourself that what you are doing is good enough and remind yourself that it is okay to feel tired – you will get through this!

Do something that makes you happy

Do something every day that makes you happy and is just for you. When I asked people what they did that made them happy the list was varied – crochet, baking, reading, listening to music, gardening, walking the dog, yoga, painting, singing… As early years practitioners and as parents, we often get so wrapped up in thinking about what will make other people happy. It is okay to think about yourself for a little bit. If we are feeling good about ourselves then we are better equipped to help others. Swimming makes me happy so I swim early each morning Monday-Friday and I know it has helped my wellbeing.

"It is okay to think about yourself for a little bit. If we are feeling good about ourselves then we are better equipped to help others."

Experience some silence

Our lives are so often full of noise from radios, TVs, music, traffic and even the people we live with. We are often surrounded by lots of noise all day and when we work with children this can be really intensified in our workplaces. Research shows that lots of noise can have a negative impact on our health it can lead to high blood pressure and cause people to feel increasingly stressed. Having time to stop and be silent, even just for five minutes, can be very good for our wellbeing. Some people use mindfulness, yoga or spiritual practices for this. Others just enjoy the silence while in the bath, or during a walk by themselves. Experiencing silence can be liberating and can help you to find some calmness.

Be thankful at the end of the day

At the end of the day, look back over your day and think about something you are thankful for and, if possible, something that bought you some joy. Cultivating a practice of thankfulness can help people to feel happier.

Further information on promoting a proactive approach to improving staff mental health and wellbeing can be found in Building a Resilient Workforce in the Early Years.

This article originally appeared in the ��'s Under 5 membership magazine. Find out more about the magazine, request your free taster copy, or sign up to the newsletter mailing list here

�� members can now also read the latest issue of Under 5 online by logging in to their members' area, here

Under 5

Best practice

Professional development

Events

To Study or Not to Study?

sarah.evans — Fri, 22 Sep 2017 12:20:48 +0000

Jessica Gosling, founder of Step to Pre-school, has years of experience teaching in both the early years and primary schools, in the UK and internationally. In this long read, she explains why she chose to further her studies with a Masters in Early Childhood Education, what she thinks the value of these kinds of qualifications are for practitioners, and the importance and value of learning through play.

I am a qualified Primary teacher, specialising in Key Stage 1. Yet Primary just does not equate to Early Years pedagogy, as far as I see it. Primary training did not prepare me whatsoever for the very complicated and specialised teaching required in the Early Years. So I have come the long way round to continue my studies. Had I been asked directly following the P.G.C.E. would I consider a Masters in Education, the reply would have been a resounding negative. However, following my first two-year placement in an international Early Years environment, I was sure I needed to fill in the gaps of my knowledge.

"I missed the interactions, child-led sessions and the joy of Early Years teaching. I knew I wanted to return to Early Years"

Following my placement in an Early Years environment, I returned to Key Stage 1. I was working within a demanding school in terms of academic results, so play was cut short and excluded in the school day. I felt the pangs when I entered the Early Years classroom - I missed the interactions, child-led sessions and the joy of Early Years teaching. I knew I wanted to return to Early Years so I sought online training, however, I was covering ideas I already knew. And I was left dissatisfied.

So – why a Masters in Early Childhood Education?

After several years raising my daughter I felt I once again had the energy and interest to study. It had been 8 years since I finished my P.G.C.E. I wanted to be an Early Years teacher when I returned to work. Furthermore, I wanted to understand my daughter better. So I enrolled on a distance learning MA Childhood Studies and Early Years. Thankfully this was a part-time option, as I was a full-time mum with only 9 hours per week with my child in day-care. It was a big decision, I was concerned that I would be too far removed from academia and perhaps not cut out for studying anymore, as my daughter was my priority now.

However, from day one I was addicted. I craved knowledge again and suddenly so much made sense to me. Working within the kindergarten, I could 'see' what I could not see before. I understood episodes of play and could effectively support and extend them. It sounds corny but this knowledge literally opened my eyes. This extended to my home. I was aware of when to interact with my daughter and when not to interfere in her play. I focussed on play (and am still focussing in this area) within my Master's study as this is the area I feel is the most complex to understand. Specifically, how play represents learning and how can it be incorporated within an objectives focussed curriculum. Slowly I am finding the answers to these questions. I'm coming to see that objectives should mostly remain within teacher-led activities, where child-led play should remain that way, at times without teacher interference. In child-led play teachers can scaffold learning, however they must be very aware that they do not deviate from the child's goals.

Putting my studies into practice

As I progressed within the course, I began to think how I could best implement my skills and knowledge. I felt it was time to work for myself, to explore how best to provide a pre-school session. Having the confidence to set up my company came from the knowledge I had gained in the sphere of Early Years study, of believing tutor’s comments in terms of my competency and receiving marks which put me in the league of gaining a Master’s with distinction.

So I decided to return to work, supporting infants who are not yet at pre-school and perhaps need a little help getting there. As these children were very young, between 1-2 years of age, I decided to do something I had always been apprehensive about, to work alongside parents within a classroom. This is a two way learning process: I learn about their child with them and through them: the cultural and social implications, whilst my expertise provides training for parents to see the benefits of play and how they can support their child in play. The parent’s feedback is vital to improve my teaching and also eye-opening as a teacher.

Partnerships with parents are vital too

When feedback revealed a lack of understanding of the value of play, this was one area I began to rectify. I had noticed that some parents here in Vietnam couldn’t quite recognise the power of play therefore I try to demonstrate the value of play to parents. For example, it was argued that infants do not need extended free play in my sessions. We know as practitioners that within extended free play children relax and begin to become creative. So how did I counteract this opinion? Firstly, I tried to verbally give examples of the benefits of play and free play by explaining how certain activities produced certain key skills. However, there was nothing more powerful than child-led play in action.

Thankfully this occurred early, within my second session. One little girl looked through the toy cupboard and found a xylophone and stick. Seeing her delight at the noise of the metal xylophone I retrieved a wooden one, where she began to compare sounds as she played. Another child came and sat next to her and watched. She indicated she wanted to join in the activity so I quickly retrieved a third xylophone. She indicated she had no stick therefore I again retrieved one for her (noticing the reluctance of the first xylophone player to give up a valuable stick!) And then a third child showed interest. And sat without a stick. The second child acknowledged this and gave the third child a stick when she had gestured she wanted one. The first child watched and offered the same. The children sustained this activity for several minutes, watching one another, sharing sticks and listening to each other’s xylophones. And they were only one year old. I had only provided the resources as I was attentively around at the time. The children had developed the activity which had been unplanned. This, for me, represents the magic of child-led play.

"...there was nothing more powerful than child-led play in action."

Prior to my study, like some parents in Vietnam tend to think, I would have thought the children ‘just playing’ and not seen the value of this self-chosen activity. The parents were all focussed on these three children playing with one another, collaborating and totally immersed in their learning. So I feel my further study can offer a valuable service to families here in Vietnam. I feel I am bringing forward the concept of ‘Learning through Play’ as the best method to support children’s learning. The focus here in Asia is to ‘teach’ early, in teacher-led sessions and small group activities. Whilst there is a time and place for this, in short directed bursts, we know in the West that this an outmoded teaching method, if this is used as the only method of learning. Children lose focus quickly and cannot relate to the learning. As my sessions involve parents and their infant, the examples we have of quality interactions and learning through play not only benefit the child, but the adult as well. I hope little by little I can chip away at preconceptions of how children ‘should’ learn, and open the door to how children learn best.

Bringing the learning back home

A final example of the excellence of play comes from closer to home. Being a teacher I of course want to teach my daughter. My partner and I often lamented how she always needed so much attention rather than sustaining play by herself. I was always available, always trying to teach. However, she has become central to my development of activities for my class. I have begun to step back and allow her to develop her play. She helped construct ‘sensory bottles’ and I was amazed to see without direction how she worked through the issue of putting items into the bottles. You can see by the pictures what she decided to do! My course had taught me to step back during these moments and I just made sure I was on hand with resources as she asked for them. The power of play is not always interfering, but in fact letting go at times. Which I do think both parents and teachers struggle with! Instead we must provide the correct resources and opportunities, extending with conversation only when appropriate and not distracting.

Jessica Gosling is the founder of Step to Pre-school and has years of experience teaching in both the early years and primary schools, in the UK and internationally.

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Case study - Effective Leadership - free book extract

sarah.evans — Tue, 25 Jul 2017 10:47:23 +0000

In this free extract from the �� publication, Effective Leadership for High Quality Early Years Practice, Michael Reed, Senior Lecturer at the Centre for Early Childhood at the Institute of Education, University of Worcester, shares a successful case study in which one setting used a distributed approach to leadership to improve their practice and outcomes.

Case study: Ladybirds Pre-school’s distributed approach to leadership

Ladybirds Pre-school is run by a team of six practitioners who all hold appropriate early years qualifications. It is located on the site of a large primary school and has close links with the school. It provides funded early education for two, three and four-year-old children who have a range of abilities and needs and are from families which encompass diverse faiths and cultures. The preschool values children’s learning and prides itself on collaboration with parents. This was described in inspection feedback as outstanding. Staff provide support for children’s learning, are sensitive to their needs and see themselves as having a passion about early education and its value to the community.

The leader encourages each of them to take on board key person duties and early assessments of children’s development to ensure intervention is swiftly put in place to close gaps in learning. Their latest inspection report noted how children have immense fun as they try out interesting learning activities. They smile, trust the staff and are obviously happy to engage in planned experiences, directed teaching and learning discoveries.

The leader, Jan, has high expectations of staff and children. She leads by example and encourages all staff to take professional responsibility within the setting. Jan works well with staff and her judgement is trusted. She in turn trusts the staff to be honest and professional when they air their views. She encourages the staff team to share their expertise in curriculum planning.

Less experienced colleagues, volunteers and students on placement are supported and encouraged to share their ideas at meetings and their views and ideas are respected. The aim is to help them learn from experienced staff who take more of a lead in planning. Jan encourages the pre-school staff to have professional conversations with the school staff as well as other professional agencies associated with the setting. This is achieved through joint meetings which ask reflective questions about how to work better together. There are also regular opportunities for the staff team to come together to reflect on the connection between how children think and learn and their day-to-day practice. This has been quite successful and led to what can be described as a pattern of staff self-evaluation and development which has influenced changes in practice.

For example, it was identified through reflective dialogue that when staff received external training, the detail was rarely fed back to the whole team so that they could consider if it might have a wider influence on practice. Now, staff members take responsibility for ensuring short verbal feedback is given as part of staff meetings. If there is strong interest in what is said, a more detailed explanation is placed on the agenda for self-organised professional development days.

The reflective questions have also led Jan to take on new ideas. She admits that one of her limitations is being a novice when it comes to technology. She therefore has worked alongside a student on placement and another staff member to learn how to access webbased updates on policy and practice and place what is found on a staff social media website. This is not because she wants to be involved in everything, but in order to receive the support she needs to develop her own skills.

Distributing responsibility is successful when a leader invests time to encourage and support people so they recognise that together they can shape practice. The approach helps practitioners to become professional leaders by being self-directed, responsible and willing to be accountable to the team. This is an important lesson as effective early education rarely emerges from a leader working in isolation. An individual leader may have the desire to make things happen, but it is rare to find all the parts of an organisation coming together without active collaboration between staff, and this requires a clear direction to which everyone subscribes. It takes time and needs careful people management. It is also a way to nurture more effective leaders, as practitioners learn skills which will enable them to take on other leadership responsibilities in the future.

This is a free extract from the �� publication, Effective Leadership for High Quality Early Years Practice, by Michael Reed, Senior Lecturer at the Centre for Early Childhood at the Institute of Education, University of Worcester.

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