Free resources for Chatter Matters Week 2020
This year Chatter Matters week, which celebrates the value of communication for our youngest children, will be running from 9 - 13 March.
The week is part of ‘time to talk’™ - Warwickshire’s strategy for supporting the development of speech, language and communication skills of babies and young children in Children’s Centres, Early Years and Childcare settings. The programme is led by a small team of Speech and Language Therapists, employed by South Warwickshire Foundation NHS trust.
Linking to the national 'chat, play, read' campaign and also Warwickshire's famous Bear, the theme for this year's Chatter Matters week is 'Bear with me - Share with me'. You will find a whole bank of bear-themed ideas on the time to talk website (like the one above) for fun and engaging activities to do during the week, and beyond, to develop communication skills in young children.
During the week they will also be sharing some new videos, featuring ‘time to talk’ practitioners and children interacting as they ‘chat, play and read’.
More information about Chatter Matters Week 2020
Outstanding result for Squirrels Pre-School in Rugby
Congratulations to all the staff at Squirrels Pre-School Rugby Ltd who recently received ‘Outstanding’ judgements across all the four inspection areas - quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development and leadership and management.
Ofsted stated:
Managers are ambitious, passionate and inspiring. They carefully monitor the progress of all children so that any emerging gaps in learning are quickly narrowed.
Staff are highly skilled and experienced. Accurate assessments are made of children, which help staff to identify precisely and plan for what each child needs to learn next. Parents contribute to the assessments and are kept up to date with what their children are working on so that they can continue the support at home.
Staff know the children exceptionally well. They offer the right level of unique support at the right time so that children's learning is maximised, and they gain the most from their experiences.
The quality of teaching is exceptional throughout the setting. Staff model language and extend children's vocabulary extremely well. They use their skills to ask children open-ended questions and provide ample time to enable children to think and respond.
Staff promote problem-solving skills effectively. For example, outdoors, children devise an intricate obstacle course for staff to walk along. They think about how they can bridge the gaps and explain what staff need to do to get to the other side.
The pre-school environment is very well planned and organised so that children have abundant opportunities to engage in open-ended, stimulating play. There is a culture of equal emphasis on learning that takes place as part of everyday selfhelp routines as well as adult-led activities. This helps children to develop all the skills they need in readiness for school.
Staff build on what children already know and have very high expectations of what they can achieve. The walls are rich in print, signs and pictures. Children with English as an additional language are helped to develop their communication skills in a range of ways, including family members visiting to read stories in their home language to the group.
Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities are supported to achieve well. Staff work together with parents and other professionals to ensure that unique support is in place for each child so that they receive the very best of experiences to help them make the best possible progress.
You can read the full report on Ofsted's website here.