The Being Two workshops will consider from a child’s perspective what it means to be truly two. Participants will explore how practitioners who are responsive and skilled in meeting the unique needs of two-year-olds can make a difference.

How do you respond to the different communication styles of two-year-olds in your setting? This workshop will examine the variety of ways children communicate and the factors that influence this. We will discuss practical strategies for supporting communication and how to plan well-thought-out daily routines that include opportunities for mindful interactions.

Please note: This is a stand-alone workshop that needs to be booked individually. However, there are two other Being Two workshops that you may find useful, too.

This training is for early years practitioners and leaders working in settings or childminders in our Stronger Practice Hub area (Bristol, Bath and North East Somerset, Swindon, Wiltshire, Somerset, North Somerset, Gloucestershire, South Gloucestershire). We will also prioritise settings and childminders in areas of deprivation.

Tickets

Using the beautiful simplicity of sociograms, this course will provide you with a visual representation of the relationships with the children in your setting. As early years educators and leaders of pedagogy, you are invited to deconstruct, confront, theorise, and potentially think otherwise about the significance of positive and nurturing relationships within the setting.

Aims and objectives – Delegates will have opportunities to:

• Reflect, identify, question, and potentially reconsider assumptions and perceptions of the connections and relationships with children in our settings.
• Consider the significance of equitable, positive, and nurturing relationships, between every child and early years educator, to have the best possible start in life.
• Explore how the concept of relationship mapping can support each child to connect to at least one adult in the setting: to be known and feel felt.
• Reflect upon the individual and pedagogical factors of influence to these relationships, such as attachment stages and types, play, deployment, attendance, interaction styles, key person approach, gender constructs, transitions, unconscious bias and culture.

This training is suitable for all early educators from 0-5 years. It will be interactive with discussion and break out rooms, so please join with the expectation of participating.

This training is being delivered by Jacqui Lewis on behalf of the Stronger Practice Hub.

Jacqui Lewis is an advocate for children, childhoods, and high quality, inclusive early childhood education. Her broad experience across the early education sector has consistently sought to respect, protect, and celebrate early educators and achieve an equitable relationship to empower reflexivity and growth. Jacqui has held previous roles as a Setting Leader, Area SENco, Ofsted Inspector, and has supported settings daily in the role of Local Authority Officer. Jacqui is currently part of a research team exploring children’s participatory rights, teaches on the DfE NPQ for Early Years Leadership, is a regional Makaton Tutor, and an Associate University Lecturer. Informed by practice, postgraduate research, and a rights-based philosophy, The Thinking Spot (Early Education Consultancy) is immersed in respectful, inclusive practice for every child whilst understanding sector challenges and complexities within educators’ professional identities.

Read more about Jacqui Lewis here.

This training is for early years practitioners and leaders working in settings or childminders in our Stronger Practice Hub area (Bristol, Bath and North East Somerset, Swindon, Wiltshire, Somerset, North Somerset, Gloucestershire, South Gloucestershire). We will also prioritise settings and childminders in areas of deprivation.

Dr Karen Boardman invites us to think about embracing a multi-modal approach to early literacy and to reflect together on our provision for phonics, digital literacies, early reading and storytelling in early years education. This session will develop some deeper discussions with some provocations and impact on literacy pedagogy.

About Dr Karen Boardman

Karen is the Head of Department for Early Years Education at Edge Hill University, Ormskirk, Liverpool. Karen is passionate about ‘all things’ Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC), particularly literacy, early reading and working with under-threes. Karen’s research interests are literacy, early reading, policy and pedagogy and under-threes. Karen also writes about and contributes to the field of child development, play and inclusion. Karen has been working in the ECEC field for 40 years as a practitioner/teacher/researcher, initially as an NNEB in nursery settings. Later in a wide range of schools/settings as a teacher/Senior Leader. Karen is a Fellow of the Chartered College of Teaching and a board member of the Early Years Hub. As Chair of TACTYC and many other international organisations, Karen is able to continue to advocate for the field of ECEC.

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This session is an online interactive workshop that will encourage reflective discussion and learning together; it is, therefore, an expectation that you will have your camera on. There will be opportunities for sharing in breakout rooms so that we can learn about practice from each other and get the most learning from this workshop.

This training is intended for practitioners and those who work with babies and children in the early years; the training aims to improve their confidence in identifying and supporting those experiencing sensory processing differences. The training will introduce the eight sensory systems and how they may have an impact on a child’s experience of the world around them. Training participants will become familiar with what is meant by ‘sensory processing’ and take part in interactive activities to embed this understanding.

Learning Outcomes

• To gain an in-depth understanding of the eight sensory systems, particularly in relation to the early years
• To understand what sensory processing is and how this differs from person to person
• To explore ways to create a sensory environment conducive to learning
• To apply what is learned in the training session to everyday practice supporting babies and children

About Christina Welsh

Christina Welsh

Christina Welsh, Education Programme Manager at the Council for Disabled Children.

Christina has worked at the Council for Disabled Children in the Education and Equalities team since August 2022. She manages the Early Years SEND Partnership programme and supports the coordination of the Special Educational Consortium. As part of her role at the EYSEND Partnership, Christina develops and leads training on topics such as sensory processing and the Equality Act for parents/carers and practitioners, provides strategic support on inclusion to local authorities, and coordinates large events bringing together representatives from across the early years sector.

Christina has worked in the education nonprofit sector for seven years, developing national, regional, and global education programmes for underserved communities. She has previously worked as a primary school teacher and holds an MA in Development Education and Global Learning at the Institute of Education at UCL.

Christina is passionate about increasing the educational opportunities for babies, children and young people and is committed to influencing policy to better cater for those with diverse learning needs.

Learn more about Christina here.

This training is for early years practitioners and leaders working in settings or childminders in our Stronger Practice Hub area (Bristol, Bath and North East Somerset, Swindon, Wiltshire, Somerset, North Somerset, Gloucestershire, South Gloucestershire). We will also prioritise settings and childminders in areas of deprivation.

Please come along to the SPH Intro session to:

• Meet our SPH lead, Lucy Driver, and other network leads,
• Hear more about the Hub and what is going on in your area,
• Share your voice and needs so that we can tailor our support for you.

The Bristol & Beyond Early Years Stronger Practice Hub has been running for a couple of years now, and yet there are still many early years practitioners and managers, childminders, and teachers who do not know about us and what we can offer you.

Part of the DFE’s Covid Recovery support for the sector, we are providing information and guidance in various forms, evidence-informed CPD programmes and opportunities, and early years networks to support the workforce’s wellbeing and development.

We are working with 8 Local Authorities in the South West (Bristol, Bath & North East Somerset, North Somerset, Somerset, South Gloucestershire, Gloucestershire, Wiltshire and Swindon) and seeking to engage and support over 3000 settings and childminders in our area, especially those in deprived areas or working with disadvantaged children.

Please Note: This might be recorded.

This training is for early years practitioners and leaders working in settings or childminders in our Stronger Practice Hub area (Bristol, Bath and North East Somerset, Swindon, Wiltshire, Somerset, North Somerset, Gloucestershire, South Gloucestershire). We will also prioritise settings and childminders in areas of deprivation.