Workshops
We are running a number of workshops throughout 2023 / 24 at various locations across the West Midlands and further a field.
All these workshops can be adapted to suit your needs and delivered in your setting. Please contact me to discuss your requirements.
Online Workshops
Strong Leaders workshop part 1 & 2
This online (zoom) workshop is part 1 of 2 workshops focusing on the importance of strong leaders and key leadership activities.
Regardless of whether you are a newly appointed leader (deputy manager / nursery Manager / area / regional manager) or have many years of leadership experience, these workshop are for you.
The workshops are designed to;
Empower, inspire and motivate you to become a confident, strong and effective leader
Help you identify your leadership style
Develop situational leadership skills
Strengthen your performance management; and use of professional supervision to build effective teams
Drive your passion as strong and effective leaders
Raise the quality of education and care through purposeful and professional leadership and use of professional supervision to develop effective practitioners and build high performing teams.
Limited to just 15 people to allow interation with Deborah
The Learning Walk workshop
In 2019 the EIF introduced Learning Walks into early years inspection methodology.
Inspectors will complete a learning walk with the provider or their representative early on in the inspection.
This provides an opportunity for leaders to explain how they organise the early years provision, including the aims and rationale for their early years curriculum. The inspector must discuss with leaders and practitioners what they intend children to learn, know and do as a result of the curriculum they offer.
The Learning Wall provides you as leaders a wonderful opportunity to show your settings strengths and to impress upon the inspector your strong and diligent leadership.
So it is crucial that you and your team are well prepared to take an active and leading role in the Learning Walk.
During this session, I will show you how to embed Learning Walks into your everyday practice so that you, your teachers and practitioners become comfortable and confident being observed and questioned about your professional practice and teaching.
Leading Improvement & Change - including SMART action planning
A critical aspect of effective leaders today is the ability to lead change. Indeed, many would argue that the most distinguishing difference between people we identify as good managers, versus those we deem to be great leaders is that leaders are adept at bringing about change.
An organisation that is unable or unwilling to change is most likely facing a very grim future. Organisations need leaders to be skilled at leading change, but the reality is that most have no formal training or experience on what it takes to make a change effort work well.
This workshop will lead you through the process of leading change with a clear focus on continuous improvement through effective SMART planning.
Creating a Magical Curriculum: Inspiring Awe & Wonder
This online (Zoom) workshop is designed to help you:
- To develop ideas of what we mean by an effective curriculum
- To reduce the burden of paperwork on workload re planning and next steps
- To facilitate, support and provoke active and engaged learning
- To develop and promote enabling environments
- To encourage children’s curiosity
- To inspire Awe & Wonder
- To capture the voice of the child.
Limited to just 15 places to allow interaction with Deborah
Dealing with Significant Events
The learning intentions are:
▪ To help you understand the requirements of the EYFS 2021
▪ To become familiar with the Early Years Compliance Handbook
▪ To recognise Significant Events and how to respond to these
▪ To ensure notifications to Ofsted are made in a timely manner
▪ To ensure consistently high quality professional practice.
Leading a Successful Inspection
Confidence comes naturally with success; but, success comes only to those who are confident.
This workshop is designed to help leaders and practitioners to be ever ready for inspection. You can do a great deal to plan for a successful inspection; the first thing is – don’t panic..
The aims of the workshop is to help you become a more confident leader and to host a successful inspection. Through greater knowledge of the inspection process, inspection handbook and conduct expected of inspectors, leaders are better able to prepare for the inspection, and deal with concerns should they arise help leaders and practitioners to be well-prepare for inspection
Creating a Culture of Well-being Workshop
The well-being of staff is a number one priority for a leaders
The well-being of staff is a key priority for leaders.
Under the Leadership & Management judgement (Education Inspection Framework), Ofsted Inspectors will examine how well leaders engage with their staff, are aware and take account of the main pressures on them, including their workload.
Research has shown that managers who demonstrate supportive leadership and management behaviours have a significant positive impact on wellbeing in the workplace.
Now more than ever, leaders must provide practitioners the necessary guidance and support and create, and maintain, a culture of well-being. The pressure of supporting stressed and anxious families inevitably takes its toll on all staff and contributes to an even more challenging work environment.
This workshop provides an opportunity to explore well-respected theories, practical solutions, discussions and well-being resources – all designed to strengthen and promote a workplace culture of wellness and support.
Workshop aims:
• Develop and improve strong leaders
• Create, support & enhance a healthy workplace
• Improve awareness of mental health and indicators of stress
• Reflect on your own stress levels
• Explore how paying greater attention to staff well-being can improve performance
• Promote Wellness Recovery
• Understand how inspectors evaluate staff’s well-being.
Outdoor Play Workshop
Did you know, Children who climb show higher academic performance.
Research shows that just an hour a day of alternative activities, such as climbing, lead to major academic improvements. Now more than ever, we must recognise the importance of outdoor play when it comes to the impact it has on early years development. Not only does it act as an integral part of a child's learning opportunities, but it can help massively benefit children's mental and physical health and wellbeing.
Daily activity is important for children in early years settings as it supports healthy growth and development. Physical activity needs to be incorporated from very early on, so that it becomes part of children’s normal everyday routine.
On this session I will share ideas of a high quality outdoor play and learning curriculum.
Setting & Maintaining Professional Boundaries
Overview
We have a responsibility to apply and maintain professional boundaries with children, young people and their families.
Nursery leaders are responsible for monitoring practice on professional boundaries and challenging staff where standards are not being upheld, including taking disciplinary action if appropriate.
Where professional boundaries have been overstepped, they should be addressed as soon as possible.
This session will help you to understand the difference between befriending (a professional relationship made to meet the child’s, and their family’s needs) and becoming a friend (a non-professional relationship which meets the needs of both people).
Learning Intensions
To Understand:
Professional boundaries and how these apply to our interactions with children and families
Why codes of conduct are important
Personal vs professional boundaries
Good behaviour & attitudes
Whistleblowing
To agree professional boundaries.
