WANDSWORTH BOROUGH COUNCIL

Early Years Workforce Training and Development Strategy 2015-16

Training and Development Service, Department for Education and Social Services

Early Years Training and Development Strategy

Contents Page No. 1

Introduction

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Context

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Purpose and objectives

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Priorities

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Core areas of training

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Designated safeguarding leads

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Multi-agency safeguarding training programme

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Target audience

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Stakeholders

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Service users’ views and outcomes

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Roles and responsibilities

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Publicity

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Evaluation and impact

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Governance

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Appendices Appendix 1: Early years training events during 2015-16 linked to specific roles Appendix 2: Early Years Designated Safeguarding Leads Training Programme (Linking modules to guidance) Appendix 3: Early Years Designated Safeguarding Leads Training Programme (Module framework) Appendix 4: Multi-agency safeguarding training events during 2015-16

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Early Years Training and Development Strategy

1. Introduction The Training and Development Service within Wandsworth Borough Council’s Department for Education and Social Services, is committed to ensuring that everyone working with young children and their families in Wandsworth, as either paid staff or volunteers, is aware of their professional responsibilities. This strategy will focus on the delivery of training for the early years workforce in Wandsworth. There is an expectation that staff and managers will access appropriate training which is suited to their role and in particular focus on achieving the delivery of quality learning and development experiences for children.

What is this strategy for? This strategy provides the framework and direction for developing the early years workforce in Wandsworth over the next year. The workforce needs to be competent and confident to deliver teaching and learning to promote children’s ‘school readiness’. Children should have the opportunity to develop knowledge and skills that provide the right foundation for good future progress through school and their life.

Who is this strategy for? This strategy is for all early years’ providers on the Early Years Register; including private and voluntary sector nurseries, maintained and non maintained schools, independent schools and childminders.

Why is this strategy needed? In recent years a number of government policy initiatives have shaped and influenced the development of early years provision. This strategy outlines how the Training and Development Service will support the early years workforce in addressing national and local priorities.

2. Context National policy context In September 2013 the Department for Education published ‘Early education and childcare: Statutory guidance for local authorities’ which detailed the duties placed on local authorities under sections 6, 7, 11 and 13 of the Childcare Act 2006. The local authority’s role in ensuring quality is clearly outlined and there are new measures providing a lever with which to exert influence over poor quality providers. The local authority can withdraw government funding for early education places based upon poor Ofsted ratings. Alongside this, there is also a duty for local authorities to secure provision for any places for children resulting from funding being withdrawn. The challenge of providing alternative places will be significant which further emphasises the need to raise standards within settings with Inadequate or Requires Improvement Ofsted ratings. Early years advisors in Wandsworth will consider providers with Inadequate or Requires Improvement grades as a priority for early preventative support. Where settings are graded as Requires Improvement by 2

Early Years Training and Development Strategy Ofsted, contact will be made with the setting’s proprietor to advise them of the implication of a failure to improve quality i.e. removal of Free Nursery Education Place funding if a grade decreases further. In January 2013 the government published ‘More great childcare: Raising quality and giving parents more choice’ which outlined the recommendations contained within the ‘Nutbrown Report: foundations for quality’ (2012). The following changes are likely to have impact upon the direction and demand on a local level for early years training provision: o Raising the status and quality of the workforce by introducing the Early Years Teacher qualification (Level 6) o Allowing greater flexibility so providers will only be able to operate with more children per adult if they employ high quality staff; in addition to this, give childminders more flexibility around ratios o Ofsted will be the sole arbiter of quality and the expectation of local authorities will be to support inadequate provision and to provide childcare places for vulnerable children o The creation of childminder agencies which will monitor quality, provide training and match childminders with parents o Supporting reception class teachers in maintained schools; non maintained schools and independent schools through training focused upon the assessment process and supporting specific areas of learning within the training and development requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) o Safeguarding responsibilities around disclosure, barring and disqualification will be embedded within the current safeguarding curriculum o Responding to the new Level 3 Early Years Educator qualification which will be introduced from September 2014 o Supporting the work of Special Education Needs Coordinators (SENCOs) in responding to the new special educational needs and disability code of practice: 0-25 years.

Local context The majority of early years provision in Wandsworth consists of privately owned nurseries and nursery and reception classes within maintained primary schools. Independent schools and nurseries operating in the voluntary sector represent a smaller proportion of provision. Based on

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Early Years Training and Development Strategy what is known about the nature of local early years provision, the following points provide further context to the work undertaken by the Training and Development Service: o The requirement for local authorities to approve paediatric first aid training has been removed from the EYFS 2014; in order to maintain quality, the local authority will continue to provide accredited paediatric first aid training according to current quality standards o Alongside the local authorities Early Years Intervention Support Service, support will be offered to settings identified as having received an Inadequate or Requiring Improvement Ofsted rating to enable them to achieve Good or Outstanding grades at their next inspection o The Accredited Training and Assessment Centre (ATAC) will deliver training programmes which specifically address leadership and management within the early years sector, as this is a weak area in most settings with poor Ofsted ratings o Continue to deliver training in Health and Safety and risk assessment as they are intrinsic to the process of safeguarding children and are also legal requirements for employers under Health and Safety legislation o Supporting the provision of early education places for eligible 2 year olds through providing specific training linked to enhancing the curriculum to support child development in the participating settings.

3. Purpose and objectives The purpose of the early years training programme is to promote, explore, inform and ensure the workforce is equipped with the necessary skills to support the learning and development of young children. The early years training objectives are to: o Deliver a high quality training programme which is sustainable, accessible and offered at a competitive market price o Respond to the requirements of the EYFS 2014, changes in the regulation of childcare and the two year old offer o Improve safeguarding practice at operational and management levels within local early years provision o Respond to specific training needs identified by the Early Years Intervention Support Service, early years providers and stakeholders 4

Early Years Training and Development Strategy o Compile a credible evidence base to demonstrate how targeted training and development can influence change in early years provision and raise standards of practice.

4. Priorities The following priorities have been agreed by the Training and Development Service. ID

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Priority Early years training to meet the learning needs of identified leaders and managers working within nurseries with Inadequate or Requires Improvement Ofsted judgments Sufficient training programme available for preregistered and newly registered childminders Early years training programme managed using a full cost recovery model to sustain ongoing delivery Up-skill new providers, senior practitioners and managers in implementing: quality assurance processes; leading and developing practice; and using management information systems to sustain good quality provision for children Training pathway established to up skill Early Years Designated Safeguarding Leads to be effective in their role; including the use of Early Help processes and using the Signs of Safety and Wellbeing approach Up skill staff working in private and voluntary early years provision to effectively assess, plan and monitor the progress of vulnerable children

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Success Indicator Identified leaders and managers participate in training suited to their needs

All newly registered childminders achieve or are on track to achieve a Good or Outstanding Ofsted inspection grade Income received matches the cost of delivery

Participation in: o Leading Practice Modules o New Provider Modules o Management Modules o Designated Safeguarding Leads undertake Early Help Assessments within private and independent nurseries o 30 settings have undertaken the Early Years Designated Safeguarding Leads modular safeguarding programme o Settings with vulnerable 2 year olds engage in relevant learning opportunities o Early years providers work collaboratively with parents, carers and partner agencies o SENCOs effectively undertake Early Help Assessments leading to EHC plans o Providers working with pupil premium children can effectively meet their needs, plan appropriate interventions, and assess progress

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Early Years Training and Development Strategy

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Monitor the take up of training to assess the level of access by different types of early years providers Up skill reception class teachers in maintained primary schools to ensure they appropriately deliver the identified areas for learning and development within the EYFS and undertake assessments linked to the EYFS profile

Data over a 3 year period from 2013 to 2015 identifies participatory patterns across the early years workforce Schools identified within specific areas of the borough have participated in training linked to curriculum and assessment

5. Core areas of training The early years training covers the three main components of the statutory framework for the EYFS: 1. The learning and development requirements 2. The assessment requirements 3. The safeguarding and welfare requirements. All training offered aims to improve the standard of practice across the early years workforce. See Appendix 1 for details of the 2015-16 early years training programme events linked to specific early years roles.

6. Designated safeguarding leads The Early Years Designated Safeguarding Leads (EYDSL) Programme has been designed to correspond with the following early years training priority: ‘Create a clear training pathway to enable Early Years Designated Safeguarding Leads to be confident and competent in their role; including Early Help processes and using the Signs of Safety and Wellbeing approach’ The EYDSL is diverse and demands a wide-ranging set of skills. These have been identified and cross referenced using the requirements within the Statutory Framework for the EYFS 2014 and Competence Still Matters: Safeguarding Training Guidance 2013. The Training and Development Service has planned a comprehensive training programme which responds to all of the areas of competence using an accessible blended approach to learning. It is envisaged that a cohort group of learners will undertake the programme over a three month period and that the first cohort will begin in September 2015. See Appendix 2 and Appendix 3 for further information on the proposed modules.

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Early Years Training and Development Strategy

7. Multi-agency safeguarding training programme The Wandsworth Safeguarding Children Board (WSCB) is committed to ensuring that everyone working with children, young people and families in Wandsworth is aware of their safeguarding responsibilities and has the appropriate skills and knowledge to fulfil them. The ‘Multi-agency Safeguarding Training Strategy, 2015-16’ provides the framework for developing the workforce to ensure it is competent and confident to safeguard children and young people; aims to ensure that the workforce is appropriately informed of local safeguarding practice and understands the different roles and responsibilities. All members of the early years workforce can access multiagency safeguarding training events via the ‘Early Years’ portal on Wandsworth Training and Professional Development Online (TPD Online). See Appendix 4 for a list of multi-agency safeguarding training events during 2015-16.

8. Target audience The early years target audiences are as follows: o Maintained and non maintained primary schools o Private, voluntary and independent nurseries o Registered childminders o Childminders seeking registration. The Training and Development Service intends to target and engage early years settings and childminders that have received Requires Improvement (3) or Inadequate (4) Ofsted ratings. In general, more than half of the total attendees on early years training from registered early years providers (not including schools, local authorities or other attendees) are working in Good (2) settings and a quarter of attendees are from Outstanding (1) settings. Settings that achieve lower Ofsted inspection grades make up a smaller proportion of attendees which is equivalent to the proportion of settings with lower grades. A key priority area for the Training and Development Service is to monitor the take up of training by settings that have achieved Ofsted grades 3 and 4; including take up of courses that have been recommended by early years advisors and the subsequent impact on improving standards. The take up of early years training is monitored by the Early Years Workforce Development Officer within the Training and Development Service. Any gaps identified in reaching specific target audiences will be addressed to ensure a high level of attendance at training events by staff and volunteers from across all levels of the workforce.

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Early Years Training and Development Strategy

9. Stakeholders The main stakeholders who influence and will be influenced by this training and development programme are illustrated below.

Roehampton University

Nurseries, Primary Schools & Children's Centres Parent Representatives

Early years training and development programme

Childcare Business and Consultancy Service

Wandsworth Independent Nurseries Association

Wandsworth Childminders’ Association

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Early Years Training and Development Strategy

10. Service users’ views and outcomes Service users’ views Quite rightly, service users want their voice to be heard and to collaborate in service development. In 2014-15 a sample of service users informed the Training and Development Service of the following qualities, skills and knowledge that they expect staff and volunteers working with them to display.

Service user outcomes All members of the early years workforce are responsible for ensuring the best possible outcomes for younger children and their families. This strategy aims to contribute to the following outcomes for service users: o Children receive good quality input from practitioners within their early educational experiences across the seven areas of learning o Parents and carers are aware of Early Help Processes and the support they can access o Parents and carers participate to a greater extent in their children’s early education.

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Early Years Training and Development Strategy

11. Roles and responsibilities Working in partnership with the Early Years Intervention Support Service, the Early Years Workforce Development Officer is responsible for developing, delivering and reviewing the early years workforce training and development programme advertised on TPD Online and liaising with the Early Years Partnership and other stakeholders.

12. Publicity All early years training events are advertised on TPD Online. Registered users are alerted to new training events each week via automated emails and fliers are used to promote specific training events across the workforce. The Early Years Intervention Support Service hosts a Managers’ Forum which provides an opportunity to promote training and consult on a range of training and development initiatives. A termly e-newsletter is circulated to settings providing an update on local and national policies, initiatives and professional development opportunities.

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Evaluation and impact

Every early years training event is evaluated immediately after it has been delivered and selected events will be evaluated for impact on practice at least three months after they have taken place. The feedback is used to refine and develop the early years training and development programme. Greater analysis of impact will be carried out where training events are linked to areas of practice needing development as required by the WSCB or arising from an Ofsted inspection. Sample observations of training are carried out to monitor the quality of professional development experiences on offer to the workforce. Trainers are required to respond to feedback contained within observation reports.

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Governance

The Training and Development Service offers a training programme which supports delivery of the EYFS 2014 requirements. Progress towards delivering the priorities outlined within this strategy will be monitored by the Early Years Partnership.

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Appendix 1: Early years training events during 2015-16 liked to specific early years roles

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Business planning and risk management

Business premises

Behaviour management

Literacy - Reception

EYFS profile

PSE - reception

Outdoor play

Tracking children’s progress

Planning and delivering personalised learning

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Child development 3-5 seven areas of learning

Child development 2-3 prime areas of learning

Child development 0-2 prime areas of learning

Extending language

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New to the EYFS

Reception class teacher

Supports systems, processes and skills required for quality assurance

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New provider

Description of selected events Supports all aspects of inclusion in accordance with SEND requirements

Leading practitione r

Registered childminde r

Enabling environments

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Independence and social skills

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Promoting early literacy

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Staff supervision

Parent Partnership: additional needs

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Performance management

Parent Partnership: effective collaboration

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Staff inductions

New to the role of SENCO

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Self Evaluation Process

Early Help Assessment

SENCO

Social communication series

Roles

SENCO events

Early years training events

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Up skills experienced practitioners to lead and develop practice within their setting Focuses on key stages of child development (0-5) including relevant learning and development goals Focuses on business management and development for new providers with premises and prior to opening Specific training for registered childminders including those who are supporting vulnerable children Specific training for reception class teachers focussed on key EYSF2015-16 areas

Early Years Training and Development Strategy

Appendix 2: Early Years Designated Safeguarding Leads Training Programme

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Early Years Training and Development Strategy

Appendix 3: Early Years Designated Safeguarding Leads Training Programme

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Early Years Training and Development Strategy

Appendix 4: Multi-agency safeguarding training events during 2015-16 o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o

Background to safeguarding children and young people - e-learning CAADA young people affected by intimate partner violence Child Protection awareness, recognition and referral Child Protection refresher Child trafficking Children missing from home and care Complex neglect Child Protection awareness for voluntary sector Critical thinking in assessing harm Domestic violence and safeguarding children (Advanced) E-safety awareness workshop Faith based abuse FGM a safeguarding issue Gangs Honour based violence Impact of domestic violence on children Impact of parental learning difficulties (including see the adult see the child) Impact of substance misuse on parenting Learning from Experience: Key themes and practice learning points from a Wandsworth Serious Case Review Multi-agency e-learning induction: Are you new to Wandsworth? Planning and decision making in child protection Safeguarding awareness for volunteers Safeguarding children at risk of significant harm Safer recruitment Sexual exploitation: Identification and intervention Sexual exploitation: Identification and response for managers Signs of Safety and Wellbeing multi-agency training Supervision skills The effects of parental mental health on children (1 day) The effects of parental mental health on children (2 days, advanced) Training the trainers Understanding adolescence Understanding children's development (0-11) Working with challenging adolescence Working with child sexual abuse Working with hard to help families managing authoritative practice Workshop to raise awareness of Prevent: Identifying those at risk of being drawn into terrorism Young people and violence against woman and girls

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