Skip to main content

Curriculum, Pedagogy, and Practice

Audience

All practitioners.

Aims

Importance and benefits of outdoor play. How it meets all areas of learning. Linking to continuous and planned provision.

Date Time Location
Thursday, 28 November 2024 10 am to 11.30 am Online via Teams
Tuesday, 11 February 2025 7 pm to 8.30 pm Online via Teams

Booking and reservations for Early Years Workforce Development.

Audience

Open to all practitioners keen to gain confidence in supporting children in their mathematical development and celebrate the outdoors.

Aims

The aims of this training session are:

  • To gain confidence in recognising mathematical learning opportunities in the every day
  • To gain practical ideas to support children's mathematical development whilst outdoors
  • To gain confidence and knowledge in celebrating play and learning in the outdoors using natural resources, particularly in relation to maths.
Date Time Location
Thursday, 5 June 2025 9.30 am to 12.30 pm Milton Country Park

Booking and reservations for Early Years Workforce Development.

Audience

This course is suitable for PVI staff, teaching assistants and teachers. 

Aims

To understand the importance of providing quality continuous provision to improve learning outcomes for all children.

Throughout this course participants will learn:

  • What continuous provision is and how to create a well-planned framework where children can learn and be challenged.
  • The purpose of enhanced provision, and how this can support the children's learning.
  • The role of the adult in the continuous provision.
Date Time Location
Thursday, 1 May 2025 1.15 pm to 4.15 pm Over Community Centre

Booking and reservations for Early Years Workforce Development.

Audience

This course is suitable for teaching assistants, PVI staff and teachers.

Aims

To understand the importance of providing quality outside provision and how to maximise the use of your outdoor space to improve learning outcomes for all children in pre-school, nursery and reception.

To understand the importance of children being exposed to the outside environment.

Additional information

Participants are required to bring a sketch of their current outdoor space, and photos of their existing outdoor area.

Date Time Location
Wednesday, 23 April 2025 1.15 pm to 4.15 pm Hemingford Pavilion

Booking and reservations for Early Years Workforce Development.

Audience

Early years teachers or early years leaders in schools. Members of staff supporting the development of the EYFS curriculum.

Aims

This course aims to provide delegates with the tools to reflect upon, and review, their EYFS curriculum, in order to adapt and develop their curriculum to best support the needs and interests of their current cohort, in line with the statutory framework and recommendations for best practice.

Additional information

Your EYFS curriculum - including, if relevant, from nursery to reception. The school's curriculum progression beyond EYFS.

Date Time Location
Tuesday, 1 July 2025 1 pm to 4 pm The Grove Primary School, Cambridge

Booking and reservations for Early Years Workforce Development.

Audience

This training is for teachers, Art subject leaders, PVI practitioners, and teaching assistants. 

Aims

To embrace creativity and explore how to plan and teach Art in EYFS.

Throughout this course, the learners will:

  • Explore the balance between teaching skills and allowing children to explore their imagination and artistic instincts
  • Understand the importance of mark-making for young children to express themselves
  • Explore a range of mediums and tools we can introduce young children to.  
Date Time Location
Wednesday, 2 April 2025  1.30 pm to 3.30 pm St Ives Library

Booking and reservations for Early Years Workforce Development

Audience

This is a free course  for people considering early childhood careers, volunteers, returning to work, change of career.

Aims

This course has been developed to provide information for people considering working in the early childhood sector. Throughout the course, learners will explore the roles and responsibilities, expectations, and skills required to be working with children and young people.

Learning
Learners will be expected to attend three online training sessions set out over six weeks. During this training, learners will engage in good practice and discuss:

  • The value of play for babies and young children
  • Management and organisation in an early years setting
  • Roles and responsibilities in an early years setting.

On completion of this introductory course, successful candidates can continue to study for an accredited entry-level qualification: NCFE/CACHE accredited Level 1 Introductory to Early Years Settings qualification.

Additional information

Learners will need to attend to training sessions which will be online for two hours each session.
Learners will need access to the internet and a device which has a camera, sound and microphone to join the interactive class.

Date Time Location
TBC TBC TBC

To book please visit the exploring early childhood careers webpage.

Audience

Teachers, leaders, and practitioners looking to improve literacy outcomes in the EYFS.  

Aims

To explore the knowledge and skills children require to become fluent readers and writers. To identify authentic purposes for developing spoken language and writing skills based on first-hand experiences and high-quality texts. To explore opportunities for cross-curricular reading and writing to enable skills to be embedded, enhanced and extended. To consider how to create engaging environments that promote reading for pleasure and writing for a purpose cultures.

Date Time Location
Tuesday, 28 January 2025 1.30 pm to 4.30 pm Cambs FA, Histon

Booking and reservations for Early Years Workforce Development.

Audience

This is suitable for qualified and unqualified practitioners who want to gain more confidence in how to support children to develop their maths knowledge.

Aims

Practitioners will:

  • Gain an understanding of the importance of a mathematical play
  • Gain an understanding of playful maths in the environment both indoors and outdoors
  • Gain knowledge and activity ideas to support embedding maths throughout the provision.  
Date Time Location
Thursday, 27 February 2025 1.30 pm to 2.30 pm Online via Teams
Monday, 31 March 2025 7 pm to 8 pm Online via Teams

Booking and reservations for Early Years Workforce Development.

Audience

Suitable for practitioners who are interested in supporting children in their development and understanding of STEM subject, particularly Science and want to know how to incorporate science into their practice.

Aims

Practitioners will gain an understanding of the importance of scientific play.​ Develop an understanding of how to teach playful science in the environment both indoors and outdoors. Think about experiments and activity ideas to support an understanding of how science can be embedded throughout the provision for all children.

Additional information

Basic knowledge of child development.

Date Time Location
Tuesday, 4 February 2025 9.30 am to 10.30 am Online via Teams
Monday, 24 February 2025 7 pm to 8 pm Online via Teams

Booking and reservations for Early Years Workforce Development.

Audience

This training is relevant for practitioners who want to gain insight into how to support children in learning about the STEM subjects and are interested in bringing technology and engineering into their practice more efficiently.

Aims

Practitioners will gain an understanding of the importance of technology and engineering in play. Develop an understanding of how to teach technology and engineering in the environment both indoors and outdoors. Gain resources and activity ideas to support an understanding of how technology and engineering can be embedded throughout the provision for all children.

Additional information

Basic knowledge of area's of learning and development.

Date Time Location
Thursday, 17 October 2024 9.30 am to 10.30 am Online via Teams
Tuesday, 5 November 2024 7 pm to 8 pm Online via Teams

Booking and reservations for Early Years Workforce Development.

Audience

Experienced Level 3 practitioners working within the EYFS. This course is suitable for Room Leaders, Deputies and those new to management.

Aims

To recognise the centrality of the Prime Areas of learning for all children, from birth, and how this underpins wellbeing, learning and development.

Throughout the course, learners will:

  • Consider how the prime areas are embedded within the provisions unique curriculum
  • Reflect on theory and how this supports developing pedagogy
  • Gain a deeper understanding of how interconnected the prime areas are.

Additional information

Leaners should be familiar with the Educational Programmes of the prime areas of the EYFS.

Date Time Location
Tuesday, 5 November 2024 9.30 am to 3.30 pm Sunley House, Papworth Everard

Booking and reservations for Early Years Workforce Development.

Audience

All practitioners working children aged birth to five in early years and schools settings.

Aims

Practitioners will:

  • Understand the key definitions of what involvement and engagement mean and the relationship between the two
  • Learn how to support parents to move from engagement to involvement
  • Learn to identify the impact of parental involvement and engagement on the child's learn and development.

Additional information

Pre-reading (article around involvement and engagement).

Date Time Location
Tuesday, 11 February 2025 7 pm to 8.30 pm Online via Teams
Thursday, 1 May 2025 6.30 pm to 8.30 pm Online via Teams

Booking and reservations for Early Years Workforce Development.

Audience

Suitable for qualified and unqualified practitioners - who want to gain an understanding of how to best support young children with transitions.

Aims

To gain an understanding of the impact that transitions can have on children. To gain knowledge and ideas that can support purposeful transitions in practice. To gain confidence in how to support children through transitions.

Date Time Location
Wednesday, 19 March 2025 9.30 am to 10.30 am Online via Teams
Tuesday, 29 April 2025 7 pm to 8 pm Online via Teams

Booking and reservations for Early Years Workforce Development.

Audience

All practitioners working with children in early years.

Aims

This session will look at how listening to children can positively influence practice and support inclusion.

Throughout the course participants will learn to:

  • Understand why listening to children and understanding their perspectives are so important
  • Consider different ways of listening to children, including non-verbal communication
  • Explore how the children's voices can be used to develop the curriculum and environment.
Date Time Location
Monday, 11 November 2024 9.30 am to 10.30 am Online via Teams
Wednesday, 5 February 2025 4 pm to 5 pm Online via Teams

Booking and reservations for Early Years Workforce Development.

Audience

All early years practitioners.

Aims

How technical side of singing, with use of equipment such as puppets supports language development.

Date Time Location
TBC TBC TBC

Booking and reservations for Early Years Workforce Development.

Audience

All practitioners working with early years children who would like to develop a therapeutic approach to understanding children's behaviours and interactions and would like to refresh their knowledge on strategies to support positive interactions.

Aims

This is an updated version of previous courses and has been written in conjunction with Therapeutic Thinking Cambridgeshire Steps and contains key elements of that course. This course replaces STEPS and is available to support practitioners to

  • Develop an understanding of why children’s behaviours occur
  • Consider the impact that children’s interactions and behaviours can have on group dynamics
  • Explore an overview of healthy brain development, understand neurodiversity and the effect of the pandemic on the brain
  • Explore how the role of the adult can successfully influence positive interactions to occur within group provision
  • Analyse the impact that the environment can have on children’s behaviours and interactions.

Additional information

There will be some pre-course reading and a task for practitioners to complete before attending this course. All details will be sent prior to completion.

Date Time Location
Tuesday, 8 October 2024 6 pm to 9 pm Online via Teams
Monday, 4 November 2024 9.30 am to 12.30 pm Online via Teams
Tuesday, 26 November 2024 1.30 pm to 4.30 pm Online via Teams
Thursday, 12 December 2024 6 pm to 9 pm Online via Teams
Tuesday, 21 January 2025 9.30 am to 12.30 pm Online via Teams
Wednesday, 12 February 2025 6 pm to 9 pm Online via Teams
Monday, 10 March 2025 1.30 pm to 4.30 pm Online via Teams
Thursday, 27 March 2025 6 pm to 9 pm Online via Teams
Wednesday, 30 April 2025 6 pm to 9 pm Online via Teams
Thursday, 22 May 2025 9.30 am to 12.30 pm Online via Teams
Tuesday, 17 June 2025 6 pm to 9 pm Online via Teams
Monday, 7 July 2025 1.30 pm to 4.30 pm Online via Teams

Booking and reservations for Early Years Workforce Development.

Audience

These hour-long reflective sessions are offered free of charge to practitioners who have completed the three-hour 'Understanding Children’s Behaviours and Interactions' training. 

Aims

  • Discuss any aspects of the training and talk about the impact the training has had in supporting positive interactions within your setting
  • Create an opportunity to revisit the strategies discussed
  • Provide an opportunity to network with other settings.

Additional information

As discussed in the course the training supports a wide range of scenarios in different settings, and therefore the reflective sessions have been grouped as follows:

  • Pre-schools, Nurseries, and Childminders
  • Schools, and Wraparound Care.
Date Time Location
Thursday, 7 November 2024 7 pm to 8 pm Online via Teams
Monday, 25 November 2024 1.30 pm to 2.30 pm Online via Teams
Tuesday, 10 December 2024 7 pm to 8 pm Online via Teams
Thursday, 6 February 2025 7 pm to 8 pm Online via Teams
Wednesday, 10 March 2025 1.30 pm to 2.30 pm Online via Teams
Tuesday, 6 May 2025 1.30 pm to 2.30 pm Online via Teams
Monday, 23 June 2025 7 pm to 8 pm Online via Teams

Booking and reservations for Early Years Workforce Development.