Search Results

Liverpool City Region and beyond Early Years Stronger Practice Hub Hub Home Events Blogs Childminders Programmes Documents Subscribe Early Years Professional Development Programme Newsletters Recruitment Early Years Professional Development Programme (EYDP) https://www.earlyyearspdp.com/ I cannot recommend the Early Years Professional Development Programme enough to any early years practitioner whether they are new to the sector or have many years of experience. Being able to adapt ideas from the training and talking to colleagues on the webinar has been invaluable. Understanding children’s depth of knowledge in Early Maths has allowed me to enhance activities allowing me to see the immediate, positive impact on their learning. Ten simple hints and tips could make any setting become “language rich” and the ability to spot and fix communication “cold spots” personally I am so glad I signed up. June Cargill Ofsted Registered Outstanding Childminder Strategic Partners Stronger Practice Hub Privacy Notice

του μενού MENUS for 5th January - 13th February 2026.pdf

Liverpool City Region and Beyond Early Years Stronger Practice Hub Hub Home Events Newsletters Blogs Programmes Documents Subscribe Childminders Recruitment CONCEPT CAT By Alex Gower-Jones Strategic Partners Stronger Practice Hub Privacy Notice

Ημερομηνίες θητείας

Επικοινωνήστε μαζί μας Μπορείτε να μιλήσετε με την Joanne Rooney (Διαχειριστή), την Anne Smith (Receptionist) ή τη Lesley Curtis (Διευθυντή) εάν είναι διαθέσιμη. Η Συντονίστριά μας Ειδικών Εκπαιδευτικών Αναγκών και Αναπηρίας (SENDCo) είναι η Rebecca Melia με την υποστήριξη της Συντονίστριας μας για την Ένταξη Ruth Scully. Τηλέφωνο ΗΛΕΚΤΡΟΝΙΚΗ ΔΙΕΥΘΥΝΣΗ 0151 233 1969 evertonnsfc@evertoncentre.liverpool.sch.uk Μεσα ΚΟΙΝΩΝΙΚΗΣ ΔΙΚΤΥΩΣΗΣ Φόρμα Επικοινωνίας Ονομα Επίθετο ΗΛΕΚΤΡΟΝΙΚΗ ΔΙΕΥΘΥΝΣΗ Μήνυμα Ευχαριστούμε για την υποβολή! Στείλετε

Ενημερωτικά δελτία Autumn Newsletter 2025 Spring Newsletter 2025 Spring Newsletter 2024.pdf spring newsletter 2023.pdf autumn newsletter 2021 autumn newsletter 2020 autumn newsletter 2019 Autumn Newsletter 2024 Autumn Newsletter 2023 autumn newsletter 2022 summer newsletter 2021 summer newsletter 2020 summer newsletter 2019 Summer Newsletter 2025 Summer Newsletter 2024 Summer Newsletter 2023 spring newsletter 2022 spring newsletter 2021 spring newsletter 2020 spring newsletter 2019

Liverpool City Region and Beyond Early Years Stronger Practice Hub Hub Home Events Newsletters Blogs Programmes Documents Subscribe Childminders Recruitment Sharing gifted resource bags Kendal Childminding Network Sharing how resource bags gifted by Liverpool City Region and Beyond Stronger Practice Hub have made an impact to a childminder network. How did you use the resource bag? Thank you so much for the resource box that Tracie (Strategic Childminder Support Lead) brought to our Network Drop in at Beck Community Centre in Kendal. We used the ‘Owl Babie’s’ story sack within the drop in while Tracie was with us. The children absolutely loved the story and used the fabulous puppets. We extended the activity by playing ‘sleeping owls’ then flying around and swooping down to picking up toys to put them away for tidy up time. Please share further information on how the resource bag supported your setting and how the resource bag may inspire or support other childminders? Every week each childminder will take home a different resource bag to share with their minded children and then swap the following week. They will also take it in turns to use a bag within the drop in, for the activity and swap ideas to extend activities within the bags. What impact did this resource bag have on the learning of the children in your setting? The children and childminders absolutely enjoyed using the story sack. Everyone joined in, got excited, had fun and laughed all the way through the story. They learnt all about why babies get upset when their mummy leaves them. It promoted discussion about emotions including how they felt that morning being dropped off at their childminders. The children talked about cuddling their childminders for reassurance and how they felt safe. Some of the children cuddled each other, others cuddled the owls. The children pretended to be sleeping baby owls, when woken they flew around swooping and diving down, before going back to sleep to do the actions again. After the session the children all helped to put the contents back into the bag ready for next time. Strategic Partners Stronger Practice Hub Privacy Notice

Liverpool City Region and Beyond Early Years Stronger Practice Hub Hub Home Events Newsletters Blogs Programmes Documents Subscribe Childminders Recruitment ENGAGING GROWTH WITH ‘THE GARDEN CLASSROOM’ By Tracie Dowling My name is Tracie Dowling, I have worked in childcare for over 30 years. I’m an OFSTED Registered Childminder, Mentor for the Department of Education , Northwest Childminder Representative and Childminding Network Co-ordinator, PEEP Facilitator and Childminder Employer based in Liverpool. I employ an amazing assistant, Debbie and together we care for eight children under the age of five years. Throughout my career as a Registered Childminder, I have incorporated holistic learning into my practices. Over the years this has evolved, and I refer to my way of teaching as ‘The Garden Classroom’ which you can read about on my blog . Although this way of learning is primarily outdoors, the learning is year-long and therefore I have created ways of learning no matter the season. The Garden Classroom practices always incorporate the three prime areas of the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) and the Characteristics of Effective Teaching and Learning. Read on to learn how I weave these key components into outdoor play. OUTDOOR LEARNING The Garden Classroom is a space where children can learn and grow, connecting to nature and the world around them. Outdoor exploration not only connects toddlers and babies with the seasons and everchanging weather, but also promotes physical activity, a sense of wonder, and an appreciation for the natural environment. Providing gardening activities for my children has proven to be great way to engage them with hands-on learning, including growing food from seed to plate, food sensory education , pond-dipping and lifecycles, and practicing sustainability through composting and recycling. The children learn vital skills such as adaptability and resilience by witnessing their environment going through the cycles. This helps them understand the concept of change and builds resilience in the face of transitions. In one area of our garden, we have a pet cemetery. Here, we have buried our family pets and other creatures who have come and gone. This space allows us to teach the children about the life-death cycle and accept change. Similarly, every year we experience frogspawn, giving us the opportunity to learn about birth and growth as we watch their little tails shrink and their legs grow. To support the children’s cognitive skills, we provide activities to observe and understand nature through investigation. The children’s favourite activities at the moment are pond dipping and growing and harvesting flowers, fruit, and vegetables. Some of the learning objectives within these activities are linked to lifecycles, categorising, comparison and pattern recognition in nature. Supporting the children to experience the wonders of changing seasons has a positive effect on their emotional well-being, mine, and Debbie’s too! The children take naps outside and participate in meditation while the birds are singing away. These activities provide opportunities for relaxation and promote a sense of calm and happiness. It is proven that spending time in nature has mental health benefits as well as emotional and physical benefits . SEASONAL LEARNING Every season and even every different day outdoors, brings a new set of sensory stimulation by exploring the sights, textures, aromas, even the noises of the natural world. The experiences are endless. The children love finding the strawberries and munching away, and there is no better taste than a sun-ripened cherry tomato, if they leave me any! Unfolding the characteristics of seasonal vocabulary during our activities also contributes to early language and provides children with the skills to articulate their observations and experiences. Whether its playing in the muddy puddles, counting the frogs or learning to sow seeds, the language opportunities are endless. The seasons are also a lovely way to promote cultural celebrations and traditions. We love the harvest festival where we like to gather our produce and share with our families, or Diwali where we cover the garden with lights and have a magical Diwali feast. There are many ways to weave cultural traditions into your very own Garden Classroom. “Lovely to watch her be so interested in how it grows. How she cares for it, and that she’s happy with the end result, we’ve even started growing our own strawberries and sunflowers at home” – Elsie’s Mum. By incorporating a Garden Classroom into your setting, your children can foster environmental awareness, develop a sense of responsibility and appreciation of the natural world, which in turn lays the groundwork for their future environmental consciousness. Seasonal changes spark natural curiosity and wonder within the children, giving them the opportunity for questioning and exploration, cultivating a mindset of inquiry and lifelong learning. The Education Endowment Foundation (EEF) The Early Years Toolkit brings together the best available evidence on key areas of learning and development. It can support all childminders when making decisions on how to improve learning outcomes. Physical development approaches | EEF educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk) Other research Useful resource: Garden activities for September :: The Garden Classroom - NurtureStore The Edible Garden – Alys Fowler (book and BBC Series 2010) Strategic Partners Stronger Practice Hub Privacy Notice

Liverpool City Region and Beyond Early Years Stronger Practice Hub Hub Home Events Newsletters Blogs Programmes Documents Subscribe Childminders Recruitment Maths Champions As part of NDNA's recruitment of settings for the Maths Champions programme, we are holding a number of information sessions. Led by our team of expert Early Years Advisors, these sessions will provide a comprehensive explanation of the programme, the eligibility criteria for settings to take part, and the commitment involved. There is also an opportunity for settings to ask direct questions to the Early Years Advisors, followed by clear instructions of next steps and how to sign up. Strategic Partners Stronger Practice Hub Privacy Notice

The aim of our curriculum at Everton Nursery School and Family Centre is to encourage the all-round development of the child, socially, emotionally, physically, intellectually and spiritually in a safe, secure and stimulating environment through reference to the Early Years Foundation Stage. Διδακτέα ύλη Ο στόχος του προγράμματος σπουδών μας στο Everton Nursery School and Family Center είναι να ενθαρρύνει την ολόπλευρη ανάπτυξη του παιδιού, κοινωνικά, συναισθηματικά, σωματικά, διανοητικά και πνευματικά σε ένα ασφαλές, ασφαλές και διεγερτικό περιβάλλον μέσω της αναφοράς στο Early Years Foundation Stage. Δεσμευόμαστε να διασφαλίζουμε τα υψηλότερα δυνατά πρότυπα μάθησης και διδασκαλίας για τα μικρά παιδιά μας ανά πάσα στιγμή. Παρέχουμε σκόπιμα και εμπνευσμένα μαθησιακά περιβάλλοντα για να παίξουν, να μάθουν και να εξερευνήσουν όλα τα παιδιά. Εξετάζουμε, ακούμε και σημειώνουμε πώς τα παιδιά μεγαλώνουν με τους δικούς τους ρυθμούς και τα προκαλούμε καθ' όλη τη διάρκεια της παραμονής τους στο νηπιαγωγείο μας μέσω προσεκτικά σχεδιασμένων μαθησιακών εμπειριών. Σχεδιάζουμε να χρησιμοποιήσουμε το πλαίσιο Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) «Development Matters» και να εξοπλίσουμε όλα τα παιδιά με ευρείες και ισορροπημένες μαθησιακές εμπειρίες και στους επτά τομείς μάθησης και ανάπτυξης - τόσο σε εσωτερικούς όσο και σε εξωτερικούς χώρους! Σχεδιασμός για τις ανάγκες των παιδιών Το πρόγραμμα σπουδών μας έχει σχεδιαστεί προσεκτικά για τις αναπτυξιακές ανάγκες όλων των παιδιών κάτω των 5 ετών. Η φάση της εκπαίδευσης για παιδιά ηλικίας 0-5 ετών ονομάζεται Early Years Foundation Stage, η οποία διερευνά τα χαρακτηριστικά της αποτελεσματικής μάθησης των παιδιών σε επτά τομείς μάθησης και ανάπτυξης: Επικοινωνία και Γλώσσα Εκφραστικές Τέχνες και Σχέδιο Γνώση γραφής Μαθηματικά Φυσική Ανάπτυξη Κατανόηση του Κόσμου Προσωπική, Κοινωνική και Συναισθηματική Ανάπτυξη Curriculum learning and teaching policy The Early Years Foundation Stage is used to plan for the development of the whole child. The children’s interests are used as starting points to stimulate learning. Το Early Years Foundation Stage χρησιμοποιείται για τον προγραμματισμό της ανάπτυξης ολόκληρου του παιδιού. Τα ενδιαφέροντα των παιδιών χρησιμοποιούνται ως αφετηρία για την τόνωση της μάθησης. Όλοι οι τομείς μάθησης και ανάπτυξης συνδέονται μεταξύ τους και είναι εξίσου σημαντικοί. Στο νηπιαγωγείο και το οικογενειακό κέντρο της Έβερτον, αναγνωρίζουμε πλήρως ότι «Τα παιδιά αναπτύσσονται με τους δικούς τους ρυθμούς». (Development Matters, Early Education 2012) Το Μαθησιακό Περιβάλλον Αν και το νηπιαγωγείο μπορεί να μοιάζει με μια άτυπη αίθουσα παιχνιδιών, όλα έχουν επιλεγεί και βγει για έναν σκοπό. Everything έχει σχεδιαστεί για να βοηθά τα παιδιά να μαθαίνουν και να αποκτούν τις απαραίτητες δεξιότητες. Για παράδειγμα; Το νήμα με χάντρες βοηθά το παιδί σας να αναπτύξει την αναγνώριση χρώματος και σχήματος, την αλληλουχία, τη δημιουργία σχεδίων και τον συντονισμό χεριού-ματιού, εκτός από τη δημιουργική ευχαρίστηση που προσφέρει η εμπειρία. Κάθε παιδί θα έχει την ευκαιρία να πειραματιστεί με μια ποικιλία υλικών, εξοπλισμού και δραστηριοτήτων, όπως μπογιά, υλικά κολάζ, άμμο, νερό, μεγάλες και μικρές κατασκευές, παιχνίδια «μικρού κόσμου» όπως σιδηρόδρομοι ή κουκλόσπιτα, υπολογιστές και άλλος εξοπλισμός ΤΠΕ. , ζύμη, παιχνίδια, παζλ, στυλό, μολύβια, κραγιόνια, χαρτί, μεγάλη γκάμα βιβλίων μυθοπλασίας και μη, και παιχνίδι ρόλων. Τα παιδιά έχουν πρόσβαση κάθε μέρα στο εκτεταμένο, προσεκτικά σχεδιασμένο υπαίθριο περιβάλλον μας και ορισμένες ώρες της ημέρας μπορούν να επιλέξουν να μείνουν σε εσωτερικούς χώρους ή να βγουν έξω όπως θέλουν. Έξω έχουν πρόσβαση σε παιχνίδια με τροχούς, εξοπλισμό αναρρίχησης, άμμο και νερό, ήσυχες περιοχές, καθώς και να συμμετέχουν στη φύτευση και τη συντήρηση των περιοχών του κήπου. Υπάρχει μια εκτεταμένη επιφάνεια ασφαλείας και μια σειρά από «λόφους» και μονοπάτια προς εξερεύνηση. Τα παιδιά χρησιμοποιούν επίσης την εσωτερική αίθουσα για δραστηριότητες σωματικής ανάπτυξης σε μεγάλες συσκευές και για δραστηριότητες χορού, μουσικής και κίνησης. Εισαγωγή δασκάλου Κάθε τάξη καθοδηγείται από έναν έμπειρο και υψηλά καταρτισμένο δάσκαλο του Foundation Stage. Αυτός ο Δάσκαλος ηγείται μιας μαθησιακής εμπειρίας από ενήλικες στην αρχή τόσο της πρωινής όσο και της απογευματινής συνεδρίας για να εμπλακεί, να ενδιαφερθεί και να πυροδοτήσει το πάθος των παιδιών για μάθηση. Κάθε Δάσκαλος υποστηρίζεται από πιστοποιημένο Εκπαιδευτή Προσχολικής Ηλικίας Επιπέδου 3. Τόσο οι Δάσκαλοι όσο και οι Οικογενειακοί Εργαζόμενοι αναλαμβάνουν το ρόλο του Οικογενειακού Εργαζόμενου (Βασικοί Εργαζόμενοι) στο παιδί και την οικογένειά του. Αρχεία Family Worker Στο νηπιαγωγείο Everton, πιστεύουμε ότι η παρατήρηση, ο προβληματισμός, η αξιολόγηση και η τεκμηρίωση της μάθησης, των επιτυχιών και των επιτευγμάτων των παιδιών είναι κρίσιμα στοιχεία του προγράμματος σπουδών Early Years Foundation Stage. Αυτή η διαδικασία τεκμηρίωσης επιτρέπει στο προσωπικό να εξετάσει την πρόοδο των μεμονωμένων παιδιών για να σχεδιάσει αναλόγως τις μελλοντικές ευκαιρίες μάθησης, προκειμένου να καλύψει τις ανάγκες και το στάδιο ανάπτυξης για όλα τα παιδιά. Το προσωπικό καταγράφει αυτές τις παρατηρήσεις, στοχασμούς και αξιολογήσεις στα ατομικά αρχεία Family Worker των παιδιών, τα οποία είναι και τα δύο διαθέσιμα στους γονείς/φροντιστές σε κάθε ευκαιρία.

Περιβάλλον εκμάθησης

EYSH Blogs Lost words Σε αρμονία Blogs ‘Lost words’ reflected through the three pillars of sustainability and the SDGs. By Diane Boyd As early years practitioners we recognise the importance of our role in supporting children’s oral skills through holistic development. Influential research by Hart and Risley (1992,1995) stated that early year’s children living in poorer disadvantaged situations experienced significantly less adult directed words than their higher socio-economic peers. The research implied there was a ‘30-million-word deficit’ for the lower socio-economic children by the time they were four. That is a lot of missing words! These crucial findings draw attention to the importance of what quality practitioners can do to support and narrow the gap for children through quality interactions and using their quality environments (SDG 4 Quality Education). So, how can we close the gap and support children’s communication skills? The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS DfE, 2024, p9) clearly states the importance of “back-and-forth interactions” as a necessary requirement for language and cognitive development in young children. Sameroff and Fiese (2000) suggest back-and-forth interactions are more important than the quantity of the vocabulary children are exposed to, because the bi-directional conversations shared together are closely entwined with Personal, Social and Emotional Development, a universal prime area (EYFS, DfE,2024). As practitioners we need to focus on ensuring all children have opportunities to encounter through modelling and scaffolding, complex language input with a high level of longer, richer sentences (Rowe, 2008). This aligns with the Education Endowment Foundation – Communication and Language toolkit, which reminds practitioners to support and model effective linguistic aspects of communication. However, reflecting on pedagogical interactions Margaret Donaldson (1978) says this must make ‘human sense’ to the children, suggesting the need to draw on the socio-cultural aspects of community too (SDG 11 Sustainable Cities and communities). Within the Specific Area Understanding the World (EYFS, DfE,2024, p11) practitioners are asked to guide “children to make sense of their physical world and their community.” Taking children out beyond the gates of your setting allows them to experience holistically their neighbourhood, and what makes sense to them. Every neighbourhood is different (think of smells in a city compared to a beach town!) but as the EYFS (DfE, 2024, p 11) states “the frequency and range of children’s personal experiences increases their knowledge and sense of the world around them”. One such example is walking with your children through the town daily or weekly, past the local shops and engaging in back-and-forth conversations, adding new vocabulary as they walk. Exchanging hellos and making conversation with shop keepers will help children to become familiar with new vocabulary that is seemingly being lost due to the overuse of supermarkets. In large supermarkets everything is there and available in one stop – just come in and buy! There are limited interactions, relationships and vocabulary shared. Sadly now, how many children know for instance, what a cobbler is and what their work comprises of, linking here to SDG 8 Decent Work and Economic Growth. By visiting in a natural organic way through a neighbourhood walk, children will become familiar with the shop keepers such as an optician, haberdasher, greengrocer, butcher, chemist, and baker (remember use this core language) that reside on their high street. When do children ever hear these occupational words now? So, it is imperative early years practitioners highlight these words before they become ‘lost’. Reinforce the words further through reading non-fiction books and revisit language associated with each profession, for example, Dylan the Shopkeeper by Guy Parker Rees. Set up your role play as different shops visited to consolidate language further. The new vocabulary can be extended to understand the produce they can purchase from the different shops, resonating with SDG 8, SDG 9, and SDG 11. The EYFS (DfE,2024) asks practitioners to build ‘positive relationships’, and this is a way of doing this through your locality. For example, in the greengrocer discuss the type of apple with the children and then taste test them. Granny Smith or Royal Gala which are sweet or bitter? Think of the lovely describing words or faces here! Other extension activities could include memory games- I went to the baker and I bought bread, a cake, some pastries; or I went to the butcher, and I bought some pork sausages, a bacon chop, some beef burgers; this consolidates the produce from each shop and the repetition aids the children’s cognition. After visiting the high street, the children could make their own big story book from each shop rather than buying books to support. This would be very effective as this supports children’s understanding of text - words and images together have meaning, that there is a beginning, middle and end in books which will make ‘human sense’ to them as this connects them to their community high street shops, and the satisfaction of knowing they wrote the book. Due to plastic credit cards being used in supermarkets there are other words that are now less frequently used in the terms of monetary currency. How often do children hear in purchasing back and forth conversations, or the words pennies and pounds being used? By highlighting during your neighbourhood walks not just the local shop keepers, their profession and produce sold, take the children into the shop, and model the use of real money. As the EEF Communication and Language states “settings should use a range of different approaches to developing communication and language skills.” It is important that children hear your “back-and-forth interactions” (EYFS, DfE,2024p, 9) with the shop keepers, as they are valuable conversations of both produce and currency together. The EEF (Early numeracy approaches) research shows that by utilising holistic pedagogy it has “a higher impact than when maths was delivered as a supplementary activity.” Through these conversations children will hear pennies, pounds, change and cost which they can replicate in role play back at your setting because this makes “human sense” (Donalson,1978) to them. Moving out into the locality and community children will have countless opportunities to use their 5 senses – hearing, smelling, tasting, seeing, and touching. By visiting local parks, gardens, or beaches regularly children will develop empathy and care for their environment. The emphasis is that you always use correct terminology with the children. For example, not the generic term ‘flower’ but daffodil or snow drop, and you encourage the children to observe the fauna but not pick them. There is a fabulous book called Lost Words by Robert MacFarlane and Jackie Morris (2021) which focuses again on disappearing words but this time in the natural world. The book states “all over the country, there are words disappearing from children's lives. These are the words of the natural world; Dandelion, Otter, Bramble, and Acorn, all gone. A wild landscape of imagination and play is rapidly fading from our children's minds. The Lost Words stands against the disappearance of wild childhood”. This book could be used as a follow up to walks or scientific observations in woodland. Crucially for the planet we need to ensure young children hear, use, and understand key words from nature. As the EEF- Early Literacy approaches state you must ensure that “your early literacy strategy is well-balanced and combines approaches that will support the development of skills, knowledge and understanding”. From a sustainable perspective we need to invest in our locality whether this is the high street or park or woodlands or coastline. If children develop a relationship with their community and locality then they will love the area, respect the area and care for the area. EEF- Early years evidence highlights “approaches for teaching early literacy should, therefore, be used in ways that build on approaches that support communication and language, which are fundamental to children’s literacy.” This resonates with the Specific Area Knowledge and Understanding which asks practitioners to “foster their understanding of our culturally, socially, technologically, and ecologically diverse world” EYFS (DfE,2024, p11). Extending and developing these ‘lost words’ of the high street and environment builds “important knowledge,” and “extends their familiarity with words that support understanding across domains” (EYFS, DfE, 2024, p11). Economic sustainability through regular opportunities to use and understand words associated with currency, socio-cultural sustainability through engaging and connecting with your local community high street shops and environmental sustainability with care and empathy because of a relationship with the natural world. This clearly demonstrates the interconnected and holistic approaches to both early childhood and sustainability. Home | Climate Action Strategy | Case Studies | Curriculum Resources | Blog and Video Logs