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Making it REAL

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What is REAL?

REAL stands for Raising Early Achievement in Literacy. The original REAL Project was developed by Dr Cathy Nutbrown, University of Sheffield, who later worked with the National Children’s Bureau (NCB) to create the Making it REAL programme.

Making it REAL is:

  • An evidence-based and award-winning programme
  • A programme which boosts children's communication language and early literacy development
  • An approach which helps practitioners work with parents to give them knowledge skills and confidence helping to create a positive early home learning environment
  • Focuses on meaningful communication and literacy, that children make sense of and enjoy as part of their everyday lives
  • A fun, engaging, inclusive, and accessible programme for all. It is a low-cost or no-cost approach.

Making it REAL in Cambridgeshire

The NCB and Talking Together in Cambridgeshire (TTiC) have worked together to train four experienced early years providers in the Making it Real approach. This has enabled TTiC to roll out the Making it Real programme across the county, with the ambition to embed Making it Real as TTiC's primary approach to supporting children's early communication language and literacy skills through supporting the home learning environment.

From September 2024, TTiC will be rolling out the new one-day Introduction to Making it Real course to those who work with families of children aged two to five across Cambridgeshire. TTiC will also support five community groups to roll out fun, activity sessions for families across Cambridgeshire. This will help parents learn more about the early literacy skills that underpin young children’s word reading and writing.

Introduction to Making it REAL training

The Introduction to Making it Real course enables practitioners to understand the REAL approach and identify ways to include it in everyday practice. This training encourages those working with parents of children aged two to five to share the REAL approach with parents and families, building confidence and knowledge to support the early home learning environment.

The Making it REAL approach is based on the Opportunities, Recognition, Interaction and Modelling (ORIM) framework, which highlights four approaches parents can take to create a home learning environment that supports children’s early literacy development. Participants will learn how to support parents to:

  • Create opportunities for children’s literacy development by making children’s books, CDs and writing materials available and accessible in the home environment
  • Recognise and encourage children’s literacy milestones
  • Interact with children positively and support real-life literacy tasks and
  • Act as models of literacy users, so children see parents use literacy in everyday life

Participants will receive a comprehensive resource pack to support them. Participants who have attended the one-day training will be invited to join the Making it Real network to share ideas and gain support using the REAL approach.

The purpose of the training course

This course is aimed at family-facing early years practitioners including childminders, setting practitioners, Child and Family Centre staff, reception-class staff and representatives of community groups who work with families of children aged two to five years old in Cambridgeshire.

Cambridgeshire partners and stakeholders working with families of young children across the county are invited to get involved and support this programme through a multi-agency approach.

Benefits of the programme

Engagement in the programme has had a positive impact on children, parents, and participants through:

  • Improved language and early literacy skills for preschool children
  • Increased parental knowledge and confidence in supporting their children's development at home – the home learning environment is strengthened
  • Increased practitioners’ skills knowledge and confidence – supporting early communication language and literacy and working with families
  • Developing relationships – partnership working between settings and families.

In addition, this program will support settings to deliver the early years foundation stage statutory framework, focusing on improved children's communication and language.

What the programme involves

The Introduction to Making it REAL is a one-day training course through which participants will learn more about how to work with parents to support young children’s early communication, language, and literacy development through everyday activities in the home learning environment.

In Cambridgeshire, TTiC is taking a flexible approach to the REAL work, and asking those who have attended the course to work towards embedding the course principles, including the ORIM Framework and the four strands of literacy, in their day-to-day practice. If and when settings can offer literacy events or home visits, TTiC can support moving this work forward.

Available support

As well as a resource book which includes many examples of how to embed the principles in practice, TTiC will:

  • Run one network meeting per term to share practice and for you to hear what others trained in this approach are doing
  • Provide you with access to our dedicated Facebook page with REAL-focused posts
  • Be available for you to talk through your ideas with us
  • Offer other related resources including the Festival of Stories.

In addition, TTiC is currently designing a new website with additional resources. So, you do not have to create your own.

Course costs

The cost of a place on this course is £110.50 per delegate which includes a charge of £5.50 book for the resource pack.

Cambridgeshire Skills supports the delivery of the Introduction to Making it Real over the next academic year. You may be able to apply for funding from Cambridgeshire Skills to cover some or all of the course costs. Please see the eligibility criteria below.

Funding eligibility

Please note, that funding is based on individual circumstances. Below are the criteria that must be met to be eligible:

  • You must be aged over 19 and have lived in the UK, EU, or EEA for at least three years*
  • You must work with children aged two to five years old, or families of children aged two to five years old, in Cambridgeshire (not including Peterborough).

*There are some exceptions to this criterion for asylum seekers and refugees from Afghanistan and Ukraine – full details can be found below.

Individuals with certain types of immigration status and their family members

Individuals with any of the statuses listed below, or leave under the listed schemes, have an eligible residency status and are exempt from the three-year residency requirement rule. In relation to these categories, you must have seen the learner’s immigration permission. This would include the biometric residence permit and, in some cases, an accompanying letter from the Home Office.

Refugee status

Individuals with refugee status, where they have been ordinarily resident in the UK and Islands, throughout the period since they were given leave to enter or remain in the UK.

Family members of individuals with refugee status, as defined below:

  • The spouse or civil partner of a person with refugee status is eligible if all the following apply:
    • They were the spouse or civil partner of the person on the asylum application date, and
    • Have been ordinarily resident in the UK and Islands throughout the period since they were given leave to enter or remain in the UK
  • The child of a person with refugee status to enter or remain, or of the person’s spouse or civil partner, is eligible if all the following apply:
    • They were the person with discretionary leave’s child or the child of the person’s spouse or civil partner on the asylum application date, and
    • They were under 18 on the asylum application date, and
    • They have been ordinarily resident in the UK since they were given leave to enter or remain.

Humanitarian protection status

Individuals with humanitarian protection status, who have been ordinarily resident in the UK and Islands, throughout the period since they were given leave to enter or remain in the UK.

The family members of individuals with humanitarian protection status, as defined below:

  • The spouse or civil partner of a person granted humanitarian protection is eligible if all the following apply:
    • They were the spouse or civil partner of the person on the asylum application date, and
    • Have been ordinarily resident in the UK and Islands throughout the period since they were given leave to enter or remain in the UK
  • The child of a person with humanitarian protection status to enter or remain, or of the person’s spouse or civil partner, is eligible if:
    • They were the person with humanitarian protection status’s child or the child of the person’s spouse or civil partner on the asylum application date, and
    • Were under 18 on the asylum application date, and
    • Have been ordinarily resident in the UK since they were given leave to enter or remain.

Discretionary leave to enter or remain

Individuals with discretionary leave to enter or remain, where they have been ordinarily resident in the UK and Islands, throughout the period since they were given leave to enter or remain in the UK.

  • The spouse or civil partner of a person granted discretionary leave to enter or remain is eligible if all the following apply:
    • They were the spouse or civil partner of the person on the asylum or leave application date, and
    • They have been ordinarily resident in the UK and Islands throughout the period since they were given leave to enter or remain in the UK
  • The child of a person with discretionary leave to enter or remain, or of the person’s spouse or civil partner, is eligible if:
    • They were the person with discretionary leave’s child or the child of the person’s spouse or civil partner on the asylum or leave application date, and
    • They were under 18 on the asylum or leave application date, and
    • They have been ordinarily resident in the UK since they were given leave to enter or remain.

Extant leave to remain as a stateless person

Individuals who have extant leave to remain as a stateless person, where they have been ordinarily resident in the UK and Islands, throughout the period since they were granted such leave.

Family members of individuals with extant leave to remain as a stateless person, as defined below:

  • The spouse or civil partner of a person granted stateless leave is eligible if all the following apply:
    • They were the spouse or civil partner of the person on the leave application date, and
    • they have been ordinarily resident in the UK and Islands throughout the period since they were given leave to enter or remain in the UK
  • The child of a person with stateless leave, or the person’s spouse or civil partner, is eligible if:
    • They were the person with stateless leave’s child or the child of the person’s spouse or civil partner on the asylum or leave application date, and
    • They were under 18 on the leave application date, and
    • They have been ordinarily resident in the UK since they were given leave to enter or remain.

Leave outside the immigration rules

Individuals with leave outside the immigration rules, where they have been ordinarily resident in the UK and Islands, throughout the period since they were given leave to enter or remain in the UK.

  • The spouse or civil partner of a person granted leave outside the rules is eligible if all the following apply:
    • They were the spouse or civil partner of the person on the asylum or leave application date, and
    • They have been ordinarily resident in the UK and Islands throughout the period since they were given leave to enter or remain in the UK
  • The child of a person with leave outside the rules, or of the person’s spouse or civil partner, is eligible if:
    • They were the person with leave outside the rules’ child or the child of the person’s spouse or civil partner on the asylum or leave application date, and
    • They were under 18 on the asylum or leave application date, and
    • They have been ordinarily resident in the UK since they were given leave to enter or remain.

Ukraine schemes

Persons granted leave under one of the Ukraine schemes:

  • Individuals with leave to enter or remain in the UK under the Ukraine Family Scheme
  • Individuals with leave to enter or remain in the UK under the Ukraine Sponsorship Scheme (Homes for Ukraine)
  • Individuals with leave to enter or remain in the UK under the Ukraine Extension Scheme
  • Individuals with leave to remain in the UK under the Ukraine Permission Extension Scheme.

Afghan schemes

Persons granted leave under one of the Afghan schemes:

  • Individuals with leave to enter or remain in the UK under the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme (ACRS)
  • Individuals with leave to enter or remain in the UK under the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP)
  • British Nationals evacuated from Afghanistan under Operation Pitting
  • British Nationals evacuated from Afghanistan by the UK government before Thursday, 6 January 2022.

Additional leave to remain

Individuals with indefinite leave to remain or enter granted:

  • As a victim of domestic abuse where they have been ordinarily resident in the UK since they were given leave to remain
  • As a bereaved partner, where they have been ordinarily resident in the UK since they were given leave to remain or enter
  • Under Section 67 of the Immigration Act 2016 leave
  • Under Calais leave to remain.

British Indian Ocean Territory

British citizens who were born in the British Indian Ocean Territory or, before Monday, 8 November 1965 in those islands designated as the British Indian Ocean Territory on that date, or are direct descendants of a person who was born in the British Indian Ocean Territory or, before Monday, 8 November 1965 in those islands designated as the British Indian Ocean Territory on that date.

Children of Turkish workers

A child of a Turkish worker is eligible if both the following apply:

  • The Turkish worker is ordinarily resident in the UK on or before Thursday, 31 December 2020 and has Turkish European Community Association Agreement (ECAA) rights or extended ECAA leave, and
  • The child has been ordinarily resident in the UK, EEA and/or Turkey for at least the previous three years on the first day of learning and is resident in the UK on or before Thursday, 31 December 2020.

Asylum seekers

Asylum seekers are eligible to receive funding if they:

  • Have lived in the UK for six months or longer while their claim is being considered by the Home Office, and no decision on their claim has been made, or
  • Are receiving local authority support under Section 23C or Section 23CA of the Children Act 1989 or the Care Act 2014.

An individual who has been refused asylum will be eligible if:

  • They have appealed against a decision made by the UK government against granting refugee status and no decision has been made within six months of appealing, or
  • They are granted support for themselves under section four of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999, or
  • Are receiving local authority support for themselves under Section 23C or Section 23CA of the Children Act 1989.

No recourse to public funds conditions

The learner’s immigration permission in the UK may have a ‘no recourse to public funds’ condition. Public funds do not include education or education funding. Therefore, this does not affect a learner’s eligibility, which must be decided under the normal eligibility conditions.

If you think you may be entitled to claim funding, TTiC will support you to complete an additional online enrolment form at the beginning of the training session.

Course training dates

TTiC will be offering eight courses over the period from September 2024 to July 2025:

Date

Time

Location

Wednesday, 18 September 2024

9.30 am to 4.30 pm

March Library

Tuesday, 1 October 2024, and

Tuesday, 8 October 2024

1 pm to 4 pm

1 pm to 4 pm

Chatteris Library

Thursday, 21 November 2024

9.30 am to 4.30 pm

Ely Library

Thursday, 23 January 2025

9 am to 4 pm

Sunley House, Papworth Everard

Tuesday, 4 March 2025

9 am to 4 pm

Amusden House, St Ives

Thursday, 24 April 2025

9.30 am to 4.30 pm

Ely Library

Thursday, 8 May 2025, and

Thursday, 15 May 2025

3.45 pm to 6.45 pm

3.45 pm to 6.45 pm

Sunley House, Papworth Everard

Thursday, 26 June 2025

9 am to 4 pm

Cambs FA, Histon

Booking and reservations for Early Years Workforce Development.

More information about TTiC's Communication & Language courses can be found in the CambsEYC Professional Development Programme.

Contact

Helen Wootton: Community groups

Tracy Hanslip: Child and Family Centre staff

Emma Smith, and Lucy Frain: Early years settings