New PANCo role is designed to make health and well-being a priority

The role of the Physical Activity and Nutrition Co-ordinator (PANCo) works in much the same way as a SENCO and is intended as a key strategy to address overweight and obesity in young children.

A new Certificate in Early Years Physical Activity and Nutrition (EYPAN), endorsed by CACHE, was offered to a pilot group at the beginning of the year and is taking six months of part-time study to complete. There are currently 20 students on the course and they will help to shape the final qualification when it is officially launched in July.

Linda Baston-Pitt, director of the Old School House Nursery in Cambridgeshire, and a main mover in the project, reports that it has taken a while to come to fruition.  

She says, 'Faye Bentley, childhood obesity co-ordinator for NHS Cambridgeshire, and I had been talking for a long while about the need for training and qualifications in early years nutrition, to ensure children develop life-long healthy eating habits.

Pam Byrd, head of the Academy of Care, health and Early Years at Cambridge Regional College and her early years workforce development colleagues Gillian Gresham and Judith Mutter, had been in separate consultations with the British Hearth Foundation National Centre in Loughborough looking at setting up a regional Physical Literacy hub in their new premises in Cambridge. They shared concerns about child health and well-being and were researching new qualification options and ways to support settings.

Collectively everyone in the group saw the need to create a complete health and well-being programme, backed up with training and a qualification, covering all areas of healthy living for the early years - including nutrition as well as exercise.

It was the prospect of bidding for a small funding grant that galvanised activity and created a cross sector partnership of experts in the county to focus on the project. This group includes Patricia Maude, a specialist tutor in children's movement and development at Homerton College, Cambridge and Sonia McGeorge from the British Hert Foundation National Centre.

The EYPAN pilot was launched last autumn with the support of Ms Maude, who says, 'For young children to be nurtured by knowledgeable professionals as they embark on their physical literacy journey, will help to ensure that they develop a phsycially active lifestyle and achieve physical competence in their early years.'

Ms Maude says, 'For young children to be nurtured by knowledgeable professionals as they embark on their physical literacy journey, will help to ensure that they develop a physically active life-style and achieve physical competence in their early years.

'Physical literacy also embraces the confidence, motivation, knowledge and understanding to maintain and develop these throughout childhood.'

 

WHAT EYPAN INVOLVES

The course is designed to build practitioner skills and confidence when it comes to supporting children's well-being which is the key responsibility of the PANCo. It delivers a framework of knowledge based on current research and guidelines (such as the Caroline Walker Trust nutritional guidelines), and highlights how practitioners can work collaboratively with a wide range of partners, including families and external professionals.

Initially students learn about the role and responsibilities of the PANCo, before moving on to the Level 3-plus professional development qualification. This involves three modules:

• Promoting positive nutrition Focusing on how to develop a 'whole' nursery environment that promotes healthy eating to children and families.

• Promoting physical activity Increasing understanding of the importance of children's physical development, emphasising the skills and tools needed to ensure children can access a wide range of active play and physical activities.

• Managing change in an early years setting Examining a number of factors influencing well-being within a setting, and focusing on strategies for implementing areas of change that will encourage healthy nutrition and activity.

The final phase of the course is using this expertise to gain the quality award scheme for the setting - Promoting Health in Early Years Settings - which has been developed by Cambridgeshire PHSE service.


Linda Baston-Pitt says, 'As the revised EYFS standards states that a  healthy diet and regular physical activity are crucial for a healthy childhood, staff in early years settings need to understand the important role they play and need to be aware of their responsibilities in the promotion of health and wellbeing.'

The PANCo develop team believe it is essential that staff have the knowledge and understanding and are able to provide guidance, support and consistent healthy living messages, that help children and families to achieve the most positive health and wellbeing outcomes.'

The key aims of the programme are:

• To put child wellbeing at the centre of practice by developing a specialist PANco role within every early years settings

• To build practitioner skills and confidence to undertake this role by providing training support and continuous professional development.

• To support the well-being of children, families and staff by developing a framework and knowledge base using current research and national guidelines

• To work collaboratively with others by establishing close working relationships with a wide range of partners, including external professionals

Ms Baston-Pitt adds, 'Our ultimate goal is to keep health and well-being at the top of the national agenda by creating an opportunity for professionals in both education and health to learn together.'