Welcome to our Autumn Bristol & Beyond Stronger Practice Hub Newsletter. This issue features our upcoming CPD opportunties for October and November, information on our Autumn Professional Development Programmes, a special focus on Equality, Diversity & Inclusion (EDI) and our new online resources.
Whether you're looking to deepen your knowledge, connect with fellow practitioners, or find fresh strategies to support the children in your care, there's something here for you.
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMMES
Recruiting Now!
We are recruiting now for our Autumn Professional Development Programmes.These are DFE funded, evidence-based training programmes, developed by experts and designed to have maximum benefit without being too onerous.
There are 3 programmes: Early Language, Early Maths and PSED. We are currently recruiting settings and childminders to participate this Autumn.
Read more about how you can benefit & express your interest by the 19th October.
What do children and families see, hear and experience in your setting that tells them "you belong here"? In this blog Simone Barnes reflects on why belonging matters so deeply for young children, how representation shapes self-concept from the earliest years, and why inclusion isn't an add-on to good PSED but part of the foundation that allows it to flourish.
This staff meeting template gives you everything you need to facilitate a focused, practical session with your team in 1 to 2 hours.Black History Month is an annual celebration of Black history, heritage and culture, and this year’s theme is Honouring Our Communities. How settings approach the month matters. Thoughtful planning moves the conversation beyond what we will do in October, to why we are doing it, what children might gain from it and what your provision looks like on 1st November, once the displays have come down.
This staff meeting template gives you everything you need to facilitate a focused, practical session with your team in 1 to 2 hours.Books are often seen as a straightforward way to promote equality, diversity and inclusion. They can support children’s sense of identity and belonging while broadening their understanding of the world and the people around them. But representation on a shelf is not the same as representation children notice, choose and return to. Together your team will view your book areas through the eyes of different children in your cohort, work through a case study exploring what representation really means, and consider how the books you choose sit alongside what you know about children’s interests and stage of development.
"What if one of the simplest things we do with children every day could also be one of the most powerful? Not a complicated intervention. Nor another resource to add to the planning. Just a story."
In this Blog, Gwyneth Keen considers how sensitive, responsive interactions during shared reading help children feel valued, included and understood. She reflects on how stories give children space to explore emotions they cannot yet articulate, how returning to the same book can offer reassurance and comfort, and why making space for different ways of listening, participating and making meaning matters for every child.
In this Early Years Spotlight, we’re looking at resources around screen use. Nearly 98% of two-year-olds watch content on screens daily, and the early years are a critical period of rapid brain development, so settings play a vital role in supporting healthy habits. Explore policy guidance, provider support, campaign resources for families, and practical alternatives that keep children engaged.
Sleep and rest are essential to babies’ and young children’s development and the updated EYFS statutory framework sets out clearer requirements for safer sleep.This staff meeting template gives you everything you need to run a focused, practical session with your team in 45 minutes.
OUR NETWORKS AND NEWSLETTERS
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The Bristol & Beyond Early Years Stronger Practice Hub is funded by the DFE and is providing evidence-based CPD, network opportunities, and advice and guidance for those working and caring for early years children.
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