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.

For the Spring term EYFS network, we will be inviting schools and providers to come together to explore best practice in supporting effective transitions. 

Join us for the launch of the revised transitions form, where we will review the new document and how it can be utilised by both settings and schools. 

There will be time for a Q card workshop, where we will be sharing the top tips developed by the Transitions Working Group, plus more. 

Date: Tuesday 4th February, 9am registration opens. 9:30 start - 12:30 close.

Venue: Main Hall of New Parks House, Pindar Road, Leicester. LE3 9RN 

DATE FOR YOUR DIARY:

EYFS Network Summer 2025 - Tuesday 6 May, 9am registration opens. 9:30 start - 12:30 close.

In response to the sectors feedback, the following dates have been secured, to offer providers and schools a scheduled time and place to come together to share information.

Do you want to develop stronger working partnerships with local schools and providers?

Do you want the opportunity to talk to local feeder schools/providers?

Would you find it helpful to speak face to face about the children you have transitioning to or from your provision?

Then these cluster based information sharing events will be for you. 

South:

Monday 19th May 4-5.30pm​

Eyres Monsell Children, Young People & Family Centre (CYPFC)​

North:

Monday 19th May 4-5.30pm​

Belgrave CYPFC​

North West:

Tuesday 20th May 4-5.30pm​

Beaumont Leys CYPFC​

West:

Wednesday 21st May 4-5.30pm​

Braunstone CYPFC​

East:

Wednesday 21st May 4-5.30pm​

Thurnby Lodge CYPFC​

Central:

Thursday 21st May 4-5.30pm​

Highfields CYPFC

• Do you currently or are you soon to be providing care and education for under 2's?
• Have you completed training that addresses the care of babies that is required as part of the EYFS?
• How confident are you in providing a stimulating and engaging, age appropriate environment for the under 2's?
• Are you able to plan and deliver a meaningful quality curriculum for under 2's that is age and stage appropriate?

During the session we will be exploring what it takes to offer quality provision for our youngest children. Whether you are already working with under 2's, have moved within your existing provision to work with the younger age group, or whether you're planning to expand your provision to offer places to under 2's - this course is for you!

Course code: SU201
Date/Time: Monday 24 February 2025, 1pm - 4pm.
Venue: New Parks House, Pindar Road, Leicester. LE3 9RN.
Cost: There is no charge for this session.
Maximum numbers: 2 places per setting/school
Target audience: EYFS practitioners and leaders.

Course code: SU202
Date/Time: Wednesday 26th February, 6pm - 8:30pm.
Venue: Thurnby Lodge Children's, Young people and Family Centre, 79 Dudley Ave, Leicester LE5 2EG
Cost: There is no charge for this session.
Maximum numbers: 2 places per setting/school
Target audience: EYFS practitioners and leaders.

Recent Ofsted trends would indicate that there in a need for increased knowledge and understanding of child development within the sector. 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 2023 and explore tools and resources, including the 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:

• Leave with the skills to use a variety of tools to support with observations and assessments.
• Have the opportunity to practice using the tools and apply their knowledge of child development to case studies.
• Be able to use a holistic approach to complete a referral to external agencies.
• 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/Time: Tuesday 4 March 2025, 9:30 - 12:30
Venue: New Parks House, Pindar Road, Leicester. LE3 9RN.
Cost: There is no charge for this session.
Maximum numbers: 2 places per setting/school
Target audience: EYFS practitioners and leaders.

Children’s well-being has been significantly impacted by the recent events of the Covid pandemic, this therefore becomes even more important that children’s mental health and wellbeing becomes central to everyday practice.
This online session aims to empower early years practitioners to proactively contribute and support children’s mental health and well-being. Through reflective discussions and exercises, you will gain a deeper understanding of how to support and lay the foundations for children’s lifelong wellbeing in your care.

Course code: SCMH01
Date/Time: Monday 10 March, 6pm - 8pm.
Deliver method: Online via MS Teams.
Cost: There is no charge for this session.
Maximum numbers: 2 places per setting/school
Target audience: EYFS practitioners and leaders.

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.

Active together:

Active Together Early Years Conference: Saturday 22 March 2025!

More information about Active together can be found under Other Local CPD opportunities below. 

Stronger Practice Hubs:

Early years professional development day: Saturday 25 January 2025!

More information about the Stronger Practice Hubs can be found under at the bottom of this page. 

Early years support team (EYST)

The early years support team's SEND training programme for Autumn 2024 can be found via Booking Live

Prevent Training

Providers can utilise the eLearning for staff found here. 

National: Virtual training sessions

The Regional Prevent Education Co-ordinators (RPECs) offer large, virtual training sessions that are available to anyone working within an education setting in England. They focus on the implementation of Prevent and are designed primarily for those in dedicated safeguarding or Prevent roles.

Prevent in education: training for designated safeguarding leads (DSLs)
This training package has been designed by DfE for designated safeguarding leads to understand their responsibilities and the importance of the Prevent duty.

Click here to find dates and booking information. 

Statutory training opportunities

• Paediatric First Aid 
• Local Safeguarding Children Partnership Board Training 

For information about the Safeguarding Competency framework visit the Leicester Leicestershire and Rutland (LLR) Safeguarding Partnership Board

Leicester Nutrition and Dietetic Services for Early Years Settings

Did you know? Leicestershire nutrition and dietetic service is commissioned to support settings in Leicester City with providing adequate nutrition. Further information about the Good nutrition for under 5 award. 

Find out more about how you can meet your statutory duties around promoting oral health within the early years by exploring the accredited Healthy teeth, Happy smiles award.

Active Together - Active Tots

Active Tots works to promote the positive impact of encouraging young children to be physically active and how it may help towards leading a healthy, active lifestyle later on as an adult. Active Tots (for professionals) provides information for childcare professionals including local events/courses and healthy tots accreditation. 

Find out more by visiting Active together - Active Tots and Active together - Active Tots for professionals. 

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 

8 modules of training are available now. Find out more about the training and enrol.

Funded by the Department for Education and delivered by National Children’s Bureau and the Education Endowment Foundation, Stronger Practice Hubs aim to support early years settings and childminders to address the impact of the pandemic on young children, by sharing effective practice and building lasting local networks.

Pen Green will be working in partnership with Kingswood Community Nursery (Corby), Leona Smith (childminder in Leicestershire) and Charnwood Nursery and Pre-School (Leicestershire) to form the Stronger Practice Hub for the East Midlands.

Stronger Practice Hubs will support early years settings and childminders to improve outcomes for children in their local area across the Early Years Foundation Stage, but specifically focusing on areas of development that research informs us have been most impacted by COVID-19: personal social and emotional development (PSED); communication and language, and early literacy and maths.

To learn more about the services your stronger practice hub provides, as well as the training and development opportunities available to you, visit www.pengreen.org/stronger-practice-hubs