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NEWSLETTER
April 2017
Dear Colleagues,
Welcome back after the Easter break and to this April edition of our Early Years Newsletter.
Our early years world is as busy as ever with the publication of a number of important documents and updates over the last few weeks.
We bring you news that the DfE has launched its Primary Assessment Consultation which seeks views on re-introducing a Baseline Measure at the beginning of Reception and the future of primary assessment, including how the department might improve the EYFS Profile to make it more robust and effective in measuring child development and school readiness at age five.
Childcare Choices, the cross-government childcare brand and campaign has been launched, providing parents with a single point of information for all the government funded childcare offers.
Ofsted has produced a handy myth-busting document to dispel misconceptions about its early years inspections. It has also launched new and updated logos for Good and Outstanding settings.
Team News
As you all are aware, the Early Years and Childcare Service has undergone a recent restructure following the reduction of the Education Services Grant to the council. The Early Years team members will be working over the next 6 weeks to redesign how we deliver our services to you and I will, of course, be seeking your views as we move forward. In the meantime you can contact team members or leave a message with our colleagues in Business Support (Education) on the following numbers: 01275 887266 or 01934 888888.
The Early Years and Childcare Service consists of the following team members:
Ruth Glover Early Years and Childcare Service Lead – Safeguarding Lead Rebecca Fisk Lead Early Years Consultant, Inclusion Sarah McGahern Lead Early Years Consultant, Assessment Gail Alder Early Years Consultant Karen Jarvis Early Years Consultant Justine Gregory Early Years Consultant and KS2 Moderation Manager Alison Oaten Sufficiency and Participation Manager Stana Dimopoulos Early Years Support Advisor Liz Owen Early Years Support Advisor Sarah Zanelli Early Years Support Advisor Maria Powell Early Years Support Advisor Liz Carlier Early Years Support Advisor Natalie Purkiss Early Years Support Advisor
Best wishes,
Ruth Glover
Inside this Issue –
Local & national updates
Business Planning and sustainability
Ofsted Inspections – Myth Busting
Booktrust
University Research
Inclusion Supplement Top Up Funding
Link Programme
Local Offer Website
Supportive Parents
CPD for INCCOs
CPD Opportunities
A Place to Play
UCW Degrees
CPD timetable
Job Vacancies
Lighthouse Nursery
DEADLINE FOR NEXT ISSUE
Please send anything that you would like included in
May’s Newsletter by
Tuesday 30th May
Local & national updates
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Useful information from the Government and Ofsted:
Business Planning and Sustainability The Government and Foundation Years have recently uploaded a series of useful information documents around business planning and expansion for the 30 hours. They can be found at: gov.uk and Foundation Years Ofsted Inspections – Myth-Busting Guide Ofsted have also produced a guide that aims to bust some of the myths around Ofsted inspections in the early years. It can be downloaded here.
Booktrust campaign puts stories firmly at the centre of a good night’s sleep
All parents/carers worry about getting young children to sleep at night – and of course getting enough sleep themselves. But it doesn’t have to be a bedtime battle. Reading a book before bed as part of a regular nightly routine is the perfect way to get your little one ready to visit the land of
nod. Bath, Book, Bed is all you need to remember.
The UK’s largest children’s reading charity BookTrust have launched a free new booklet featuring the top tips and advice of TV parenting expert Jo Frost of as part of their Bath, Book, Bed campaign: an initiative encouraging families to make stories part of every child’s bedtime routine. Research* has shown that bedtime routines are associated with improved sleep in young children. Benefits include earlier bedtimes, shorter amount of time in bed before falling asleep, less night-wakings and longer sleep duration. And regular language-based bedtime routines such as singing, reading, or storytelling are associated with children’s increased sleep duration and improved cognitive skills. But it doesn’t stop there.
Local & national updates
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The same routine every night involving a story and shared reading won’t just help them fall asleep – it will also feed their imagination, creativity and confidence. Children who are read to every night start school ahead of those who aren’t - and the gap only widens as they get older. The booklet can also be downloaded from the BookTrust website which features a Best Bedtime Books list and has lots more ideas, guidance and practical tips on ensuring stories are part of every child’s bedtime routine. Visit www.booktrust.org.uk/bathbookbed to find out more.
For more information about the Bookstart programme in North Somerset contact Kim
Luka, Bookstart Coordinator [email protected]
30 Hours – parent eligibility checker goes live
The eligibility checker for parents to obtain their Eligibility Codes for 30 Hours is now live. You can direct parents to the Childcare Choices website where they can follow the link. The site also has a section with information for providers with instructions on how to register in order to receive payments from the tax-free childcare scheme.
Local & national updates
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An opportunity for your pre-school or nursery to participate in research
I am an Early Years Teacher and owner of Secret Garden Nursery and pre-school, in Congresbury, North Somerset. I am currently a Postgraduate student at the University of Bristol, and this research project is the final part of my degree in Msc Psychology of Education (BPS). My research project I am researching into whether contact with children from other races at preschool gives 3 and 4 year olds a more positive underlying attitude to race. It will take place between May and July 2017. Invitation for settings to participate I am looking for 4 racially-mixed preschools/nurseries and 4 predominantly White preschools/nurseries to participate. I am looking for 10 or more children to participate from each setting. Each setting should have achieved at least a “good” rating in their latest Ofsted report. Parental consent will be needed. Benefits of the study It is hoped that the project will help develop interventions to support positive racial attitudes in pre-school age children. Further, as practitioners you may find the project personally interesting, and once the project is finished you will get a summary and a list of ideas which you might want to implement in your setting. Each setting involved will get a relevant story-book as a thank you. What will the children be asked to do? Children will take part in sorting games, a computer game, a resource-allocation game and I will also ask the children who their friends are in the setting. The research will be done by me and I will come to your setting, at times that are convenient to you. All the data will remain confidential and anonymous. If your setting would be interested in taking part, please contact me by 12/05/2017 for further details. Look forward to hearing from you, Stefanie Metcalfe Contact number- 01934 853350 (Secret Garden Nursery) Email- [email protected]
Inclusion Supplement
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Early Years Special Educational Needs (SEN) Top-up funding
Following the local funding consultation earlier this year, it was agreed that the
existing funding rates are rounded down to the nearest quarter of a whole pound. A
copy of the revised Top-up funding hourly rates are available on the North Somerset
Education Services Partnership website, at www.nsesp.org.
Furthermore, the Early Years SEN Top-up funding criteria has been reviewed. Mainly,
the amendments are wording updates due to changes reflecting the SEND Code of
Practice. However, more significant changes have been made to the criteria A0 and
B0 and further minor changes have been made to the criteria B1 and B2.
A copy of the revised Top-up funding criteria can be found on the North Somerset
Online Directory website, at www.n-somerset.gov.uk/fis.
From the 1st May 2017, the revised Top-up funding criteria must be used for all Top-
up funding applications.
If you have a child who has been previously allocated the Top-up funding A0 and B0
and the child’s Top-up funding is due for a review, then you will have to submit a new
application as the evidence will be considered under the new criteria.
Please note that the Top-up funding application forms for the category A0, B0, B1 and
B2 have now also been updated to reflect these changes. Please disregard the
previous copies of these forms.
All updated documents will be added to the website over the next few days.
Inclusion Supplement
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Inclusion Link Programme 2017 A programme to support pre-school to school transition
Following allocation of school places, Link letters have been sent out informing you whether or not children have been accepted on to the Link Programme. If you have submitted a Link referral and you do not receive the letter within the next couple of days, please contact Stana Dimopoulos on 01275 888677. Early years settings must take the lead on liaising with parents/carers, schools and other professionals and to agree the Link workshop with all the parties. Settings must inform Stana Dimopoulos of the date and time of the Link workshop they would like to attend. Please remember, when attending Link workshops: Early years settings: The child’s key person who knows the child well should attend the workshop. Bring the child’s learning diary to share with the receiving school. Whilst visits to school by early years practitioners will not be funded through the Link programme, you might want to bring the setting diary to note any special events or key dates for the parents and teachers. Top up funding can be used to release staff to visit the school. Parents are responsible for transporting their children to and from the school on any visits and if children are being dropped at school and then accompanied by a setting staff member for the visit, please ensure risk assessments are carried out as per any trip/outing. Schools: Where possible, the teacher who will be working with the child to attend the workshop. Bring your class diary and dates of school events in Term 6 so that visits can be arranged at the workshop. *** Link Workshop venues update *** Please note that the following Link workshops have now been CANCELLED: 17TH May, 13:00 – 15:00, The Hive, Weston-super-Mare 8th June, 09.30 – 11.30, Nailsea Baptist Church 8th June, 13.00 – 15.00, Nailsea Baptist Church 12th June, 13:00 – 15:00, The Campus, Weston-super-Mare If you have any queries about the Link Programme, please contact: Rebecca Fisk, Lead Early Years Consultant (Inclusion), telephone 01275 888 979 or email [email protected] Stana Dimopoulos, Inclusion Support Officer (EYFS), telephone 01275 888 677 or email [email protected]
Inclusion Supplement
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Have you updated your setting’s information on the North Somerset Local Offer website?
Early years settings must comply with the Local Authority in regard to information on
the Local Offer. Please ensure you have updated both the Inclusion and Local Offer
sections of your website on the Family Information Services Directory. Your Local
Offer can include information for parents about accessible facilities, specialist training
to support inclusion and your inclusion ethos, for example.
Gill Hinton, Information and Advice Officer, will be available at the Summer 2017
Support and Advice Sessions for Inclusion Co-ordinators (SASI) to demonstrate and
help you with your entry.
Supportive Parents
Supportive parents have re-designed their tri-fold information leaflet. This leaflet can
be downloaded from their website, click here.
The next support groups for parents and carers in North Somerset can be found on
their website, click here. The support groups are also open to interested
professionals.
CPD for Inclusion Co-ordinators (INCCOs)
The Support and Advice Sessions for Inclusion Co-ordinators (SASI) – Summer 2017:
Monday 8 May 2017, Yeo Valley and Rural Outreach Children’s Centre, Congresbury
Tuesday 9 May 2017, Oldmixon Family Centre, Weston-super-Mare Portage Workshop (2 days with a ½ day follow up): Recognised and certificated by the National Portage Association - Part 1 Training for Portage Practitioners. The Portage approach fits well with the Early Years Foundation Stage. Starting from a
Inclusion Supplement
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baseline and ‘can do’ approach, using Task Analysis and SMART targets for IEPs and support plans with a focus on celebrating child's success. Portage is DfE recognised and a recommended approach for Early Years children with additional Educational Needs.
23 and 24 May 2017 and follow up ½ day 6 July 2017 Further details about these training events can be found on CPD Online.
Contact A Family – Free Workshops for Families – Bristol venue
Contact a Family are holding a series of welcoming and informative sessions for families who are concerned about their child’s development, and for those who have a disability or additional need. These free workshops are funded by the Department for Education, and are part of a grant to Contact A Family to help raise parent carers’ awareness about their Early Years entitlement. South West venue: Staple Hill Children’s Centre, Page Road, Bristol, BS16 4NE To book please email: [email protected] Support and Information - 5th May Getting what you need - 12th May Encouraging Positive Behaviour - 9th June Money Matters - 23rd June
CPD Opportunities
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Enabling Environments - A Place to Play
There are a few remaining places available on Gail Alder’s workshop on Tuesday 9th May. The workshop will encourage practitioners to consider the physical and emotional environment they offer to children in their setting and establish how it meets their needs, supports their learning and challenges their thinking. The session will also explore how the environment supports children’s cognitive, social, emotional and language development whilst also providing conditions in which the characteristics of effective learning can flourish. Further details and bookings can be made via CPD Online.
EARLY YEARS DEGREES AT UCW University Centre Weston’s degree-level Early Years programmes have been designed for those looking to take their first steps in this challenging and rewarding sector, and also for experienced practitioners who want to take their career to the next level. Our lecturers have all been employed in the EY sector and maintain strong links with local childcare and education providers. Students on our courses, which start at only one day per week, gain the key principles in best practice alongside the theoretical knowledge and research techniques required for further study. Our graduates have also gone on to have great careers in nurseries and schools, local government and related roles. So get in touch to find out more! www.ucw.ac.uk
CPD Opportunities
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CPD Courses Title Date Time Venue Link
SASI – Summer 2017 Monday 8th May 2017
16:00 – 17:00 Yeo Valley and Rural Outreach Children’s
Centre
SASI Summer 2017
SASI – Summer 2017 Monday 8th May 2017
17:00 – 18:00 Yeo Valley and Rural Outreach Children’s
Centre
SASI Summer 2017
SASI – Summer 2017 Monday 8th May 2017
18:00 – 19:00 Yeo Valley and Rural Outreach Children’s
Centre
SASI Summer 2017
SASI – Summer 2017 Tuesday 9th May 2017
16:00 – 17:00 Oldmixon Family Centre
SASI Summer 2017
SASI – Summer 2017 Tuesday 9th May 2017
17:00 – 18:00 Oldmixon Family Centre
SASI Summer 2017
SASI – Summer 2017 Tuesday 9th May 2017
18:00 – 19:00 Oldmixon Family Centre
SASI Summer 2017
World of Stuff – A Place to Play
Tuesday 9th May 2017
16:30 – 18:30 Motex Centre World of Stuff A Place to Play
Early Years Professional (EYP) Leadership Network
Thursday 11th May 2017
09:00 – 12:00 Locking Castle Church
Centre
EYP Leadership Network
New INCCO Part 2 Friday 19th May 2017
09:00 - 12:00 Motex Centre New INCCO Part 2
New INCCO Part 2 Friday 19th May 2017
13:00 – 16:00
Motex Centre New INCCO Part 2
Leaders, Managers and Owners Briefing Summer 2017
Wednesday 24th May
2017
09:30 – 11:30 The Campus Leaders Managers and Owners Briefing
Out of School Club Cluster
Wednesday 5th July 2017
19:00 – 21:00 Castlewood Out of School Club Cluster
Job Vacancies
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Nursery Nurse Level 3
Due to a very fast growing business, we have a fantastic opportunity for some lovely team members to join us here at the Lighthouse. A home from home environment, all about the child, fun and caring, with time and space to develop warm and caring relationships with the children.
Enhanced every step of the way with the Reggio Emilia Approach. Don't worry we will give you great Reggio training to enhance your knowledge.
Our beautiful home from home nursery, situated in lovely grounds designed with the child in mind, with vistas of the Bristol Channel and beautiful surrounding areas of the Portishead. Easily accessible from the M5 and local bus routes.
Are you up for the challenge of joining our team?
Do you have experience of caring for very young children Knowledge of child development and relevant assessment schemes Ability to communicate well with adults and children Able to demonstrate the ability to work as part of a team Good organisational skills Mature and responsible approach to work Can demonstrate creative ability Awareness of Health & Safety and practical hygiene issues Recent First Aid Qualification Other related training Do you have the desire to develop your professional skills with extensive training to
understand the Reggio Approach?
The role will be original and very rewarding.
Do you hold a minimum Level 3 childcare qualification
We can offer you:
A place of work to be proud of. A great employment package, including an extra paid day off for your birthday. Great salary. Original uniform
Job Vacancies
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A 38 hour week with a set day off In-house Training Professional Development
and so much more........
Lighthouse Nursery is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of our children, and applicants must be willing to undergo child protection screening appropriate to the post, including checks with past employers and a DBS check.
Job Type: Full-time, permanent
Required education: Diploma
Contact: [email protected] Tel: 01275 406857