Early Years News

February 16, 2023

For Solihull Leaders and Managers

Action Required

• Book your place on Solihull Early Years Training

Of interest

• NASEN – at home and nursery ideas for activities to develop resilience
• Free training for parents and settings available through WS Enterprise
• Free business support available from Famly.
• Supporting children to consider their impact on the world- sustainability resources
• Early Years Inclusion Fund– report
• Being a singing setting

Solihull Early Years Team Training

‘Refreshing my skills’. ‘Updates and new information.’ ‘ The chance to talk to others about what they are doing.’

The Early Years Team will be working with reduced staff over the next few months and so some of our training, such as Makaton, may not be as available as we hope that it is in the future. We know that you value coming together with Solihull practitioners as evidenced by some of the comments above. We will prioritise our menu of training already arranged (attached and at www.solgrid.org.uk/eyc/training). We hope to see you there.

Resilience support from NASEN- Helping everyone achieve

The National Association of Special Educational Needs offers free individual membership and access to a whole range of resources. You need to register but you can access resources such as the suite of ideas about resilience. There are ideas and webinars for parents and practitioners based on 7 c’s of resilience: connection, confidence, character, contribution, competence, coping and control. They were funded by DfE and continue to be relevant for young children who have had much of their early life disrupted by lockdowns. This is brilliant for your youngest children and their parents. We know it is an area you are prioritising in your curriculum.

www.nasen.org.uk/resources/resilience-development-pack-7-days-many-ways

West Smethwick Enterprise free training opportunity

 WS Enterprise are currently working alongside Birmingham City University and Newman University to provide individuals opportunities for FREE CDP and upskilling sessions. All sessions are free and at the end of the project participants receive a certificate to confirm they have completed the sessions. Sessions include Safeguarding, working with children with SEND and leadership and management. Sessions are flexible and work around staff that are currently in employment.

There are also opportunities for free sessions to be delivered in early years settings. Families get free learning resources, including books and craft materials. Families also get a certificate when they participate.

If these sessions are of interest, for either staff CPD or for family fun sessions please contact Zara Hill on z.hill@wsenterprise.co.uk for more information.

Famly Business Playbook

Famly have launched a free business hub ‘playbook’ with help and advice shared from other businesses. It is linked to their Famly platform so will encourage you to look at this but they also have videos, articles and templates which may be helpful.

https://www.famly.co/the-ey-business-playbook

Sustainability Matters in Early Childhood

Help children to learn more about our responsibilities to each other and the world in which we live. This sustainability resource will support practitioners, parents/carers and children to take small green steps towards a better climate future globally. The resource is linked to the 17 sustainability goals with ideas and suggestions along with a commitment to children’s active participation in their world.

https://www.ncfe.org.uk/media/p1socs4v/sustainability-matters-in-early-childhood-resource.pdf

Solihull Early Years Inclusion Fund Report

Thank you for your monitoring reports from last year’s allocation of EYIF. You may wish to look at the ways that this funding is making a difference to our young children with emerging SEND needs. Also, a thankyou from the panel for using the most up-to-date application. There is a ‘flowchart’ at this link which helps as a checklist to ensure you send all the information we need.

https://www.solihull.gov.uk/Children-and-family-support/localoffer/inclusion-fund

We are working with the Solihull Music Service in the hope that every Early Years and Childcare setting is a singing setting. This is especially helpful fs you have children at an early stage of developing their home language and learning English. Hearing a familiar song linked to a change in routine can help children attend to transition expectations when they may not understand the verbal instruction. This is helpful to pass on to a new setting too- to help children settle in with a familiar experience. Singing is collaborative, helping us belong, it is rewarding and helps builds relationships. It helps develop vocabulary and reminds us about rules.

 ‘’Wash your dirty hands, wash your dirty hands, with a rub-a-dub-dub and a scrub-a dub-dub, wash your dirty hands’’

 – I’m not sure if I made that one up or if someone shared it with me! It really doesn’t matter.   Here are some you may already use such as ‘Brush your teeth’..…

https://www.bbc.co.uk/teach/school-radio/nursery-rhymes-songs-index/zhwdgwx

Have fun with singing in your setting.

Encouraging children to engage with pictures, texts and ask questions during story time can boost their early language development by up to seven months, according to new research. So, let’s finish with a story suggestion…… ‘How to say HELLO’ by Sophie Beer and for older children to discuss race ‘My Skin, your skin’ by Laura Henry-Allain MBE