Exhibition Preview: Go north!

With everyone back into gear after the summer break and feeling fired up about the months ahead, now is a great time to check out Nursery World North 2011, the only dedicated early years show in the north of England. Explore our stands for a diverse range of services and products which are bound to refresh your practice and give you a raft of new ideas.

The two days at Manchester's Event City also offer a line-up of expert seminars that will shine a light on the impact the revised Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) is likely to have on your practice and setting.

HEALTH AND HYGIENE

Being at nursery provides an ideal opportunity for children to learn good hygiene habits. Teal will be showcasing its fun-to-use Kiddisynk and the Kiddiwash mobile sink, which works on a tabletop. Both of these operate independently of mains water, drainage and electricity. The Kiddiwash range of warm water handwash units are great for young children and ideal when a portable hygiene solution is required.

The pharmaceutical manufacturer, Thornton and Ross, will be promoting a new water-based treatment for head lice. Hedrin Treat & Go is ideal for use on younger, restless children. It spreads easily on the hair and dries naturally so there is no need to wash it out straightaway. The treatment can then be left on during the day or overnight, with no need for combing, and simply rinsed out when convenient.

The company will also be exhibiting Care ViraSoothe Chickenpox Relief Cooling Gel, to ease itching, and the new Metanium Everyday Barrier Ointment for daily application to help prevent nappy rash.

Nurseries wishing to give their washrooms and toilet cubicles a makeover will be able to consult experts from Bushboard Washrooms. The company has added a number of redesigned digital prints to its nursery range. Combined with options such as reduced height doors and vanity units, anti-finger trap hinges and magnetic door catches, Bushboard's nursery range is bright, safe and fun.

SERVICES AND RESOURCES

Early Years from The Consortium is launching The Consortium Services to help nurseries with rising food and energy costs, health and safety responsibilities and complex statutory compliance. By partnering with leading providers in areas such as telecoms, utilities, food and property management, Early Years from The Consortium aims to help nurseries reduce their costs and get more from their budgets. The Consortium Services also offers bespoke premises development planning, project management and procurement services to support the successful delivery of building projects.

This is also your chance to see the Consortium's new 2011 Christmas range and 48-page festive ideas brochure packed with ideas to get everyone in the festive spirit. New products include the Verithik Metallic Colouring Pencils that don't need any sharpening, with six dense, seasonal colours including gold, silver and metallic green, as well as traditional bestsellers such as the Christmas Craft Compendium.

ICT AND ELECTRONIC RESOURCES

If you are looking for attractive and fun resources, Prim-Ed Publishing will be showcasing its 2011 titles as well as its brand-new digital resource library. Its early years range is made up of books, stickers, posters, digital books and software suitable for threeto five-year-olds. Its new digital resources include Essential Phonics: Initial Sounds, which provides a fully comprehensive resource to support any phonics teaching programme, either as a single resource or as a programme support. Initial Sounds provides the early years teacher with a selection of contemporary print, digital and interactive resources to motivate and inform. The digital and interactive resources can be used on Macs, PCs and/or interactive whiteboards. Essential Phonics 2 introduces, in context, single final sounds, double letters and two-letter blends, revises initial single sounds and provides practice in blending.

Ameeca is launching the latest version of StoryPhones software at the exhibition, with even more child-friendly features such as being able to add and delete their own tracks. StoryPhones are rechargeable MP3 players which are easy to use and accessible for all children and can be used to record their stories and ideas. StoryPhones have been shortlisted for a 2011 Nursery World Award in the Three-to-Five Tried and Tested Favourite category.

Ameeca will also be promoting its loud-speaking Little Listener, where children can listen to stories, songs and music without the need for headphones.

Early years professionals spend a lot of time recording children's progress and development. Ben Parker will be at the show demonstrating Early Track, a simple electronic tool which tracks children's progress in line with the Early Years Foundation Stage Curriculum, Every Child A Talker, Next Steps and Observations.

Launched this year, Early Track is a simple Excel-based programme that replaces the paper-based system and tracks each child, providing an individual electronic record of progress.

The simple colour coding system enables nursery staff and childminders to easily see the progress each child is making and identify any gaps or areas of high performance in a child's development.

Leading education supplier TTS has expanded its Rainbow Range of early years ICT resources, so this is your chance to get a sneak preview.

On display will be the new Rainbow mini metal detectors providing a fun way to explore the outdoors. They are rechargeable and come with a sturdy docking station.

There will also be a chance to see the new Rainbow Easi-Speaks, which can boost children's confidence. Easi-Speaks allows children to record and playback remotely, without being attached to a PC. Alternatively, files can be downloaded straight to a PC using the inbuilt USB connector. There will also be a wide range of other TTS educational resources to explore on the day.

Easy Solution 4 Nursery Education will be exhibiting its computer software package, a business tool for nurseries aiming to improve their provision. Designed by Catherine Lyon, who used to run three busy nurseries, the tool saves practitioners time, ensures every child's individual needs are met and helps with assessment and planning.

The program is easy to use and can be customised or used flexibly, making processes easier and faster. It also allows managers to check that every child has an equal opportunity to access learning opportunities by producing graphs to compare by gender, term of birth and ethnicity. As a communication tool, Easy Solution 4 Nursery Education also assists by producing instant reports for the early years team, professionals outside the setting and other providers wherever children attend.

Action Kids will be launching its new short story books, which are accompanied by music CDs. The specially written music also tells the story and the wavy line that passes over every page explains the type of movement that goes with the music and that particular part of the story.

The company will also be showcasing its new product, Action Kids at Home, which can be purchased as a set of seven or individually.

Each one of the Action Kids at Home series includes a fold-up A3 sheet of card containing a set of ten easy-to-use activities and an accompanying CD with five tracks of original music.

TRAINING

Rosy Apple Childcare Training will be available at the show to discuss training needs and explain its courses. It is also on the lookout for high-quality training providers to become part of its team.

Rosy Apple runs workshops specifically designed to develop the confidence and competence of early years practitioners in understanding the needs of young children. Its many courses cover exploring the value and benefits of outdoor play, the importance of attachment relationships in relation to the EYFS, self-evaluation and Ofsted, and how to promote your business.

INDOOR PLAY AND OUTDOOR PLAY

Community Playthings will be showcasing its new Nursery Gym on which children can crawl, climb and slide. The flexible gym can be reconfigured to create a new 'playscape' and can be made to fit whatever space you have. It includes attractive hidey-holes and tunnels for babies and toddlers to explore. A whole range of sets are on offer to suit different ages and different-sized rooms, from The Palace and Tower Bridge to a simple Climb and Slide.

Anyone who books seminar tickets in advance of the show will be put into a draw to win a Community Playthings Nursery Gym worth more than £1,700.

Play company Fawns Recreational Service is launching its new range of activity units, the Woodland Explorer Range. These combine natural play-grade timber with rope and rock holds to replicate tree climbing, rope swinging and a rock face.

The Woodland Explorer Range has been designed on the basis of feedback from nurseries and schools, where both teachers and children asked for more challenges.

The company will also be showcasing a range of outdoor mini instruments especially designed for young children in a nursery setting. This range of mini musical instruments has been created exclusively for Fawns following collaboration with Freenotes, the award-winning outdoor musical instrument manufacturer. The three separate instruments, all waterproof, can produce an array of uplifting sounds. They have been named 'Watoto', 'Malaika' and 'Wazawa' - which is the word 'child' translated into Swahili and Ugandan.

EYFS SEMINARS

The seminar programme at Nursery World North is themed around the revised Early Years Foundation Stage to be delivered from September 2012.

The two days offer ten highly informative seminars, addressing the three prime areas of learning - social and emotional development, physical development, and communication and language - plus other aspects of the EYFS, such as safeguarding and engaging with parents.

The first day kicks off with an overview of the EYFS Review recommendations, Government responses and ways to prepare for the revised framework.

Ann Langston, director of consultancy Early Years Matters, who contributed to both the EYFS Review and the development of the Birth to Three Matters framework, will be giving her views and guiding delegates through the revised framework.

She is followed by Penny Tassoni, early years consultant and author, who will talk about supporting children's mathematical development and how to plan for and promote enjoyable mathematical thinking.

As physical learning looks set to become a priority within the revised EYFS, Jonathan Doherty, an expert in physical development, a consultant with Early Years Matters and former member of the National Strategies team, will be giving an overview of best practice.

Much has been written about gender differences and underachievement among boys. Jan Dubiel, formerly of the QCDA, now national development manager for the Early Excellence Training and Resource Centre in Huddersfield, will discuss practical approaches and how to create learning environments that promote boys' learning across the revised EYFS.

The day will finish with another seminar by Penny Tassoni, looking at how communication and language will be central to the revised EYFS.

The second day begins with Jennie Lindon, early years consultant and author, speaking on the practitioner's role in fostering children's well-being and why personal, social and emotional development will remain at the heart of the revised EYFS.

Engaging parents in their children's learning can have a massive impact on a child's development and because of this, the revised EYFS framework places a strong emphasis on early years professionals working more closely with parents. Alice Sharp, managing director of training centre Experiential Play and resource company Wonderbox, will be talking about how to build on parents' knowledge of their child and how to give them those important messages about child development and learning.

PROGRESS CHECK

A key recommendation by Dame Clare Tickell, who carried out the EYFS review, is to introduce a new progress check for all two-year-olds in early education, with all parents being given a copy of the findings.

In the light of this, Jennie Lindon will take the floor again and talk about 'problem' child behaviour and discuss strategies that really work with them. Ms Lindon will guide delegates through vital positive approaches and useful strategies that stem from reflective practice.

Early years professionals all have a big role to play in safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children in their care and Ann Norburn, training and development consultant at the NSPCC National Training Centre, will be outlining what to look for in terms of safeguarding and giving advice on the role and responsibilities of early years practitioners in protecting children from harm in the light of the EYFS Review.

Alice Sharp rounds up the second day with a seminar on supporting learning for children aged under three. She will discuss how to create stimulating environments for very young children, give advice on planning and offer suggestions for innovative resources and activities that involve sharing play between adult and child.

Nursery World North Show, 7 - 8 October
Event City
Phoenix Way, Manchester M41 7TB
www.eventcity.co.uk
Friday 7 October
9.00am - 4.30pm
Saturday 8 October
9.00am - 4.30pm

Directions to venue

Road

Event City is located directly off the M60 at junctions 9 and 10. There are 3,000 free on-site Event City car parking spaces plus additional free parking around the Trafford Centre and a coach park for more than 60 vehicles.

Air

Manchester International Airport (9 miles)

Liverpool John Lennon Airport (30 miles)

Public transport

Bus number X50 or 250 goes directly to the Trafford Centre from Manchester Piccadilly train station.

Bus number 100 goes to the Trafford Centre from Manchester Victoria train station.

From Stretford train station, take the Metrolink Shuttle bus directly to the Trafford Centre.

Take bus number 100 from Salford Crescent.