EYFS - Learning and Development

BIRTH TO THREES

ACORN CHILDCARE TRAINING

• Activities for the under-twos: one-day course for practitioners new to this age group. Topics include play and development, heuristic play, treasure baskets and evaluating equipment.

• Understanding activities for the under-threes for the experienced practitioner - one-day course for carers with at least five years' experience in early years care. Topics similar to those above.

CRECHENDO TRAINING

• Advanced practice in working with babies: Crechendo has been validated to run this CACHE course

DANCE IN A BAG

• Baby Moves Level 2:  born explorers: in order to attend this course you must have attended a Baby Moves Level 1.

• Baby Moves Level 3:  the social baby: following on from Baby Moves Levels 1 and 2 this course celebrates how social babies are and give you more ideas on how to develop these innate skills.

• Percussion music in the early years: this workshop examines the exciting world of percussion music with babies and young children.

EARLY EDUCATION TRAINING AND RESOURCE CENTRE

• The significance of the first two years of life: this course focuses on the developmental importance of a baby’s first two years, and priorities for practitioners working with children under two.

EARLY EXCELLENCE

• Working with two-year-olds and vulnerable families: considers the challenges for practitioners in working with both children and parents when the main focus has to remain on the child, as well as developmentally realistic expectations of two-year-olds who have had supportive early experiences compared to the implications for early years practice when child development has been affected by unfavourable circumstances.

• Working with children under three: exploring the issues that can arise when developing high-quality provision with babies, toddlers and two year olds.

EARLY YEARS MATTERS

• Observation, assessment and planning – birth to three years olds: focusing on observation, effective planning in the EYFS and developing effective assessment processes.

• Baby practitioner training – working with under-twos: one-day course discussing enabling environments for babies and young children in group care, the role of the key person, changes and dilemmas in relation to routines and ‘custom and practice’ in the care of babies and young children, and how to work effectively with parents.

EARLY YEARS ORGANISATION

• The High/Scope tender care and early learning course: twelve-day course over 12 months, aimed at those working with under-threes and who wish to use the High/Scope approach in day care, crèche and SureStart settings.

• An introduction to the child observation record tools: two-day course aimed at practitioners working with children under three years of age.

ICAN

• Working with under-3s – positive approaches to supporting communication development: focuses on how babies and toddlers learn to communicate, the stages of play development and its links with language acquisition, ideas of activities which can develop language within an everyday play environment and how to gather information if children are having speech, language or communication difficulties.

MAD ACADEMY

• Music and movement for babies: workshop enabling nursery staff to plan and deliver activities involving music and movement to develop babies' sensory awareness.

MATERNITY AND NANNY TRAINING (MNT)

• Baby care for nannies: one-day course for nannies, maternity nurses, nursery nurses and expectant parents. Topics include general care, bedtime routines and sleeping, feeding, weaning and behaviour.

• The maternity nanny practitioner: three days of formal teaching for experienced professionals. Leads to a qualification in maternity nursing. Covers care of newborns and post-natal mothers, and how to gain employment in the maternity sector.

• Postnatal depression: one-day course covering the condition, signs and symptoms, risk factors, and how to support sufferers and their families.

• Care of multiples: one-day course covering caring for twins and multiple births, premature and other special-care babies, including feeding and sleeping and establishing routines.

• Sleep training: two-day course covering normal sleep habits and problems.

MUSIC FOR STARTERS

• Making music with very young babies: practitioners on this course will explore musical activities that can be used with children up to 12 months.

NATIONAL CHILDREN'S BUREAU

• Babies to threes: this one-day course will emphasise the importance of relationships and experiences in the first year. Covers the early development of self-concept, baby/adult interactions and the foundations of early learning, relating issues to participants' experience.

NATIONAL DAY NURSERIES ASSOCIATION (NDNA)

• Enriching play and learning for 0 to 2-year-olds: one-day courses aimed at Level 2 practitioners. It focuses on play and learning in the EYFS and on environments that enrich the play and learning experience.

NATIONAL LITERACY TRUST

• Foundations for life - shaping babies’ futures in an evolving landscape: this Talk to Your Baby conference on 4 November will look at how the changing landscape of the early years sector will impact on practitioners and professionals. Speakers include Dame Clare Tickell.

NOEL QUINN

• Effectively meeting the needs of 2 year olds: considering the developmental needs of 2 year olds, their uniqueness as a group, and using attachment as a basis for ensuring their needs are addressed effectively.

PEN GREEN RESEARCH, DEVELOPMENT AND TRAINING BASE AND LEADERSHIP CENTRE

• Places to learn places to be: two-day seminar for practitioners working with children from 0-3 allowing them to develop their understanding of how to provide an enabling environment and explore the way children learn using different concepts and frameworks.

PLAYTRAIN

• Mini-movers - exploring movement play with babies: a training course in movement play for use with babies aged between 6 weeks and 18 months. It explores best practice in child-led movement activities using props, songs and music to encourage babies to move and express themselves.

TRACY SEED ASSOCIATES

• Tuning into the terrific twos: a one-day course considering two-year-old children’s behaviour and the role of the adult in supporting positive interaction in the context of holistic development.

STEPPING STONES TRAINING

• I am almost three…: a course investigating the importance of developing independence in toddlers, including planning effectively and developing free-flow play.

TO BABY AND BEYOND

To Baby and Beyond Academy of Infant Massage offers a range of courses on baby massage.

• Accredited Diploma in Teaching Infant Massage: a baby/infant massage instructors’ course.

• Baby massage classes: held monthly for parents and carers. To Baby and Beyond also holds specific baby massage workshops for fathers.

• Certificate in Using Infant Massage in Childcare Settings: specifically for child carers enabling them to massage children in their care. Suitable for nannies, child carers and nurseries.

THE TOTEM POLE

• Beginning with babies

• Fun on the floor

• Teaching infant massage: three-day course providing practitioners with the knowledge and teaching ability to safely and effectively deliver infant massage sessions and courses in a variety of settings to various individuals and groups.

THREE TO FIVE YEARS

ACORN CHILDCARE TRAINING

• Introduction to the Early Years Foundation Stage: six-hour course covering how it can be used in everyday practice and how it links to Every Child Matters.

• An introduction to the early learning goals: one-day course for those new to early years education. Provides an overview of how the EYFS (3-5s) learning goals can be achieved.

• Active learning in the Foundation Stage (3-5s): one-day course exploring active learning, its part in helping children to become independent and the role of the adult in supporting active learning.

BEAM EDUCATION

An extensive programme of maths courses across the county that cover such topics as the Foundation Stage, problem-solving approaches, personalising learning, and number and calculation.

• Maths through role-play: one-day course showing how to use role play as a starting point to help children develop their understanding in maths. The course provides contexts for problem solving and numeracy skills suggesting role play scenarios with particular mathematical aspects to draw out and ideas for a wide range of experiences to involve children in practical ‘maths with a purpose’.

THE CHILDCARE COMPANY
The Childcare Company has developed an online training programme linked to an e-portfolio system known as the "Laser" which is written and updated by childcare professionals and teachers. Courses include:

• Observing children: defining what makes an effective observation and how it can be used in children’s future development.

• The gender agenda: explaining recent research about differences in the brain and development between boys and girls and considering how to make settings more gender-friendly.

CHILDCARE CONSULTANCY

• Observations, assessment and planning in the EYFS

• "Dinosaurs and dolls": exploring child development and gender

• "Not just computers": supporting children’s learning using ICT

• "It’s not just at circle-time": personal, social and emotional development in the EYFS

CHILDREN IN SCOTLAND

• Promoting the principles of play: half-day workshop exploring the importance of play both as a vehicle for learning and as a therapeutic tool.

• Kid's Talk? Communicating effectively with children under 7: one-day workshop exploring how we can communicate effectively with young children - based on theories of child development and linguistics.

COMMON THREADS TRAINING

• Improving practice through evaluation: focusing on how to carry out meaningful evaluations and use the results to develop practice in any setting.  

CONCEPT TRAINING

• Practical and effective ways of using multi-sensory equipment: practical skills for covering multi-sensory environments.

CREATIVITY IN PRACTICE
A variety of sessions linked to the Early Years Foundation Stage are available on topics such as Unique Child, Positive Relationships, Enabling Environments and Learning and Development.

• The Magic of Imagination!: a workshop focusing on the art of storytelling with and for children at home, in the early years setting or at school.

• Making the most of circle-time: enhancing the application of circle time on a practical level, making explicit links to the Early Years Foundation Stage’s four key themes across the spectrum of the EYFS curriculum and early learning goals.

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.

• Early learning goals workshop: one-day course examining the goals across the six areas of learning.

DANCE IN A BAG

• Literacy and movement in the early years: particularly beneficial for children who are reluctant writers and children with a range of special educational needs.

• Creative stories and movement: kinaesthetic movement ideas to develop children’s language, literacy and communication.

DAYCARE TRUST

• Listening to the voices of young children: one-day course looking at key themes emerging from existing sources of information on the views of young children.

EARLY EDUCATION TRAINING AND RESOURCE CENTRE

• Developing communication and language through interactive stories and rhymes: equipping practitioners with a range of resources to support interactive and playful language development.

• Following children’s interests: this course addresses the importance of following a child’s ideas, interests and fascinations in order to enhance holistic development.

• Observing and assessing to support children’s learning: this course aims to make observation and assessment paperwork beneficial for both the practitioner and the child. It will also address new recommendations and requirements arising from the 2011 EYFS review.

• The magic and management of music: a one-day course building the confidence and skills of practitioners in music-making and demonstrating how music can be woven through all children’s learning.

• Leading Change in Outdoor Provision and Practice – a focus on underpinning values and vision: this course draws on the book Outdoor Provision in the Early Years to develop high-quality outdoor play in early years settings.

• Count me in: a one-day course helps practitioners to introduce maths to children through everyday resources in a familiar context.

EARLY EXCELLENCE

• A new landscape? Implementing the revised Early Years Foundation Stage: a course allowing practitioners and managers to reflect and review on their own practice in light of the recommendations in the review of the EYFS in Spring 2011.

• looking closely at quality: this one-day course focuses on the importance of fully supporting all children with opportunities to be  successful learners, using the Early Excellence model.

• Play-based practice in action – developing quality child-initiated learning: this course offers practitioners an opportunity to consider what it means to develop high-quality, child-initiated learning, and make plans to develop their own practice.

• A focus on writing – developing a play based approach: considers the importance of play in supporting and extending children’s writing.

• A focus on popular culture as a context for learning: this one-day course examines the impact of media influences on young children and how this media interest can be used as a powerful vehicle for learning.

• Young children as scientists and technologists: examining the role of science and technology in the early years and the importance of supporting young children’s investigative learning.

EARLY YEARS MATTERS

• Observation, assessment and planning – three to five year olds: providing answer to questions about effective practice, welfare and legal requirements, and how to observe, plan and assess effectively in the EYFS.

• Children’s achievement: this course encourages participants to perfect methods of raising children’s achievement, assessing progress and planning next steps.

EARLY YEARS ORGANISATION

• Supporting creativity in the early years - art and design: this 15-hour course enables practitioners to see the creative potential in each child and to explore ways of realising it.

• Introduction to the High/Scope approach to problem solving with young children: two-day course providing participants with the opportunity to explore how adults view problem-solving situations and how the High/Scope process enables young children to develop important social skills. The course introduces the High/Scope conflict resolution steps used in the process.

• Introducing the child observation record tools: two-day course aimed at practitioners working with two-and-a-half to six-year-olds.

• I want to play: a 7.5-hour course accompanied by a bespoke publication. Particularly suitable as initial training for staff working in an early years or day care setting and parents who want an understanding of play and its importance in the development of children.

• Early years arts and theatre – the La Baracca experience: four hour course (two two-hour sessions) introducing practitioners to the value of theatre and drama for children from 0-6 years.

• Music with young children: a course demonstrating how staff can introduce children to developmentally appropriate music experiences.

EXPERIENTIAL PLAY

• Gathering games: encouraging children to become acutely aware of their physical self and how they use their motor skills is an important part of the early years.

4 TRAINING AND CONSULTANCY

• Childcare training – the basics: this six-week evening course is an introduction to working with children for those considering working in the childcare sector. Topics include child development, the EYFS, behaviour management and career progression.

4CHILDREN

• The Foundation Years – putting the new early years policy into practice: regional seminars informing those who deliver early years services about latest early years policy and equipping them with the tools to put this into practice.

HIGH/SCOPE UK
A range of ‘Quality Counts’ courses of between half a day and two days. Topics covered include Active Learning, Communication, Language and Literacy, Working with Under-Threes, Promoting Self-Esteem for Children with Special Needs, and Involving Families in Early Years Settings.

• The problem solving approach to social conflict: a one-day course on the problem-solving approach to conflict resolution.

• The High/Scope one-day awareness course: this course provides an overview of the High/Scope approach.

• 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 to keep a course journal. All sessions must be attended. On successful completion of the course, participants will achieve certification by the High/Scope Institute.

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

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

HIGH/SCOPE IRELAND

• Curriculum implementation course: ten full days' training spread out over ten months. Topics include active learning, creating a supportive climate, interaction strategies and teamwork.

KIDS CITY

• Delivering high quality activities: one-day course giving an overview of how to deliver successful play-based learning activities.

• Developing playwork practice and teamwork: enabling anyone working with children to look at problems that occur when working in a team and the positive solutions that can be put in place. It also enables playworkers to look at their own practice and how this can affect the team as a whole.

KIDS' COOKERY SCHOOL
The Kids' Cookery School provides children of various ages with the opportunity to access fun, educational, practical and hands-on cookery workshops.

THE LONDON EARLY YEARS FOUNDATION (LEYF)

• Getting the balance right – risk and challenge in the nursery: exploring practical ways of encouraging children to try out new ideas and ‘have a go’ to solve problems.

LUCAS TRAINING AND CONSULTANCY

• Letters and sounds: a five-part course over three sessions dealing with phonics teaching.

MAD ACADEMY

• Music and movement workshop: one-day workshop that can be tailored to the needs of the practitioner by choosing three modules from a list including introducing beat competency, developing listening skills, developing language through rhyme and song and successful music sessions.

MONTESSORI CENTRE INTERNATIONAL

• Early childhood course: for children from two-and-a-half to six years. An overview of important educational philosophies to construct a coherent set of values.

• Infant toddler course: part-time and distance-learning course designed to develop competence in students wishing to extend their training under the Montessori method for children

MUDIAD YSGOLION MEITHRIN
A course for leaders and parents: a short and informal course concentrating on how to manage a Welsh-medium parent and toddler group.

• Language immersion: explaining the Language Immersion method, including Mudiad Meithrins principles and the work methods that should be implemented.

MUSIC FOR STARTERS

• Action songs and rhymes: Adding actions to songs and rhymes can have a beneficial impact on the quality of learning across the curriculum. How to build up a repertoire of action songs and rhymes to aid the teaching of basic musical concepts, and use instruments, puppets and props.

• Supporting numeracy skills through music-making: providing lots of new ideas for supporting counting, sorting, patterns, memory and sequencing with musical structures and melodies.

NOEL QUINN

• Gifted and Talented – supporting children appropriately and effectively in the early years: raising awareness of the national strategy regarding gifted and talented provision in the early years and exploring how to nurture and support the gifts and talents of very young children.

• To buy or not to buy? That is the question: this course challenges traditional thinking about toys and equipment and promotes creativity when equipping an early years environment by spending wisely to purchase rich resources and materials.

• I am me!: the aim of this one-day course is to develop creative strategies for supporting children’s emotional wellbeing and positive self-image in a way that supports learning.

• PRSN essential knowledge for early years practitioners – children thinking mathematically: developing a mathematically friendly environment to encourage children’s problem solving, reasoning and numeracy through daily routines, planned activities and spontaneous experiences.

NORTHERN IRELAND CHILDMINDING ASSOCIATION (NICMA)

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

OSIRIS EDUCATIONAL

• What to do instead of circle time: discussing the limitations of circle time in the early years and developing other activities and approaches to form an emotionally rich early years environment from a child’s perspective.

• Preparing for Ofsted under the EYFS: presenting tips to help EYFS professionals approach the Ofsted Framework 2012 and reach an Outstanding assessment.

OUT OF HOURS KIDS’ CLUB (TRAINING)

• Creative Playwork

• Games Workshops

PEN GREEN RESEARCH, DEVELOPMENT AND TRAINING BASE AND LEADERSHIP CENTRE

• Looking for learning – observation, assessment and documentation: two-day programme helping practitioners to develop observation, assessment and documentation and use them to inform planning within early childhood centres.

PRE-SCHOOL LEARNING ALLIANCE (PLA)
The PLA's programme of training ensures that pre-schools and nurseries meet the regulatory requirements and achieve satisfactory or better outcomes in their Ofsted inspections.

• Preparing for the EYFS: an overview of the EYFS; an overview of 'Letters and Sounds'; outside play; child development and observation techniques.

TRACY SEED ASSOCIATES

• Let’s talk – every child a talker: a fourteen-session programme deepening participants’ knowledge and understanding of children’s speech, language and communication development.

• Introduction to the High/Scope approach: one-day course providing an overview of the key elements of High/Scope.

SIGHTLINES INITIATIVE

• Introduction to the Reggio Approach: a one-day course exploring the history and legacy of the Reggio Approach, and how it can be used in the EYFS.

STEPPING INTO MUSIC
Stepping into Music is a workshop and accredited training programme for under-fives and their parents, early years organisations, and music, dance and early years practitioners delivered by The Dalcroze Society in partnership with local authorities and arts agencies. SiM delivers a number of training events and courses both to individuals wishing to lead music and movement sessions with early years groups and to early years and arts organisations as well as universities.

TACTYC
TACTYC aims to promote professional development for all UK early years educators in order to enhance the educational wellbeing of young children through an international Early Years Journal, annual conference, website and other publications,

• TACTYC Biennial Research Conference and AGM, November 2011: 'Ready' for School? Research, Reflection and Debate: focuses on the contested and much debated issue of 'school readiness', bringing together keynote presenters and a range of research studies.

TRAINING DESIGNS

• Early Years Foundation Stage in bite-sized chunks: two to three hour course covering legislation, what the themes, principles and commitments mean for childcare, welfare requirements, balancing out the assessment scales.

• Taking a close look at observation and assessment.

• Early learning goals explored.

• Promoting play: six hour course covering the different types of play, the psychology of play, understand the importance of play within the nursery and at home, indentify ways to introduce play, understand how to involve parents, links to child development.

• The developing baby, toddler and child: exploring the stages of child development from birth to five with links to the EYFS.

VISUAL LEARNING FOUNDATION

• In charge of art: developing a creative curriculum for Foundation Stage and KS 1 and 2. Covers using the right materials, how to mount and document the children's work and how to stimulate ideas.

PLAY

PLAY AND EARLY YEARS TRAINING UNIT

• Physical development in the early years: one-day course providing an overview of children’s physical development and enabling participants to generate practical ideas for activities.

• A passion to be outstanding: one-day training providing leaders and managers within the EYFS the opportunity to reflect on their current practice and consider what it really means to offer outstanding provision.

• Attachment-theory in practice: increasing understanding of attachment theory and its relevance to working with children under five.

PLAYTRAIN

• Dance and movement: this course will provide creative ideas, movement games and tips on how to encourage movement within an early years setting. It will look at how we can value children’s natural and spontaneous inclinations to move.

• Yoga dance: demonstrating how traditional yoga postures, breathing exercises and relaxation techniques can be delivered through a creative story based approach while teaching children about their bodies, enhancing self confidence and encouraging a calmness of mind.

• Inclusive games: providing games for every occasion and setting, including concentration games, quizzical games, energetic games, word games, singing games, name games, storytelling games, drama games and more.

• 101 things to do with a cardboard box: providing engagement activities designed to explore the many opportunities for creative play using a cardboard box - cheap and yet priceless!

• Build your confidence: building confidence in directing, leading and supporting creative play sessions. The course will provide a safe environment to explore a range of techniques to boost, foster and instill confidence in your abilities to work with groups of children and young people.

PLAYWORK PARTNERSHIPS

• Playing creatively: information, inspiration and ideas for playworkers and early years practitioners who want to work creatively with children and young people.

WALES PRE-SCHOOL PLAYGROUPS ASSOCIATION

• What children learn through play: eight two-and-a-half-hour weekly sessions aimed at identifying and improving ways of supporting children's learning through play.

• EYFS introductory training: one-day course designed for participants new to the EYFS to familiarise themselves with the materials and develop confidence in implementation.