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.

Simply click on the link below to watch the recorded session at a time that works for you. Future webinars will be saved here, so be sure to revisit should you miss the live event. Please note, the live events include the interactive Q&A, so are worthwhile prioritising to get the most out of the session where possible. 

Leicestershire Nutrition and Dietetics Services- Food safety and healthy eating webinar

This programme offers a highly impactful opportunity to support children’s speech and language development - For more information, please visit: Early Talk Boost - Speech and Language UK: Changing young lives

Over the past few years, many settings in Leicester have signed up to the programme and reported very positive outcomes. The progress children make is significant, and it also provides a great opportunity to engage parents in supporting their child’s learning at home.
By joining the programme, you will receive a set of Tizzy books and a bag of Early Talk Boost resources worth over £500.
As part of the programme, you will be required to:

• Attend the first training session on Wednesday 13 May 9.30am-12pm at New Parks House, Pindar Road, Leicester, LE3 9RN and follow-up session on Monday 6 July 9.30am-12pm at the same venue – During the follow-up session, we will review children’s progress and provide you with a certificate. 
• Attend an annual refresher session alongside other settings – this year’s annual refresher will be on Tuesday 10 November 2026, with the venue to be confirmed closer to the time.

Course code: ETB5
Date/Time: The first training session on Wednesday 13 May 9.30am-12pm and follow-up session on Monday 6 July 9.30am-12pm. Both must be attended to receive certification
Venue: New Parks House, Pindar Road, Leicester, LE3 9RN
Cost: There is no charge for this session.
Maximum numbers: 1 place per setting/school
Target audience: All early years staff working with 3-4 year olds

Booking information can be found below under the section: How to book

Join this course to ensure you have the knowledge to provide a healthy breakfast for children, helping to give them a good start to their day. Learn what foods you can serve that are cost effective and provide children with a well- balanced diet. A brilliant opportunity to get ahead of the game so you are prepared for the roll out of Free Breakfast Clubs and get advice from the experts.

Course code: FNSAC01
Date/Time: Tuesday 8 September 9.30am – 11am
Delivery method: Online via MS Teams
Cost: There is no charge for this session.
Maximum numbers: 2 places per setting/school
Target audience: Settings/schools with a breakfast club for school age children

This training will look at your role and responsibilities as a DSL in the early years sector in relation to the Prevent duty. The session will go into national risk and threat, and ideologies and risks, and who could be at risk.  We will also discuss referral thresholds and what to include in a good Prevent referral, taking into account the context of the early years.

Course code: DSLP1
Date/Time: Tuesday 22 September 9.30am - 12.30pm 
Delivery method: 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: DSLs from Early years settings

This course promotes a series of strategies and techniques to promote positive behaviour and helps practitioners to fundamentally understand their children’s behaviour. By understanding what children are trying to communicate with their behaviour we can better guide them towards pro social behaviour and ultimately help them thrive. It will explore some of the myths around behaviour and give concrete strategies for unlocking pro-social behaviour and some incredible new research into just why traditional methods are not effective. This can have a dramatic effect on the children, the practitioners and the setting as a whole. 

Course Aims 

• To promote positive behaviour for children at an Out of School setting
• To highlight a series of practical solutions for dealing with negative behaviour
• To illustrate how to use positive behaviour techniques to extend and improve play
• To inspire learners to spend less time on maintaining behaviour and more on having fun. 

This course addresses the following: 

• Supporting Vulnerable Children
• Positive Mental Health and lowering anxiety
• Understanding behaviour
• Positive Modelling
• Proactive behaviour strategies

Course code: PCPB1
Date/Time: Thursday 1 October 9.30am – 12.30pm
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: All childcare providers: school age childcare providers, wraparound care providers, childminders, schools, nurseries, HAF providers 

This termly network meeting is open to all early years leads from settings and schools. It provides a valuable opportunity to build connections that support children’s transitions, while also creating a space to share good practice across settings.

Join us to network with colleagues and receive key updates.

The session will include:

• Information from key partner organisations and services
• General updates from the local authority
• A presentation from Jude Simpson, Ofsted East Midlands SHMI, focusing on the safeguarding element of inspection, including how to effectively use the toolkit

Course code: EYN01
Date/Time: Tuesday 6 October- 9am- 12pm
Venue: New Parks House, Pindar Road, Leicester, LE3 9RN.
Cost: There is no charge for this session
Maximum numbers: 2 per setting
Target audience: Early Years practitioners working in nurseries, preschools and schools. 

Save the date - To enable schools and providers to plan, below we have shared all dates for the EYFS Networks scheduled this academic year. In readiness for each event, a precise list of the topic matter will be updated, with information about the agenda, speakers and activities you can expect. 

• Spring 2027 - Tuesday 9 February 2027
• Summer 2027 - Tuesday 4 May 2027

Booking information can be found below under the section: How to book 

The Out of School Alliance are running this highly valuable course to develop your business knowledge to establish quality, sustainable before and after school care. With the growing focus on school age childcare, attending this course will help you to prepare for this and gain a practical understanding of how to implement proven strategies, face challenges and build your school age childcare business.  A must for all those running their own childcare business!

Areas covered will be:  

• Marketing: Values and impact
• Vision and offer – what do you really do?
• Viability and numbers – cost to deliver
• Resilience and systems – repeatable processes that leave you able to do what you aim to do
• Leadership – reflect on yourself as a leader

This free training is open to anyone delivering school age childcare: childminders, schools, PVIs. 

Date/Time: Thursday 8 October 10am – 12pm
Course code: SAC1
Delivery method: Online via Zoom
Cost: There is no charge for this session.
Maximum numbers: 2 places per setting/school
Target audience: Leaders, managers, business managers, childminders

• 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: CUT01
Date/Time: Wednesday 14 October 6pm - 8.30pm
Venue: Thurnby Lodge Children, Young People & 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.

We will be hosting three online Quality Forum sessions designed to support leaders and practitioners in developing their understanding of the Inclusion section of the Early Years Inspection Toolkit.

These sessions will provide opportunities for reflection, the sharing of practical ideas, and meaningful discussion with colleagues across the sector, exploring how inclusion is prioritised within your setting.

Join us to ensure you leave feeling confident, informed, and well prepared for inspection, while continuing to set high expectations for all children and embed a strong culture of inclusivity.

Course code: QF1
Date/Time: Tuesday 27 October 1pm-2.30pm
Venue: 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.

Course code: QF2
Date/Time: Wednesday 28 October 6pm-7.30pm
Venue: 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.

Course code: QF3
Date/Time: Friday 30 October 10am-11.30am
Venue: 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.

This course offers an opportunity to explore what a high-quality curriculum should include, empowering settings to reflect on and begin to establish a curriculum that is ambitious, well-considered, and clearly articulated and justified.

It will also consider how a strong understanding of the language of the EYFS, alongside practitioner confidence, supports this process.

This deep dive into curriculum exploration will equip practitioners with the tools and confidence needed to deliver a purposeful curriculum that keeps the child at the centre of learning.

A must for those developing their understanding of the EYFS.

Course code: QC01
Date/Time: Tuesday 3 November 10am- 12pm
Venue: Online Via MS Teams
Cost: There is no charge for this session.
Maximum numbers: 2 places per setting/school
Target audience: Leaders and practitioners responsible for planning and delivery of the early year’s curriculum. 

We are pleased to be able to offer this bespoke course again from the Out of School Alliance  for settings providing school age childcare in Leicester.

This usually chargeable training is for free so please take advantage while it is available.   

This course will build on your existing safeguarding knowledge, enabling you to gain an in-depth knowledge to be able to manage safeguarding for school age childcare provision with confidence. Training will link with the new LSCP Safeguarding Children competency framework 2026 plus statutory guidance, to ensure you are able to understand and uphold your safeguarding responsibilities. You will have the opportunity to apply this to practical scenarios to consider what this means in practice.

Aspects covered will be: SAC2

• More conversation time can mean more disclosures, gain clarity on how to respond appropriately
• Safe transitions for a higher number of children leaving and entering at different times
• Working with mixed age groups
• Belonging and what this means from a safeguarding perspective

This free training is open to anyone delivering school age childcare.

Course code: SAC2
Date/Time: Monday 23 November, 9.30am – 12.30pm
Venue: New Parks House, Pindar Road, Leicester, LE3 9RN.
Delivery method: Face to Face
Cost: There is no charge for this session
Maximum numbers: 2 per setting
Target audience: Anyone providing school age childcare: childminders, Out of school clubs, schools, nurseries, HAF providers

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.

Please make clear any additional requirements e.g. hearing impairment, accessibility requirements etc. 

• Paediatric First Aid Please use the search engine within to search for Paediatric First Aid course dates and bookings
• Local Safeguarding Children Partnership Board Training 

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

Early years support team (EYST)

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

Prevent Training

Providers can utilise the eLearning for staff, find out more information. 

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. Find dates and booking information. 

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 

Eight 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