Early Years’ Foundation Stage: Advisory Teacher Support for Warwickshire Schools
Getting it right in the early years’ foundation stage (EYFS) is so important to give all children, and particularly those who are disadvantaged, the best start to statutory schooling.
Within Warwickshire 71.8% of children were assessed as ‘ready for school’ in 2019. But this means that almost 3 children in 10 were not.
It increased to over 5 in 10 children when looking at those in receipt of free school meals (2018/19 EYFSP data).
The Warwickshire Early Years Advisory Team sits within the wider Education Services Team. It comprises two advisory teachers and an advisory practitioner who are able to offer support and advice across the remit of birth to five.
This support is available where a school has received an Ofsted judgement of ‘Requires Improvement’ or below and is also an:
- Independent School or Academy taking children aged two and over and which are exempt from registration with Ofsted as an Early Years Provider.
- A School taking children aged 2 and over which are exempt from registration with Ofsted as an Early Years Provider and where the children are not registered pupils of the school (Section 27 school-led early years and childcare provision) and the School has signed the Warwickshire Provider Agreement for Funded Early Years and Childcare Provision.
- Local Authority Maintained Schools, where the quality of provision has been judged by Ofsted to require significant improvement or has been placed in special measures (Early Education and Childcare Statutory Guidance for local authorities June 2018)
The support offered is tailored to meet the school’s individual needs, whilst working alongside the school leadership team. It does not preclude the school from working with any other provider and it is free at the point of delivery.
A support package may include:
- Development of a post inspection quality improvement action plan
- Training
- Telephone / video calls / Email correspondence
- Supporting with documentation
- Face to face visits and review sessions
- Signposting to other Schools with good practice
- Signposting to Warwickshire Teaching School Alliance (Early Years specialists)
If you receive an Ofsted Inspection grade of Requires Improvement or below, we will contact you by email to offer our support over the next few weeks.
The capacity for early years advisory support is limited. However, we do seek to work proactively and if your self-assessment of practice in the EYFS indicates standards may be at ‘requires improvement’ or below we are available to discuss any concerns with you and offer support where we can.
The response to these wider requests for support would be determined by each school’s circumstances and the workload of the Early Years Teams at the time of the request.
If you would like to know more or request support please contact us via email at earlyyearsadvisors@warwickshire.gov.uk or via your school improvement officer or Consortia Chair
We look forward to working with you.
Amanda King: Strategic Lead: Early Years Team
Early Language Intervention
NELI is a high-quality, evidence-based, 20-week intervention designed to improve the language skills of reception age pupils. It involves scripted individual and small group language teaching sessions, delivered by trained school staff, usually teaching assistants. Several EEF trials have found that NELI improves both children’s oral language and early literacy skills. A recent trial of the programme found that children made on average three months of additional progress compared to children in the comparison group.
Participating schools will receive resources and will be able to access online training from the start of the spring term 2021.
All state-funded schools with a reception class can apply but places are limited. If places are over-subscribed, schools will be prioritised based on their percentage of free school meals (FSM) eligibility.
Schools need to register interest by 30 October 2020
The application form is available:
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/coronavirus-covid-19-catch-up-premium#neli
Development Matters - Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) Statutory Framework.
The new Development Matters has been developed by Dr Julian Grenier, in consultation with a range of professionals across the early years sector. It offers a top-level view of how children develop and learn, and guides, but does not replace, professional judgement.
The guidance sets out pathways of children’s development in broad ages and stages but recognises the actual learning of young children is not so neat and orderly. The document encourages early years practitioners to use their knowledge to facilitate holistic learning and development and help children make progress without generating unnecessary paperwork.
This is in line with the main aims of the reforms to the EYFS - to improve outcomes for all children, especially disadvantaged children, and to reduce teacher and practitioner workload.
Who is the guidance for?
The guidance has been written for all early year's practitioners, for childminders and staff in nurseries, nursery schools, pre-schools, nurseries, and reception classes in school. To support your understanding further please look at the Big Ofsted conversation podcast with Dr Julian Grenier.
When should the guidance be used?
The guidance can be used by schools participating in the EYFS Reform early adopter year to support changing their curriculum and practice as they deliver the new framework this year. Those who are not early adopters may find some elements of the new Development Matters useful in 2020/21 but they will still need to follow the existing EYFS Framework until statutory roll out of the reforms in September 2021.
WIncKS Award Ceremonies 2020-2021
Warwickshire recognises and celebrates high quality enhanced provision in many of our pre-school settings (nurseries and child-minders), supporting young children with a wide range of special educational needs and disabilities. The WIncKS (Warwickshire Inclusion Kite-marking Scheme) awards scheme, initiated in 2016 by Zoe Harwood and co-produced with parents and multi-agencies, now has national recognition and 58 WIncKS Settings!
Applicants need to have a “Good” or “Outstanding” OFSTED grading before submitting additional WIncKS evidence. The inclusion award not only celebrates good practice in conjunction with OFSTED, but also raises the inclusive profile of particular settings when families are seeking high quality provision for children with SEND. The child-friendly Warwickshire bear logo, winking and flying the inclusion kite, is used to promote and reward this initiative. Certificates are usually awarded at an annual celebratory event at Warwick’s Shire Hall. However, this year due to Covid-19 restrictions, the presentations were held outside – Zoe handed over each bag of goodies, with our own “camera crew” (Sandra Bowering and her phone) and socially distanced “clappers” (Suzanne Hack, Anne-Marie Jones, Paula Owen and Keeva Austin).
Congratulations to our four new WIncKS award winners !
Stepping Stones Nursery and Pre-School, Claverdon
Sunbeams Pre-School, Radford Semele
Eastlands Primary School Nursery Class, Rugby
Coten End Pre-School, Warwick