EYFS training: Part 2 - The key person role

The key person role is only briefly mentioned in the EYFS. But what lies behind it is one of the most significant theories for the early years: attachment.

Therefore practitioners need a sound understanding of not just the role of the key person but what lies behind it, says Melanie Pilcher, quality and standards manager at the Early Years Alliance (previously the Pre-school Learning Alliance).

‘When the key person role was first introduced it seemed like a functional role – you did the observations, signed children in and out, greeted them,’ she says. ‘The role has evolved but we haven’t necessarily kept up with it in training. We have to be able to show the theories that underpin this concept.’

According to Ms Pilcher, the ‘home learning environment’ and ‘engaging with parents’ are commonly misunderstood concepts. Ms Pilcher, who co-authored the online course Being a Key Person in an Early Years Setting’, says, ‘There is a thin line between interfering and supporting holistic development.’

Consultant and trainer Laura Henry cites some of the research she draws on in her training. ‘We must include the work of Elinor Goldschmied, who introduced the concept of the key person as well as being a pioneer with treasure baskets and heuristic play,’ she says. ‘I also include the work of Roehampton University’s Peter Elfer, author of Key Persons in the Early Years, and Dr Jools Page on professional love, as well as psychiatrist Dr Bruce Perry on how a child’s early environment affects their brain development.’

‘When practitioners have got a good understanding of the theory that supports children’s development, they are more likely to be able to implement the EYFS effectively,’ says Ms Pilcher. ‘You sometimes see a key person whose shift pattern doesn’t always match the pattern of children coming in. If they understand their role as being a secure base for the children, they will see that is not the right way to implement the role.’

Training in practice

‘Without the key person you would not have children settled and secure and happy, and without that they can’t learn,’ says Dalia Hamid, manager at Bumble Bees Day Nursery in the London borough of Ealing.

Ms Hamid and her team have attended key person training delivered by Kerry Payne (see box). They were asked to imagine something familiar and comforting, such as a watch which is never taken off. ‘The moment it is taken from you, you feel lost,’ says Ms Hamid. ‘We then thought about how children relate to their comforters. This is now reflected in our practice, I know a lot of settings are against the use of comforters, but our key person will encourage the child to keep their comforter.’

Practitioners were also asked to think about someone they trust, and generate descriptive words as to how the person makes them feel. What does the person do to provoke these feelings? How can the practitioner filter that into what they do with children?

‘Kerry likes to start with a bit of scientific research, looking at attachment theory so practitioners understand the reason we need a key person and how you make sure every key person is making a secure base for the child,’ says Ms Hamid. ‘We will always think about how to relate the points that are being made to a particular child or family.’

As a result of the training, the setting now has a more detailed settling in process, with the aim of building relationships between the family and the key person from the beginning, says Ms Hamid. ‘We gather details about the child and the family such as how the pregnancy was, the first year of development. I would say that this has had the biggest impact.

‘We are more aware of the importance of planning between different key people if the child transfers to another room,’ she adds, saying that key people now ‘hand over’, spending time with the child to aid the transition when a child moves to a different room.

Changes to Ofsted’s inspection framework are likely to bring more responsibility to key persons, says Ms Hamid. ‘If we had an Ofsted inspection they would be tracking a few children, and would go to the key person to talk about that child,’ she says. ‘The key person needs to talk not just about care and attachment but how well they know them, how they are going to support them in the future, how the Early Years Pupil Premium is being used for that child. The knowledge of the practitioner is more important now.’

Funding for key person training is hard to come by, so some settings are pooling resources to attend. Online training works particularly well when there are additional resources available, adds Ms Pilcher.

‘When we do a webinar I put together a pack to support nursery managers to deliver that training to their staff team,’ she explains. ‘These have been popular: people realise they have to find new ways to support CPD when time and money are at a premium.’

Expert’s View

Kerry Payne, independent trainer and consultant, who has devised a course on attachment for Early Education, says, ‘Some key people still call themselves key workers, which is a very different system: the term “key worker” is attached to an admin role, while the concept of “key person” was introduced to promote a relationship-based system that promotes the concept of a “secure base” for children. Practitioners are looking at the logistics of the observations process and overlooking the fact that it is about attachment and providing key person-led routines.

‘The foundation of key person training should be attachment theory and how that has evolved over the years. Of all the courses I offer, attachment training is something that is constantly requested – the last ten enquiries have been about that. It is also important to look at emotional regulation and well-being, and keeping up to date with the most recent research.

‘It is challenging to deliver key person-led routines, if the key person is doing all the nappies for their children, for example. I cover a lot about “good enough” care in my training, and we look at developing a system that works for a setting. It will be different for each setting.

‘Attachment and key person training can be a one-day course, but I prefer a couple of sessions with tasks to complete in between. I also like blended training – some practitioners may not be confident to speak in groups but are confident to write about their experiences online, for example.

‘Attachment as a standalone course appears a limited area of training; I don’t feel we offer enough and it seems to fall off the agenda. There are some outstanding online resources out there (see Training box).

The EYFS statutory framework states:

• Each child must be assigned a key person, and providers must inform parents and carers of the name of the key person, and explain their role, when a child starts attending a setting.
• The key person must help ensure that every child’s learning and care is tailored to meet their individual needs.
• The key person must seek to engage and support parents and carers in guiding their child’s development at home. They should also help families engage with more specialist support if appropriate.

Training and guidance

Kerry Payne recommends:

Future Learn’s free online courses, https://www.futurelearn.com

Be You, an Australian initiative with mental health in education resources, https://beyou.edu.au

Encyclopedia on Early Childhood Development, http://www.child-encyclopedia.com/attachment/introduction

Center on the Developing Child (Harvard University), including ‘serve and return interactions’, https://developingchild.harvard.edu

Other guidance includes:

Principles into Practice, May 2008. These cards are still available for reference but do not reflect current policy; however, they contain useful background about the role of the key person, https://bit.ly/2VG62rI

Being a Key Person in an Early Years Setting, PLA, 2015. Addresses the need for practitioners to understand the relational aspect of being a key person, https://bit.ly/2tegbPp

Key Persons in the Early Years, by Peter Elfer, 2011. Explains the theory behind the approach and the practicalities of implementation, including work with three- to five-year-olds, https://amzn.to/2thL4ST

Training courses

FREE: ‘Attachment in the Early Years’ from Open University, based on the work of attachment pioneer John Bowlby, https://bit.ly/2Bvjbeu

The NDNA’s Attachment and the Key Person full-day course, https://bit.ly/2I4U7B1

Kerry Payne’s most popular course is Attachment & Key People, https://bit.ly/2Dy3GTE

Laura Henry Consultancy’s Key Person and Settling in Approach Training (full-day), www.laurahenryconsultancy.com/key-person-training

ONLINE: The Early Years Learning Alliance and EduCare’s Being a Key Person in an Early Years Setting, https://bit.ly/2GlZqtU