CPD opportunities

Our training service aims to support childcare settings in Leicester City with raising quality through workforce development, by offering continuing professional development (CPD) opportunities to the sectors early years practitioners.

We provide the following CPD courses which support the requirements within the Early Years Foundation Stage, the regulatory framework inspected by Ofsted. 

Early years settings - leaders development day

Leadership is fundamental to the effective running of a setting and the quality of provision. Ofsted inspection report trends show that it is a key area that needs developing across the sector. It is recognised that there are significant pressures on leaders coming out of Covid and challenges for the sector that leaders are endeavouring to cope with.

This session is an opportunity for leaders to reflect together on what is working well and where leadership skills can be strengthened.

A morning spent with guest speakers and peers, the session will involve getting involved in some practical activities and round the table discussions. 

  • Course Code: LD01
  • Date: Tuesday 19 September 2023
  • Time: 9am registration 9.15am start – 12.30pm
  • Delivery method: Face to face
  • Venue: Satta Hasem Hall, Leicester Adult Education College. 54 Belvoir Street, Leicester. LE1 6QL.
  • Maximum Numbers – 2 per setting. Bookings required. See below for how to book. 
  • Cost: No charge.

Early years foundation stage network

This event is an opportunity for settings and schools to come together to share practice, ideas and build connections, which support children’s readiness for school and aid transition processes.

There will be updates on local and national programmes, guest speakers and a workshop session to explore new teaching and learning quality improvement tools.

  • Course Code: EN01
  • Date: Tuesday 10 October 2023
  • Time: 9.00am registration 9.30am start – 12.30pm
  • Delivery method: Face to face
  • Venue: Attenborough Hall, City Hall. 115 Charles Street, Leicester. LE1 1FZ
  • Maximum Numbers – 2 per setting/school. Bookings required. See below for how to book. 
  • Cost: No charge.

Quality curriculum 

This course will give you an opportunity to explore what a quality curriculum should include and empower settings to begin to reflect and establish a high- quality curriculum, that can be articulated and justified.

It will also consider how the curriculum fits into the 3 III’s and the language around the EYFS that’s supports this.

This deep dive into curriculum exploration will give practitioners the tools and confidence to deliver a purposeful curriculum that keeps the child at the centre. A must for those getting to grips with the revised EYFS.

  • Course Code: QC01
  • Date: Wednesday 4 October 2023
  • Time: 6:30pm - 8:30pm
  • Delivery method: Online via MSteams 
  • Maximum Numbers – 2 per setting
  • Cost: No charge. 

Holistic approach to child development and the prime areas (SOLD OUT)

Recent Ofsted trends would indicate that there in a need for increased knowledge and understanding of child development within the sector. This echoes the information stated in the Statutory Framework for the early year’s foundation stage:

“Learning and development considerations ‘Practitioners working with the youngest children are expected to ensure a strong foundation for children’s development in the three prime areas. (Statutory framework 2021- 1.11)”

A Holistic Approach to Child Development and the Prime Areas has been created to target this area of focus.

The course provides an opportunity to unpick what expected development would look like in each of the prime areas of the EYFS 2021 and explore tools and resources, including the new 2 year old progress check, that will aid practitioners in their observation and assessment of children; to inform planning and to support them in seeking external support if needed for a child.

Learning intentions - Practitioners will:

  1. Leave with the skills to use a variety of tools to support with observations and assessments.
  2. Have the opportunity to practice using the tools and apply their knowledge of child development to case studies.
  3. Be able to use a holistic approach to complete a referral to external agencies.
  4. Be able to use a holistic approach to child development and apply this to observations they make of children in all 3 prime areas.
  • Course Code – HA01
  • Date: Wednesday 1 November 2023 
  • Time: 6pm - 9pm
  • Delivery method: face to face
  • Maximum Numbers: 2 per setting
  • Venue: Beaumont Leys School. Anstey Lane, Leicester. LE4 0FL.
  • Cost: No charge. 

 

SLC workshop - Partnership with parents (SOLD OUT)

Do you have children that have delayed speech and would welcome ideas to get parents involved in supporting their child?
Do you struggle to engage parents?
Do you want to involve parents, share strategies and educate parents with communication knowledge to support their children in the home learning environment?
If the answer is ‘yes’ to the above, this is the workshop for you!
Experienced EYFS practitioners will be sharing a range of practical strategies and reflecting on how you can support the development of children’s speech and language in their own settings with a particular focus on parents.

  • Course Code: SLC3
  • Date: Monday 13 November 2023
  • Time: 1pm - 3pm
  • Delivery method: Online via MSteams 
  • Maximum Numbers – 2 per setting
  • Cost: No charge.

Quality Forums 

This Autumn we will be focusing on Leadership and management. Following key messages from the Leadership development day in September, the quality forums will be an opportunity to explore and discuss new tools and resources to support practice with a particular focus on learning walks, recruitment and staff wellbeing. 

  • Course Code: QF1
  • Date: Monday 6 November 2023
  • Time: 6pm - 7.30pm
  • Delivery method: Online via MSteams 
  • Maximum Numbers – 2 per setting
  • Cost: No charge.

OR

  • Course Code: QF2
  • Date: Thursday 9 November 2023
  • Time: 10am - 11.30am
  • Delivery method: Online via MSteams 
  • Maximum Numbers – 2 per setting
  • Cost: No charge.

How to book

To book please send an email to EEDteam@leicester.gov.uk with the course title and course code in the subject bar.

Please confirm the name of the practitioner requesting a place, the setting they are from, a contact number and email address. For online courses, be sure to detail the email address for which the meeting link needs to be sent.

Each person must make a separate booking and log into the session on a separate device due to break out activities – those that have not made a separate booking will not be permitted to partake in the training.

To enable us to meet demand, we are limiting bookings to a maximum of two practitioners per setting. Should you feel that you require more, please contact the EED team and request to be added to the waiting list.

Other local CPD opportunities 

Active Together - Early Years Physical Activity Training 

Active Together have a range of FREE workshops on offer for anyone who is working with children under the age of five.  Please see the Early Years Workshop brochure for full details of the events.

Numbers are restricted so please sign up via our booking system www.active-together.org/bookit

Statutory training

For information about the Safeguarding Competency framework visit the Leicestershire and Rutland Safeguarding Board

National development opportunities 

DfE expert and mentors programme for early years settings

The Early Years Experts and Mentors programme provides bespoke support, face-to-face and virtually, to help meet individual settings needs and priorities. The offer to settings will include providing leadership support, coaching for leaders, mentoring for practitioners and whole-setting support, depending on their need. 

Further information on the programme can be found on our delivery partner's website https://www.pengreen.org/about-the-programme/

Local authorities are now collecting interest from settings to engage in the programme as part of the next cohort. If you would like to take advantage of this funded development opportunity for your setting, please email your expression of interest to eedteam@leicester.gov.uk

DfE mentors programme for childminders

The Early Years Childminder Mentor programme from the Department for Education is focused on supporting early years childminders, to address the impact of the pandemic on the youngest children.

The programme is available nationally across England. Selected childminders will receive the support of a Mentor for one term, between May 2023 and July 2024. At the end of each term, Mentors will move on to support a new group of childminders. Mentors will offer mostly online support. Groups will be allowed to meet face-to-face, if this is feasible for both the Mentor and the childminders they are supporting.

Who is eligible to receive support from this programme?

To be eligible to receive support from the DfE Childminder Mentor programme, childminders must currently be providing childcare to children aged between 0-5 (to at least one child). You can apply for support as an individual, or with other childminders as part of a small group (of up to four people). If you apply as an individual, you will be placed in a group with others.

For more details on the programme, visit our delivery partner's website COVID-19 Recovery Childminders | Hempsalls or contact eedteam@leicester.gov.uk to register your interest and can put you forward to be involved in the next group.

DfE professional development programme (PDP) Phase 3

The Department for Education have now launched phase 3 of PDP, which has been adapted and streamlined from the original programme that was delivered in phase 1, in which several Leicester City schools and settings took part.

Please note this phase no longer includes the Communication friendly setting accreditation, but remains a valuable learning and development opportunity for practitioners and settings, which will enable you to support Covid recovery and children’s development, with a particular focus around PSED, Communication and Language and Early Mathematics. It involves self-directed study and participation in online webinars, as well as action planning as a result of the learning. There is some funding (administered through the local authority) to support settings engagement in the programme.

There is some introductory information that DfE have provided in the links below to give you information on the programme, who it is for and what it would involve, this should help answer any questions you might have. We encourage you to look through this information and ensure interested practitioners and settings meet the eligibility criteria.

If you would like to put your setting or yourself, as a childminder forward for the programme, please let us know and we can put your details forward to the delivery partner for this programme.

DfE early years child development training

The Department for Education has launched a free online Early years child development training course aimed at childminders, nursery practitioners and nursery managers. The flexible online training has been developed in consultation with early years experts and provides a greater understanding of child development.

The training: 

  • gives practical advice for supporting children in early years settings
  • includes opportunities to reflect on your practice
  • reinforces your understanding through learning check questions and tests
  • allows you to pause and restart the training at any time
  • offers the chance to download certificates of achievement for each module 

The first 4 modules of the raining are available now. Further modules will be added throughout 2023. 

Find out more about the training and enrol.