Nursery World Show 2018 - Show up!

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With a wide range of exhibitors offering products, services and resources, and several special offers and competitions, the Nursery World Show 2018 promises to be an event not to be missed by anyone involved in early years. The show, which has a packed programme of seminars and masterclasses, will take place on Friday 2 and Saturday 3 February 2018 at the Business Design Centre in London.

EQUIPMENT

Musicbuds, which offers a holistic approach to delivering the EYFS objectives through music, will launch newly published resources including ‘ready to go’ teaching packs that provide a set of original 30-minute music and movement sessions, a variety of songs, props, lyric booklets and CDs, as well as free idea sheets. Musicbuds will also be offering a free prize draw to win gift tokens worth up to £100.

Wild Fangs is giving £20 off hour-long animal visits and £80 off full-day animal visits at the show.

Hope Education will be showcasing some of the 1,875 products in its catalogue, including resources for under-twos and equipment for outdoor, messy and creative play. It will also be offering an exclusive show discount, a goody bag for the first 100 visitors to the stand, and the chance to win a prize for visitors explaining why they #LoveHope on social media.

Also at the show: AGP Grass, Community Playthings, EduFilm, Eduzone, Funky Feet Music, Early Years Direct, Genee World, GoServe, Graduation Attire, Greenspan Projects, Kiddiwash, Never Never Land, Nexus – TEC, Outside Classroom Boards, Route 2 Education, TTS Group and Yellow Door.

BOOKS

Since the launch of Herts for Learning’s Places to Play Every Day publications in October 2016 (winner of the Nursery World Staff Resources Award 2017), more than 500 copies of the early years guidance books and more than 400 of the audits have been sold across the UK. Herts for Learning will be giving away a bundle that includes a copy of the resource, toolkits and a bottle of Prosecco.

BookSpace will be unveiling a new range of book corner furniture that gets children excited about reading by using a palette of contemporary colours, adding fun features and seating areas and with book jackets that can be seen and reached by children.

Clickety Books will launch a set of titles in its Early Soundplay Bundle series at the show. These support speech sound awareness and vocabulary development, boosting early language and literacy skills for all children, including those with English as an additional language or with language delay. Developed by speech and language therapists, the bundles all come with puppets, guides and audio to accompany the books.

Also at the show: Hodder Education, Practical Pre-School Books and LearningBook.

SERVICES

Contact Group, provider of communication and data services to more than 3,000 nurseries, schools and academies, will be holding a prize draw for one attendee to win a huge plush teddy bear. Its products include Call Parents, a parental engagement platform including messaging and payment options, and OurSchoolsApp, a secure and personalised app for parents featuring news, an integrated calendar and free push notifications. The group is also offering 20 per cent off the app.

Also at the show: Auditel, Childcare Choices, Famly, Fantastic Services, Good Start Great Start from Middlesex University, Little Urchins, NiceSmile School and Nursery Photographers, and The School Renovation Company.

CURRICULUM AND ASSESSMENT

Blossom Educational will be showcasing many new features as part of its digital assessment, parent communication and nursery admin platform, which aims to streamline processes to combat the challenges of a paper-based system to better track and monitor children’s progress. Blossom will also be displaying its new ParentApp. It is offering a 30 per cent discount voucher at the show, and all new members will be entered into a prize draw for a chance to win an iPad Mini and an annual subscription.

Kinderly, the online learning journal and accounting software company, will be offering a 15 per cent discount worth up to £420 off its annual subscription, as well as the chance to win an iPad on each day of the show.

Also at the show: eyLog and Octopus Journals.

TRAINING

The University of Greenwich is holding a free prize draw to win £25 worth of book vouchers, as well as offering personal guidance and advice on undergraduate and postgraduate programmes from academics.

Azilo.com will be showcasing its newly developed, eco-friendly training and compliance tracking tool for the first time. Azilo.com aims to reduce the cost and time spent delivering CPD training and tracking staff qualifications, while allowing organisations to create and deliver their own training specific to their setting. It also offers staff access to discounts at shops, cinemas, restaurants and for days out. Azilo.com will be offering a free 30-day trial and a prize draw to win a luxury hamper at the show.

Dingley’s Promise has developed a training programme for early years practitioners who want to include children with SEND more effectively and make their whole setting more inclusive. The course is online, with practical activities and a forum to exchange ideas, and takes 120 hours over four months to complete. The course is accredited by NCFE at Level 3. Delegates can meet the team behind the training and sign up for an introductory rate of £495.

The Communication Trust will be presenting its new free CPD online short course, ‘An introduction to speech, language and communication’, which has been redeveloped to be tailored to the needs of practitioners working across four different educational pathways: early years, primary, secondary or further education. The trust will also exhibit its One Stop Guide to commissioning speech and language therapy services for early years settings.

Advisors from Europe’s largest provider of Montessori training in Europe, Montessori Centre International, will be on hand to answer questions about how their full-time, part-time and online courses can set you up for a career working in Montessori and early years settings.

Get 20 per cent off CACHE Alumni membership at the Nursery World Show. CACHE Alumni is an exclusive professional membership service designed to support CACHE-qualified practitioners, delivery centres and employers in early years education. It is packed with tools and resources to help early years practitioners continue their learning journeys and achieve their career aspirations. The service includes CPD opportunities, career information, job search and offers.

Also at the show: Autism Education Trust, Canterbury Christ Church University, Early Start Group, I CAN, PrATiQ The Centre of Development, Threads of Success – Kent County Council, MCW Consulting, Morris & Simmons Education, NEyTCO, Omnia Training Solutions, Parenta, the University of Bedfordshire and the University of East London.

RECRUITMENT

The LEYF is inviting practitioners to experience a model LEYF nursery in the Early Years Careers Zone (see overleaf) with the help of Community Playthings. LEYF will be using this ‘nursery’ as a place to discuss career opportunities with potential candidates for a range of available roles from apprentices to managers.

Hello Mums is offering an exclusive deal at the show of £11 per hour for the provision of temporary, short-term and permanent nursery staff in London.

Also at the show: Daisy Chain Childcare Recruitment, JBD Recruitment, Mark Warner, TUI and Yellow Duck Childcare.

ORGANISATIONS

The Pre-School Learning Alliance will be offering 10 per cent off membership plus a free gift for anyone who signs up at the show. Visitors to the alliance’s stand will also have the chance to enter a prize draw to win one of five packs of its specialist publications, each worth over £60.

The education and children’s services group from union Prospect will be offering the opportunity to win a Kindle Fire HD, as well as three months’ free membership to anyone who joins during the show.

As part of PACEY’s ‘#childcarechampions’ campaign, the organisation will be celebrating the work of early years childcare providers by inviting visitors to the stand to spin a wheel to reveal prizes ranging from a pack of PACEY crayons to a free paediatric first-aid course. And you can pick up a free copy of Childcare Professionalmagazine, learn about free childcare directory SearchChildcare, or find out about the benefits of PACEY membership, which includes eight free online CPD courses, free support calls and free legal advice.

Also at the show: nasen, National Day Nurseries Association (NDNA), Sport Relief 2018 and Voice.

NUTRITION AND HEALTH

Action for Children will be exhibiting its voluntary food and drink guidelines for early years settings in England, Eat Better, Start Better.

Also at the show: The Nursery Catering Company and the Oral Health Foundation.

CPD AT THE SHOW

There is a fantastic line-up of half-day masterclasses and hour-long seminars, all led by top early years experts.

MASTERCLASSES

On Friday, our panel of speakers will reflect on how early years educators can best inspire children, particularly in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics), in the masterclass ‘How Children Learn: inspiring, supporting, teaching’.

The life and career of Dr Maggie Aderin-Pocock (see Interview) provide reminders of the principles that underpin the EYFS and raise important questions about the quality of the early years curriculum.

Jan Bennett, head teacher, and Stella Carefull, nursery teacher, will talk about the exciting projects they are undertaking within STEM, and Julie Fisher will discuss the importance of high-quality interactions in early years teaching and learning.

The masterclass will run from 9.30am-12.30pm on 2 February.

On Saturday, Jo Warin, Rachel Hehir, Charlotte Van Wely, Gary Wilson and Alice Sharp will lead ‘Boys’ Learning: rethinking gender and early years practice’.

Jo Warin, senior lecturer in the department of educational research at Lancaster University specialising in gender, will discuss reassessing nature and nurture with regards to binary gender and myths of girls’ and boys’ development.

Rachel Hehir and Charlotte Van Wely from Brentry & Henbury Children’s Centre in Bristol will then present on the action research ‘Anytime is story time Bristol – engaging boys in reading’; and Gary Wilson, early years consultant specialising in boys’ learning, will consider changing attitudes and how to rethink provision to banish stereotypes.

Finally, Alice Sharp, managing director of Experiential Play, will discuss the Approved by Dads training project that is boosting the numbers of male early years practitioners in Glasgow.

This masterclass is from 9.30am-12.30pm on 3 February.

SEMINARS

A packed seminar programme will feature themes from across the EYFS, with speakers including Clare Crowther, Anne O’Connor, Judith Twani, Marc Faulder, June O’Sullivan, Dr Kay Mathieson, Penny Tassoni and Professor Padraic Monaghan.

Subjects include the importance of laughing, picture books, block play, maths, school readiness, physical development, Reggio Emilia, special educational needs and disability (SEND), multilingual children, technology and role play.

SPECIAL FEATURES

EARLY YEARS RESOURCES AND LEARNING ZONE

For the second year in a row, TTS will be sponsoring the interactive Early Years Resources and Learning Zone at the Nursery World Show, creating an area where visitors can participate in informative activities, browse new resources and take away informative content. A specialist team will be on hand to talk about a variety of topics, including making the most of your space indoors and out, and enhancing provision.

TRAINING AND CONSULTANCY ZONE

NEyTCO is once again sponsoring the Training and Consultancy Zone. Don’t miss the opportunity to enjoy free access to the top trainers and consultants offering expert help, advice and guidance founded on real experience and practical solutions.

LIVE THEATRE

The Live Theatre on the exhibition floor, sponsored by Christie & Co, offers free presentations delivered by leading suppliers and advocates on both days. Make sure you drop in to pick up some great advice and guidance. The line-up includes Smarties and Cedar House Day Nurseries, The Communication Trust, Autism Education Trust, LEYF, Puzzle Centre Trust and HMRC.

NUTRITION ZONE

The Nutrition Zone will feature a lively mix of sessions, including live cookery demonstrations all delivered by leading nursery food and nutrition experts. Members of the well-being and nutrition team at Early Start Wellbeing and Nutrition, as well as representatives of LEYF, will be helping to cook up a storm.

EARLY YEARS CAREERS ZONE

This new zone is sponsored by this year’s early years careers partner, the London Early Years Foundation (LEYF). LEYF is passionate about its approach to childcare and wants to share it with all early years practitioners by turning an area at the show into a dedicated LEYF children’s nursery. This way, practitioners interested in working with LEYF can experience the closest thing to a real LEYF nursery. If you are looking for a new career opportunity in 2018, make sure you speak to the LEYF nursery team as they would love to meet you and hear all about your ambitions.

FURTHER INFORMATION

The Nursery World Show 2018 is on 2-3 February at London’s Business Design Centre, www.nurseryworldshow.com. Visit the Nursery World stand to meet the team and find subscription offers.