Training and support for schools

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• Training and support for schools
• Jayne Ford
• Early Years Consultant/Leading Childrens
  Centre Teacher
• Leeds City Council

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Background

• Visits to schools by staff from Sure
• Start Partnership to support move
• towards flexible free entitlement.
• Highlighted issues around planning,
• organisation, provision.
• Childrens centre teachers working
• party.
• Developed training- 2 half days
• responsive to needs.

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Aims of the training

• Over the two days practitioners would gain
• understanding of the importance of
• The key role of the EYFS in supporting
• quality provision.
• The environment both physical and
• emotional.
• Staffing continuity of staff and role of the
• key person.
• Responsive planning based around
• childrens needs and interests.
• Flexible organisation and routines

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Individual needs of each situation

• Each setting is different
• No magic wand
• One size doesnt fit all
• Being creative trying
• things out
• Reflective practitioners
• who keep the needs of
• the children at the heart
• of what they do.

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Starting point

• Background and context from each
• setting
• where they were with the process
• their successes and challenges.
• Sharing ideas and solutions to
• common issues.

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• Welfare requirements

• Extended hours
• New situations
• Legal requirements

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Safeguarding and promoting childrens welfare

• Engaging with parents and
• sharing information
• regarding staffing, routines
• and food/drink.
• Meals, snacks and drinks
• healthy and nutritious.
• Safe storage of packed
• lunches.

8



Suitable premises and equipment

• Space for relaxation, quiet play and sleep.
• Children should have own bed linen,
• flannel, hairbrush.
• Sleeping children should be checked
• regularly.

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Organisation

• Providers must plan and organise their
• systems to ensure that every child
• receives an enjoyable and challenging
• learning experience that is tailored to
• meet their individual needs.

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Documentation

• Record of children and hours of
• attendance
• Key workers
• Risk assessments arising from
• extended provision.

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Physical and emotional environment

• Rest areas
• Facilities for preparation
• of meals and snacks.
• Suitable areas for eating meals and snacks within
  the nursery.
• Areas that reflect a homely environment.

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Staffing issues

• Sufficient staff to meet the individual needs of
  the children.
• The importance of a key person, responsible for
  the welfare and individual needs of the child.
• Suitably qualified and experienced staff with an
  understanding of the needs of young children and
  the emotional impact that longer hours may have.
• Continuity of staff throughout the day including
  lunchtime.

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Organisation and routines

• Staff organisation lunchtime arrangements.
• The pace of the day - reflect the needs of young
  children present for longer hours.
• Space needs to be organised to facilitate full
  and part time children.
• Flexible starting and finishing times and the
  implications for security and safety.

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Planning

• Planning should be based on observation around
  childrens individual interests and needs rather
  than a range of activities.
• Planning needs to encompass the whole week and
  acknowledge the needs of children attending
  extended periods in a variety of ways.

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The Planning Cycle

Observation
Planning
Assessment/
Evaluation All planning
starts with observing children in order to
understand and consider their current interests,
development and learning. EYFS
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Being responsive to childrens needs and interests

• Responding here and now.
• Responding through short term planning
• enhanced provision and focussed experiences.
• Responding through medium term planning
• themes and interactive displays.
• Responding through long term planning
• making changes to your continuous provision.

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Organisation/overviews

• What the staff team need to know on a weekly
  basis
• Staff deployment
• Group times
• Visits and events
• Lunchtime
• organisation

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Long term plans

• For areas of continuous provision
• Provide the broad and balanced curriculum,
• which ensures full coverage of the six areas
• of learning.
• Areas of provision must be well planned,
• resourced and organised, and evaluated on a
• regular basis.
• High levels of involvement observed in child
• initiated activity in areas of continuous
• provision.

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Medium term planning

• For predictable events
• such as
• Festivals relevant to the children.
• Seasonal changes.
• Settling new starters.

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Short term planning

• Short term planning in response to the
  observations that we make of children.
• These observations may include information about
• Childrens current interests
• Knowledge and skills to be developed-
• next steps
• Involvement and well being
• Childrens use of areas of provision and
• resources

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Planning time

• The importance of allowing time for the
• whole staff team to meet together for
• discussion
• and planning.
• This time is essential for quality provision
• and must be protected whilst maintaining
• staff continuity to ensure
• childrens well-being.

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Some suggestions

• Before or after school
• Given back as lieu time for support staff.
• Support staff paid for planning time.
• Employing staff to prepare the room at
• the start or end of the day.
• Whole school staff meeting time only
• attending relevant part.
• Use of responsive planning sheet.

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Action planning

• What are the priorities for individual
• settings?
• How will they address them?
• Networks and support

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Supporting Settings The way forward

• Wedge based support networks.
• Regular meetings to share good
• practice and support.
• Visits to see how other settings are
• working.
• Case studies.