Improve your practice: Good practice

Meeting the minimum standards is no longer enough for settings to keep customers loyal and stay ahead of the growing competition within the early years sector

Child behaviour

Acorn Early Years Training

* Managing children's behaviour: one-day course covering child behaviour, techniques used to control behaviour and gender differences.

* Working with challenging behaviour: one-day course for those working with children with learning difficulties or challenging behaviour. It looks at the reaction of staff and their attitudes, understanding and responding to challenging behaviour.

* No bullying here: looks at different approaches to dealing with bullying, and creating a bully-free environment.

british institute of learning disabilities (bild)

* Understanding challenging behaviour: introductory course in Taunton on 22 March, Kidderminster on 14 April and Warrington on 23 June exploring how to work with people who exhibit such behaviour.

* Moving on with challenging behaviour: one-day course in Sheffield on 10 February, Kidderminster on 12 April and Taunton on 13 July aimed at practitioners working with children who have a learning disability.

Concept training

* Proactive approaches to changing behaviour: supporting people to change their behaviour.

Direction Training and Management

* Behaviour management: one-day course.

* Managing bullying positively: one-day course.

experiential play

* Adult child interaction and conflict resolution: one-day course exploring interaction between adults and children. Looks at how to use conflict as a learning opportunity.

* A positive approach to young children's behaviour: one-day course focusing on how adults can look for positive ways to approach childhood behaviour that is difficult.

Hannan Consultancy

* Promoting resilience in the early years.

* Promoting resilience in vulnerable children.

High/Scope ireland

* Conflict resolution workshop: two-day interactive seminar looking at using conflict situations as opportunities for skill learning.

Kidscape

* Anti-bullying: how to resolve and reduce incidents.

* Promoting positive behaviour: course covering responsibilities, policy and procedures, code of conduct and problem-solving.

NIPPA: The Early Years Organisation

* Managing challenging behaviour in children: course is designed to give practitioners skills to support parents and carers faced with children who exhibit challenging behaviour.

The learning scaffold

* Can't or won't listen to me: one-day course on 2 February. Focuses on the reasons for some behaviour in children and looks at practical strategies to help both adults and children develop positive solutions.

Pre-School Learning Alliance (PLA)

* Managing children's behaviour: aims to assist in creating an environment in which children can develop self-esteem and discipline.

SRL Training

* Younger children - promoting positive behaviour: one-day course focusing on two- to five-year-olds. Offers a range of strategies for managing behaviour.

Wales Pre-School Playgroups Association

* Managing behaviour: eight two-hour courses aim to enable participants to work effectively with children in a playgroup setting and to encourage positive behaviour. Topics include how rules, routines and the environment affect behaviour, the use of reward and punishment, managing unwanted behaviour and promoting acceptable behaviour.

Child development

acorn early years training

* Introduction to child development: one-day course for new early years practioners exploring areas of development, influences on development and the adult's role in stimulating child development.

* How children think and behave: half-day course for those new to early years.

Early Education Training and resource centre

* Interacting with others: one-day course on 21 January exploring child development.

* Getting involved in social language and emotional well-being: evening course on 8 March with a follow-up full day on 27 May for practitioners, advisors and governors. Delegates will discuss the crucial role interaction and language play in a child's emotional development.

experiential play

* Developing children's independence and self-esteem: one-day course exploring how and why children need to develop age-appropriate independence.

Hannan Consultancy

* Securing positive outcomes: assessing the impact of severe parental difficulties on babies and young children.

institute of learning

* Personal, social and emotional education in the early years: explores ways in which children's personal, social and emotional development is fundamental to involvement in learning.

national children's bureau

* Children's personal and social development: one-day course intended for all early years staff that provides an overview of current research on the importance of a key person system for children's growth and development.

Northern Ireland Childminding Association

* Basic child development: eight-hour course giving a basic insight into child development and how practitioners can enhance a child's development.

Child protection

Acorn Early Years Training

* Safe from harm: three-day course covers the law, including the Children Act 1989, children's emotional attachment, plus indicators of abuse.

* Child protection in early years care: one-day course covering how to assess child needs and safety concerns and recognising abuse.

* Child protection and domestic violence: covering the impact of domestic violence, the inter-agency response, legal remedies, awareness of support, advice and services.

* Child protection and parents who substance misuse: covers issues surrounding substance misuse, awareness of available support, advice and services.

* Children have rights: workshop for overview of children's rights.

* Child protection conference: aims to enhance the knowledge and skills of practitioners involved in formal child protection procedures.

lSafeguarding children: one-day course looking at staff's role in child protection.

Common Threads training

* An introduction to child protection: four-hour course.

Direction Training and Management

* Child protection: one- and two-day courses available.

National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC)

* Working with black families: aims to help participants develop their confidence and skills in working with black families to safeguard children.

* Valuing diversity, safeguarding children: aims to equip participants to safeguard all children through the application of good practice.

* Protecting young children: a guide to recognising and responding to child abuse is one of the NSPCC's learning materials, and can be ordered on www.ncb-books.org.uk.

* NSPCC Training and Consultancy also designs and delivers a wide range of courses to meet specific requirements. All of its trainers have professional training qualifications.

Kidscape

* Child protection: includes keeping children safe, signs and symptons.

SRL Training

* Child protection: one-day course to enable participants to familiarise themselves with issues around protecting children from abuse. The course will explore categories of abuse, signs and symptoms, as well as the importance of working in partnership with children, their families and the relevant agencies.

Children's play and learning

Acorn Early Years Training

* An introduction to the early years: one-day course covering topics including children's play and learning, child safety, the law and leaving their parents.

* Games and more games: with indoor, outdoor, noisy, quiet, small and large groups.

* Take five for play: 15-hour course including the importance of play.

* The mechanics of play: workshop covering play typology, forms of play and mechanisms of play.

Concept training

* Understanding the multi-sensory concept: practical skills for covering multi-sensory environments.

Crechendo Training

* Observation and assessment workshop: one-day course exploring how observations and assessment help staff in their work and identify how best to manage observation and assessment systems so that they are manageable and useful.

Direction Training and Management

* Brain-based learning : one-day course.

Early Education Training and resource centre

* Boys and physical play: one-day course on 7 February focusing on the importance of physical play to boys.

* The creative spirit: one-day course on 14 March looking at creativity and ways for practitioners to plan creatively for their children.

* Advising on quality:designing spaces for young children: one-day course on 12 May for early years advisors and inspectors putting early years space design into a broad context and giving information on brief preparation for architects, LEA officers and advisory colleagues.

* Problem solving: one-day course on 20 May looking at the importance of problem-solving skills for children and how these skills can be nurtured by practitioners.

experiential play

* Music making: one-day course exploring techniques for creative music-making with young children.

* Creating an inviting role-play area: one-day course exploring how children use role play to make sense of the world.

* Mindstretchers: one-day course focusing on the role of multi-sensory learning in early years learning environments and encouraging discussions between practitioners to share good practice.

* Pop and bop: half-day course looking at energetic play and its overall positive effect on a child's development.

* Problem-solving approaches: evening course designed to give practitioners an insight into the theory behind problem solving in early education.

* Superheroes: one-day course looking into the influence that superheroes have in children's play.

* Sensory play: one-day course aimed at practitioners working with three- to five-year-olds and exploring the use of sensory materials to encourage development.

The manor tree group

* Storysacks: one-day course exploring the Storysack learning system and its use to enhance language work.

* Using philosophical inquiry with young children: one-day course looking into the importance of teacher intervention to create a 'thinking'

classroom.

NIPPA: The Early Years Organisation

* Promoting children's learning through adult/child interactions: six-hour workshop. Participants will be able to describe the vital role adults play in supporting play.

* Introducing the NIPPA observation and recording tools: six-hour course aimed at practitioners working with three- to five-year-olds.

* An introductory course in play and care for young children: ten- or 20-hour courses tailored to suit your needs and particularly suitable for parents with children up to the age of seven who want an understanding of play and its importance in the development of children. Participants will also be given 'hands-on' experience of play materials.

northern ireland childminding association

* High/Scope in the family daycare setting: eight-part course of two-hour sessions offering childminders ideas for providing a planned programme of learning and developing children's thinking, mathematical and language skills.

Wales Pre-school Playgroups Association

* What children learn in playgroup: eight-part half-hour weekly sessions, aimed at parents and playgroup workers with little or no training.

* Introduction to children's play: course of 12 two-hour weekly sessions aimed at new playgroup staff and parents. It looks at a range of aspects, including physical play, communicating with children, books and stories, food and cooking, music and rhymes, child-centred creativity and imaginative play.

* Planning for learning in the early years: 20-part course for people who have completed the Diploma in Playgroup Practice or equivalent. It aims to improve practice in early years groups and to enable students to plan a developmentally appropriate curriculum. Topics include how children learn, observation and assessment, planning a short-, medium- and long-term balanced curriculum and taking account of the six areas of learning.

Consulting with children

children in Scotland

* Participation - spice it up! one-day workshop looking for practical ways to consult and involve children and young people in any setting.

* Participation - consulting with children and young people with complex needs: one-day workshop for all those working with children with complex needs.

Direction Training and Management

* Consulting with children: one-day course.

National Children's Bureau

* Involving children in decisions that affect them: one-day course exploring what participation means - benefits, barriers, implications, successful techniques for involving young children and planned ways to increase children's participation.

NIPPA: The Early Years Organisation

* Consulting with young children: nine-part course designed to equip practitioners with the skills to consult effectively with young children.

Early years approaches

High/Scope Institute

* The High/Scope one-day introductory course: overview of the High/Scope approach that introduces its guiding principles.

* The High/Scope two-day introductory course: gives a comprehensive introduction to all the key elements of the High/Scope approach, focusing on active learning, room arrangement, daily routine, key experiences and the adult/child relationship.The course combines activities, videos and discussion.

* High/Scope implementation course: 18 two-and-a-half-hour sessions.

Training combines practical activities, videos and discussion. As part of the course the trainer will visit your setting. Areas covered include the learning environment, the daily routine, assessment and adult/child interaction.The course requires participants to write assignments on topics including reading, making observations and implementing and assessing changes, and a course journal. All sessions must be attended. On successful completion of the course participants achieve certification by the High Scope Institute.

* In addition to this course, there are specialised curriculum implementation courses for those working with children from birth to three and children with special needs.

* High/Scope training course for childminders: eight two-and-a-half sessions. This course is recommended by the National Childminding Association and meets the requirements of its Quality Childminding Charter for children's learning development. Topics covered include: providing a planned programme of learning, creating daily routines with children and developing children's thinking, mathematical and language skills.

* Trainer of trainers course: 35-day course of training by a High/Scope consultant trainer. On successful completion of the course participants will receive certification as a High/Scope endorsed trainer.This course is for people who wish to train others in the High/Scope approach. Endorsed trainers are qualified to run High/Scope courses in social services, education, independent and voluntary sectors.

High/Scope ireland

* Curriculum implementation course: ten full days training over a ten-month period covering a wide range of topics including: active learning, creating a supportive climate, interaction strategies and team work.

Montessori Centre International

* Work and play in Montessori nurseries: seminar on 11 June exploring opportunities for working and playing in a Montessori-prepared environment.

Equal opportunities

Acorn Early Years Training

* Equal opportunities: one-day course suitable for all staff to help them recognise and deal with discrimination. It will also assist in the development of an equal opportunities policy. Topics include: forms of discrimination, benefits of an equal opportunities approach and applying equal opportunities in the workplace.

* Equal opportunities for childminders: one-day course looking at equal opportunities and practical examples of good practice in childminding showing equal concern in different situations.

All Together Training and Consultancy

Workshops include:

* Making inclusion work in settings

* Children's rights and anti-discriminatory practice

* Policy-making for inclusion and equality

* Building an inclusive environment

* Policy-making for SENCO/ inclusion

* Working inclusively with parents and families

* Good practice for early years SENCOs

* Good practice in making a policy on SEN/inclusion

* Working with the Special Educational Needs Code of Practice.

Aswan Learning Centre

* Working with bilingual children and families: aims to raise the awareness of supporting children with English as an additional language. It looks at how to gain knowledge and awareness of the use of positive resources/images, parents/carers and the community as resources to support children's learning, and how to identify strategies in helping young children to achieve.

* Inclusive practice - celebrating festivals and cultures: aims to show the value and benefits of promoting an environment that reflects our diverse cultures and communities. It covers the importance of using parents/carers and the community as a resource to celebrate differences.

* Promoting equality and inclusion in the Foundation Stage curriculum: covers the importance of promoting equality in the early years, and how to provide appropriate resources and play for the early years.

* The role of the equal opportunities co-ordinator: areas covered include identifying gaps in monitoring practice.

Concept training

* Inclusive play: workshop recommended for those working at developing an inclusive setting.

* Working non-aversively with children and adults with ASD: introductory workshop on Autistic Spectrum Disorder looking at the use of non-aversive approaches to behavioural change.

* An introduction for those meeting or working with people with special needs: workshop for people new to special needs.

Direction Training and Management

* The role of the SENCO: one-day course.

Early Education Training and resource centre

* Working with children with English as an additional language: evening seminar on 9 February for practitioners wanting to develop their skills in supporting children who have English as a second language.

* Meeting children's physical and emotional needs: evening course on 8 March focusing on creating a welcoming and inclusive environment.

Early Years Equality (EYE)

Early Years Equality is a registered charity working to promote race equality in the field of early years provision. It provides equality training and seminars to promote and support anti-racist practice.

experiential play

* Action for leisure: one-day course focusing on inclusive play. Key areas include creating a supportive area for children with different abilities and enabling all children to take part in their community.

Hannan Consultancy

* Disability awareness and inclusive play.

* Communicating with disabled children.

Kids active

Kidsactive promotes play for disabled children and young people, works in close partnership with professionals who provide services for disabled children and provides training services and consultations.

* Including everybody - training programme on inclusion: considers attitudes to disability and ways to promote disability equality in play, childcare and after-school provision.

* Let's all play: five-hour introductory course that looks at the basics of inclusive practice.

* Planning inclusive play: 35-hour Level 3 training course delivered in six sessions over three months. Provides an indepth understanding of the policy of practice of inclusion.

National Association for Special Educational Needs (NASEN)

NASEN promotes the education, training, advancement and development of all people with special educational needs. It has produced policies on the early years, professional development, partnership with parents, curriculum access and learning support assistants, among others.

NATIONAL CHILDREN'S BUREAU

* Inclusion matters workshops: four one-day workshops reflecting on issues relating to special educational needs, disability and inclusion. The workshops look at exploring exclusion and equality, building an inclusive environment, making inclusion work for children and families and training the trainers for equality and inclusion.

NIPPA: The Early Years Organisation

* Working with children who have special needs: 20-hour course enabling practitioners to develop the skills needed to plan structured programmes to help children with SEN.

* Breaking down barriers: creating an awareness of sectarianism: two-hour course reflecting on anti-sectarianism in early years settings and strategies to challenge sectarian behaviour.

* Breaking down barriers: challenging sectarianism in the early years: six-hour course designed to allow participants to explore the effects of sectarianism. They will explore their own thoughts on sectarianism, the effects of sectarianism within settings and strategies to challenge sectarianism.

* Breaking down barriers: challenging discrimination in the early years: ten-hour course over a series of workshops looking at ways of ensuring equal opportunities. In line with Section 75 of the Northern Ireland Act (1998), the course covers gender, disability, culture and sectarianism.

Participants will be encouraged to develop action plans to ensure the development of equal opportunities within their setting.

Northern Ireland Childminding Association

* Extra special - working with children with additional needs: 20-hour course covering causes of conditions, observing, planning and evaluating learning for special needs children, behaviour management and child protection.

* Equal opportunities: eight-hour course covering topics including legislation, inclusion, respecting diversity, resources that promote equality of opportunity and challenging attitudes.

Persona Doll Training

* Equality in practice: course built around Persona dolls, which are a powerful tool for exploring, uncovering and confronting racism and other inequalities. This course is for early years practitioners, inspectors and lecturers looking for effective ways to challenge bias.

Playgroup Network

Contact regional associations for details of courses on:

* Valuing diversity

* Inclusion.

Pre-School Learning Alliance

* Promoting equal opportunity: six-hour course exploring the effects of prejudice and discrimination. Focuses on ways to create an inclusive and nurturing environment in the setting.

* Equality of opportunity - principles into practice: six-hour course looking at the principles that underpin practice promoting equality and diversity, and the importance of monitoring and evaluating strategies used to promote equality and diversity.

* Equality of opportunity - policies into practice: 20-hour course looking at the practice of effective equal opportunities and ways to create a culture of commitment to equality of opportunity in early years settings, how the promotion of equality of opportunity affects areas of practice and how to ensure the promotion of equality of opportunity is consistently maintained.

* Inclusive practice - the fundamentals of putting the child first: six-hour course exploring the ideas which form the basis for the right of all children to be consulted on matters concerning their care and education. It explores the barriers which may exclude them from fully participating in the decision-making process and how to help plan effective participation for all children.

* Special educational needs and disabilities - the fundamentals of inclusive practice: six-hour workshop to assist pre-schools to support children with special educational needs and their families and to raise awareness of the attitudes, knowledge and understanding needed to provide effectively for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities.

SRL Training

* Anti-bias practice: aims to explore attitudes towards race, gender, disability and those who are discriminated against, to consider how to develop and implement equal opportunities policies, to identify strategies for monitoring and recording incidents of discrimination, and to be aware of recent legislation.

* Working with children who have English as a second or additional language: aims to provide participants with the essential information and skills needed for working with children who have English as a second language, to consider how children acquire language, to explore recent research, and to consider strategies to support the bilingual child.

* Disabled children andinclusive practice: one-day course helping practitioners to understand basic equality, inclusion and the implication of the new Special Educational Needs and Disability Discrimination legislation.

Wales Pre-School Playgroups Association

* Playing together: six two-hour weekly course aiming to promote good practice in the integration and inclusion of children who have special needs in a pre-school setting. It explores the benefits of integrated play for all children, as well as giving advice and support for best practice.

Working Group Against Racism in Children's Resources (WGARCR)

WGARCR has developed a range of one-day and half-day courses which will provide a forum for parents and professionals to discuss appropriate play and learning activities, resources and stratergies for challenging racism in childhood care and education:

* Evaluation and selection of children's resources in an anti-racist framework

* Celebrating festivals in an anti-racist framework

* Presenting positive images in posters and displays

* Promoting children's first languages.

National standards and inspections

Playgroup Network

Contact regional associations for details of courses on:

* Preparing for inspections.

Nutrition

The kids' cookery school

The Kids' Cookery School (KCS) provides children with the opportunity toJaccess fun, educational, practical and hands-on cookery workshops.J experiential play

* Capers in the kitchen: one-day course exploring ways to create a positive eating environment and how to extend this into play areas.

SRL Training

* Nutritional health: one-day course exploring the importance of nutrition to the growth, health, learning and life expectancy of children and young people. Looking at the role of practitioners in promoting nutritional health by the provision of playful experiences and activities with children.

Outdoors

Acorn Early Years Training

* Using the outdoors: one-day course exploring ways of using the outdoors to stimulate development and as a learning tool. Topics include meeting developmental needs, developing and extending outdoor play opportunities, creating opportunities for imaginative and creative play outdoors and aiding sensory development.

archimedes training Provides training to enable practitioners to create a safe nurturing experience.

* Level 1, Forest Schools skills: three-day course for practitioners with little or no experience working in the outdoors. Basic woodland skills covered, including flora and fauna.

* Level 2: five-day course aimed at individuals who want to assist a Forest School Practitioner (Level 3) in the delivery of Forest School sessions in woodland environment.

* Level 3: course giving an opportunity to explore to a higher level, different approach to using the outdoor environment. You will investigate how best to design and run a Forest School programme and look at how to approach and apply it safely and effectively.

Bridgwater College Forest School

The school's training programme aims to train those wishing to set up and run Forest Schools. It offers the following courses:

* Forest School visits: held monthly, involve a brief presentation.

* Adult taster days: an opportunity to spend a day in the woodland finding out what Forest School is like and experiencing the same kind of personal development that the children experience.

* Presentations and conferences: an outreach co-ordinator can come to your setting to deliver a workshop.

* Training courses: part-time and intensive outreach courses are available anywhere in the UK. They range from a Level 1 Skills course, for someone who may be interested in developing their use of the outdoor setting, to the Level 3 Forest School Leaders' Award. Courses include techniques for building self-esteem, experiential learning and behaviour management, delivering the Foundation Stage curriculum and practical skills, including using tools and building fires.

Early Education Training and resource centre

* Autonomy independence and trusting children to learn outdoors: one-day course on 25 March looking at strategies for working with parents and other staff to improve confidence in outdoor play, timetable and equipment management and how to balance the indoor/outdoor curriculum.

Institute of education

* Outdoor play: one-day course on 25 January looking at why outdoor play is so important for all-round development of children and ways to plan and develop the outdoor area as a stimulating learning environment.

Learning through landscapes

* Provides a range of training for teachers, governors, parents and school grounds practitioners. The topics covered include: early years provision for the outdoors and taking the formal curriculum outdoors.

Its Early Years Outdoor Service helps settings plan and manage high-quality creative outdoor play.

SRL Training

* Outdoor play: one-day course focusing on the purpose and aims of outdoor play. Explores ways of countering stereotypical behaviours that hinder children's development in relation to outdoor play and offers a range of resources that can be used to support specific skills.

Playwork

Common Threads training

* Playwork basics

* Playwork - theory and practice: a 14-hour course.

* A positive approach to behaviour: a seven-hour course.

* Therapeutic playwork: a 14-hour course.

Working with parents Acorn Early Years Training

* Parents and their child's development: one-day course for new parents wanting to gain a better understanding of how they can assist their child's development.

Aswan Learning Centre

* Working in partnership with parents and carers: covers key strategies necessary in working effectively with parents/carers.

direction training and management

* Working with parents: a one-day course.

experiential play

* Holistic community approaches: one-day course focusing on how to include the wider community. Highlights include looking at ways to include parents in the playroom, fundraising and innovative ways of sharing information with parents.

The manor tree group

* Managing parents: one-day course on 28 January looking at how to build effective relationships with parents.

National Children's Bureau

* Working in partnership with parents: one-day course providing guidance on how to overcome barriers and promote parental participation in early years settings.

NIPPA: The Early Years Organisation

* Involving parents/carers - creative partnerships in action: 12.5-hour course helping practitioners to develop skills to create an effective partnership with parents.

Playgroup Network

Contact regional associations for details of courses on:

* Parenting support and working with toddlers.

Pre-School Learning Alliance (PLA)

* Making links with parents and communities: ten-hour course for leaders, managers and experienced staff. This course will look at how to develop action plans to improve partnerships with parents.

Twins and Multiple Births Association (TAMBA)

TAMBA is a nationwide charity providing information and mutual support networks for families of twins, triplets and more by highlighting their special needs. The charity has specialist support groups for one-parent families, parents of tripletsor more, special needs families,those who have lost one or more of a multiple-birth set, and parents who are expecting or have twins, triplets or more as a result of fertility treatment.

TAMBA also seeks to ensure that parents and professionals can work in partnership to ensure that the needs of twins, triplets and more are met.

Although primarily a parent support organisation, TAMBA also offers information and training education for professionals.