Training
Many training opportunities are available for your setting, through workshops across a range of topics. For example, Business, Committee Training, Learning and Development, Childminder training.
The training is offered throughout the year throughout the county and is advertised either on the Support Services for Education website, or on Eventbrite. To visit these websites and browse all our training opportunities please follow the links below to go to the main web pages.
Or, we can deliver some of the courses – marked with an asterisk * – as bespoke training to individual settings, through Early Years Communities. Prices start from £150. For more details please email the Early Years Team – EarlyYearsTeam@somerset.gov.uk
Catch up with our Autumn Term Provider Information Evening by accessing the video and presentation slides
Course details
Explores the legalities of a voluntary management committee, looking at the role of the constitution (governing document), roles and responsibility of committee member and legal responsibilities under Ofsted, HMRC, Charities Commission and so on.
Goes through the process of preparing for AGM from start to finish. Preparing, organising, running and after including completing all documentation.
Reviewing current business trends to support financial aspect of a childcare business. Examine business through financial health check, monitoring business processes which impact on future viability.
Look at strategies to develop and maximise your business, through marketing and external funding sources.
Looks at management’s responsibility around employment through recruitment to induction. It follows the safer recruitment processes and legislative requirements.
To have an overview of performance management and understand the need for performance management in the workplace. Define the processes which underpin line management and look at the impact on the setting if performance management is not carried out.
To enable management of childcare organisations to follow safeguarding procedures in line with legislation and be aware of their responsibilities. Review documentation which links to legislative requirements, ensure everyone is aware of the referral mechanisms and information sharing, importance of establishing a monitoring process for policies, procedures and current working practices.
Childminders must show evidence of completing training which helps them to understand and implement the EYFS before they can register with Ofsted or a childminder agency. Sessions cover aspects of this legal document and relate these to what needs to be in place to run a childcare business in a home environment. Topics covered include risk assessing and ensuring a suitable, safe environment, policies and procedures, supporting children’s learning and development and how to assess their development.
Develop your understanding of why the journey of the development of gross motor skills to fine motor skills is crucial to support effective mark making control. Be confident to resource and create daily provision (adult-led and continuous) which promotes and challenges the development of fine motor skills
Integral to teaching, this is how practitioners assess what children know, understand and can do, as well as taking account of their interests and dispositions to learn (characteristics of effective learning).
Ofsted (2019, Early Years Inspection handbook)The aim of this workshop is to support and develop the use of observation skills and utilise this knowledge to reflect on, influencing plans to enhance and deepen learning experiences. Consider your environment to enable opportunities for children to explore and become powerful learners and thinkers, alongside developing children’s and parents understanding of the characteristics.
Develop your understanding of the value of Letters and Sounds linked to Literacy and Communication and Language. Build your confidence in using activities to embed in daily practice for planned and spontaneous learning.
Utilise your environment with continuous and enhanced provision to support mathematical development. Practical ideas to ignite your passion in the delivery of the Maths EYFS curriculum, including engaging parents in ‘playful’ maths experiences.
Explore what is understood by quality outdoor play and refresh your provision.
Develop the adult’s role and strategies to enhance your provision, including time to audit and plan a vision for facilitating engaging and exciting outdoor learning spaces.
Explore stories which support mathematics (numbers, shape, space, and measure), develop a range of mathematical activities and investigations using stories and rhymes as a starting point, and gather ideas to use within your own setting.
Explore why children are not engaging with books and the impact on future learning and development. Develop strategies to support children’s interest in books and look at how environments support reading. Practical ideas for making reading fun.
Identifying what makes up an enabling environment and explore the different areas within an enabling environment. Look at the importance of monitoring and observing how the environment is used (auditing). Look at ideas to supporting individual settings in providing an enabling environment.
Current training opportunities and events
If you have any suggestions of future training please email EarlyYearsTeam@somerset.gov.uk
