Art
Children in Scotland is holding a conference on:
* Participate Arts, in Edinburgh on 9 March, to promote children's interest in the arts, inform and illuminate best practice, and support and inspire teachers, childcare workers and artists in their creative work with children.
Contact Deirdre MacMahon, Children in Scotland, Princes House, 5 Shandwick Place, Edinburgh EH2 4RG (0131 222 2426, e-mail dmacmahon@ childreninscotland.org.uk, website www.childreninscotland.org.uk).
Early Education, also known as the British Association for Early Childhood Education (BAECE), is holding a seminar on:
* Not just pictures: Children developing through art and creativity, on 31 January.
Contact Jenny Rabin, Early Education, 136 Cavell Street, London E1 2JA (020 7539 5400, e-mail office@early-education. org.uk, website www.early-education.org.uk).
The Montessori Centre International runs a seminar on:
* The child's creativity: Arts and crafts in the classroom. This seminar looks at developmental needs in the area of arts and crafts.
Contact the Montessori Centre International, 18 Balderton Street, London W1K 6TG (020 7493 0165, fax 020 7629 7808 e-mail mci@montessori.ac.uk,website www.montessori.ac.uk).
NIPPA: The Early Years Organisation runs a course on:
* Art and design in the early years, at various venues.
Contact NIPPA, 6c Wildflower Way, Boucher Road, Belfast BT12 6TA (028 9066 2825, fax 028 9038 1270, e-mail mail@nippa.org).
The Visual Learning Foundation is running courses on:
* Art in the Foundation Stage and at Key Stage 1, on 20 and 27 February. This two-day course for teachers, nursery nurses and early years staff will explore the developmental stages of children's art-making.
* Can buildings speak?, on 25 February. This one-day course introduces architectural styles, exploring materials and patterns in buildings.
* Planning a scheme of work for the national curriculum for art and design, on 6 and 13 March. This two-day course covers the theoretical aspects of a scheme of work.
Contact the Visual Learning Foundation, Robert Blair School, Brewery Road, London N7 9QJ (020 7609 7155 - also fax, e-mail admin@visuallearning foundation.fsnet.co.uk, website www.visuallearningfoundation.fsnet.co.uk).
Curriculum
The Council for Awards in Children's Care and Education (CACHE) offers units within the CACHE Level 3 certificate of professional development in work with children, including:
* Designing programmes for early learning.
* Delivering and assessing programmes for early learning.
CACHE also offers:
* CACHE Level 2 certificate for teaching assistants (CTA2).
* CACHE Level 3 certificate for teaching assistants (CTA3).
Contact CACHE, 8 Chequer Street, St Albans, Hertfordshire, AL1 3XZ (01727 738308, fax 01727 867609, e-mail info@cache.org.uk,website www.cache.org.uk).
The Institute of Education is holding courses on:
* Planning the Foundation Stage curriculum, on 5 February and 10 May. This course is for nursery nurses.
* Knowledge and understanding of the world: Teaching in the early years, on 15 and 22 May.
* Developing policies for the Foundation Stage, on 16 May and 13 June.
* Planning the Foundation Stage curriculum, on 24 June. This course is for nursery and reception teachers.
Contact the CPD/INSET Office, Institute of Education, University of London, 20 Bedford Way, London WC1H OAL (020 7612 6589, fax 020 7612 6600, e-mail d.huit@ioe.ac.uk,website www.ioe.ac.uk).
Kinderquest Support Services is holding a course on:
* An introduction to the national standards, in Billingshurst, West Sussex, on 28 January. This aims to make students aware of the requirements of the 14 national standards relating to full day/sessional care.
* Developing children's personal, social and emotional development in the Foundation Stage, in Chichester, West Sussex, on 27 February. Participants will gain practical ideas and strategies to promote children's independence, turn- taking and sharing.
Contact Kelly Nightingale, Kinderquest Support Services, 9-10 Sheep Street, Wellingborough, Northants, NN8 1BL (01933 446819, fax 01933 442320).
The Montessori Centre International is holding seminars on:
* Planning a prepared environment, on 29 June. It will demonstrate how best to organise the setting in the context of the Montessori approach. It will look at the qualities required of a teacher to be a role model for the child.
* The value of circle time and the three-hour work cycle.
Contact the Montessori Centre International, see above.
The National Early Years Network runs a wide range of training courses in early learning in areas including:
* Working with children.
* The Foundation stage.
* Promoting equality.
* Promoting citizenship.
* Working with parents and carers.
* Early years management.
* Ensuring quality of provision.
Its in-house training workshops relating to the early years curriculum include:
* Developing a quality curriculum for the Foundation Stage. This workshop for managers, nursery and reception class teachers focuses on developing a high-quality curriculum for children in a range of settings.
* Creative development and the early years curriculum, for managers and early years workers to illustrate how creativity can permeate the whole curriculum.
* Movement and the early years curriculum: a new perspective. This workshop stresses the relevance of movement in the development of essential skills in three areas of young children's lives - physical, social and emotional, and cognitive.
* Encouraging language and literacy skills in the early years.
* Language development and communication skills.
* The art of storytelling: Developing communication and creative skills in young people.
* Muscles and Minds: Outdoor play in the early years.
Contact the National Early Years Network, 77 Holloway Road, London N7 8JZ (020 7607 9573, fax 020 7700 1105, e-mail neyn.org@virgin.net).
The Pre-school Learning Alliance has a number of training courses covering areas including:
* Play and learning.
* Managing learning.
* Behaviour.
* Under-threes.
* Equal opportunities.
* Management.
* Health and safety.
The Alliance also has the following course on the curriculum:
* Kick-off: Working with early learning goals. It is designed for workers from pre-schools and playgroups who are new to funding or who want to develop their care provision.
Contact Pre-School Learning Alliance, 69 Kings Cross Road, London WC1X 9LL (020 7833 0991, fax 020 7837 4942, e-mail pla@pre-school.org.uk,website www.pre-school.org.uk).
The Riverside Early Years Training Centre is holding a course on:
* Circle work for personal, social and emotional development in early years, in the spring and summer. This one-day course for staff working with three- and four-year-olds aims to introduce the principles and practice of circle work.
Contact the Riverside Early Years Training Centre, Minton Lane, North Shields, Tyne and Wear NE29 6DQ (0191 200 5200, fax 0191 200 5300, website www.northtyneside.gov.uk/lifelong-learn/riverside).
The Wales Pre-school Playgroups Association (Wales PPA) runs courses on:
* What children learn in playgroup, for playgroup workers with little or no training and parents. The eight-part course covers the following areas of learning - language and literacy; personal and social development; mathematics; creativity; knowledge and understanding of the world.
* Diploma in Playgroup Practice provides underpinning knowledge and understanding for NVQs in childcare and education levels 2 and 3.
* Planning for learning, for those who have completed the Diploma in Playgroup Practice or equivalent. The 20-part course aims to improve practice in early years groups and to enable students to plan a developmentally-appropriate curriculum. Topics include how children learn; observation and assessment; planning a short-, medium- and long-term balanced curriculum; and the six areas of learning.
Contact the Wales PPA, Ladywell House, Newtown, Powys SY16 1JB (01686 624573, fax 01686 624577, e-mail annea@walesppa.org,website www.walesppa.co.uk).
Geography
The Montessori Centre International has a seminar on:
* The child as a citizen of the world: Geography helping to foster positive social attitudes, on 9 March.
Contact Montessori Centre International, as above.
Language and Literacy
The Council for Awards in Children's Care and Education (CACHE) offers units within the CACHE Level 3 certificate of professional development in work with children including:
* Developing children's language and literacy skills.
Contact CACHE, as above.
Early Education is holding a seminar on:
* More than words, on 7 February.
Its national conference will be on the theme of:
* Building for the future, in Blackpool on 11 May.
Contact Early Education, as above.
The Institute of Education is holding the following courses:
* Language and literacy for bilingual learners, on 27 February and 6, 13 and 20 March.
* Supporting pupils in reading and writing: A course for classroom assistants and voluntary helpers, on 14 March.
* Storytelling in the early years, on 6 June.
* Classroom assistant: Supporting bilingual learners in the mainstream classroom, on 13 and 27 June, and 4 July.
Contact the CPD/INSET Office, as above.
The Montessori Centre International is holding seminars on:
* Introduction to phonics in the classroom, on 12 January. It will explore a range of activities that can be introduced to children as preparation for work with sandpaper letters.
* Helping pre-school children with reading and writing, on 25 May. It will look at the phonic approach.
Contact the Montessori Centre International, as above.
The National Early Years Network runs workshops on:
* Encouraging language and literacy skills in the early years. Designed for staff in early years settings, this workshop will consider a range of activities to foster the development of language and literacy skills.
* Language development and communication skills. This workshop will explore how children learn to communicate. It will discuss theory relating to language development, relate it to the experience of children and consider the mechanisms through which children receive help for language delay.
* The art of storytelling: Developing communication and creative skills in young people. The workshop will show how storytelling can introduce the world to young children and analyse stories and their teaching potential for individuals and groups of children.
Contact the National Early Years Network, as above.
The Pre-School Learning Alliance is holding a workshop:
* Running a storysack project with parents in a pre-school setting. This workshop aims to help pre-school staff to explore how they can encourage parents to read and play with their children.
Contact the Pre-School Learning Alliance, as above.
The Reading Language and Information Centre runs a number of day courses and workshops at the centre, which is at the University of Reading. They include:
* Teaching spelling and handwriting at Key Stage 1, on 25 January. The course includes improving spelling and handwriting, planning for progression, common problems and a range of teaching approaches.
* Writing and bilingual learners, on 27 February. The course will look at approaches to writing, classroom organisation and resources to support bilingual pupils' development.
* Keeping up with children's books, on 5 March. This course is for teachers and librarians working at Key Stages 1, 2 and 3.
There are also day conferences on:
* Literacy teaching and the school library, on 18 January. Aimed at teachers at Key Stages 1 and 2, the conference will consider how the school library can support the teaching of reading.
* Challenging racism through literature, on 8 March. This conference for teachers and librarians will show how literature can raise awareness and support an exploration of racism with pupils.
* The Centre also has open evenings on 28 January and 6 March.
Contact the Reading Language and Information Centre, University of Reading, Bulmershe Court, Earley, Reading RG6 1HY (0118 931 8820, fax 0118 931 6801, website www.ralic.reading.ac.uk).
The Wales Pre-school Playgroups Association (Wales PPA) runs:
* Blas ar Iaith (A Taste of Welsh). This eight-week, 16-hour course gives ideas for introducing the Welsh language and the Curriculum Cymreig into early years settings in Wales.
Contact the Wales PPA, as above.
Mathematics
BEAM Education is running courses on:
* Playing with shape, space and measures in the Foundation Stage, on 28 February and 24 April. This course examines the relationship between play and mathematical learning.
* Mathematics in the foundation stage, on 14 March and 20 June. This course is for nursery and reception teachers, early years practitioners and teaching assistants. It will explore practical ways to implement the early learning goals in a numeracy-rich environment.
BEAM also runs training sessions for schools, nurseries and local education authorities throughout England. These sessions are tailored to the needs of the school or nursery setting.
Contact Graham Barker, BEAM Education, Maze Workshops, 72a Southgate Road, London N1 3JT (020 7684 3323, fax 020 7684 3334, e-mail info@beam.co.uk,website www.beam.co.uk).
The Council for Awards in Children's Care and Education (CACHE) offers units within the CACHE Level 3 certificate of professional development in work with children and young people, including:
* Developing children's mathematical skills.
Contact CACHE, as above.
Kinderquest Support Services offers a course on:
* Developing early numeracy in the Foundation Stage, at Billingshurst, West Sussex, on 16 March. It will show how children can be taught mathematical skills through practical everyday activities.
Contact Kinderquest, as above.
The Montessori Centre International has a seminar on:
* Introduction to mathematics, on 9 February. It will examine Maria Montessori's concept of the mathematical mind. Basic concepts will be illustrated through links with practical life and sensorial education.
Contact the Montessori Centre International, as above.
Music and dance
The Montessori Centre International has a seminar on:
* Music and movement activities, on 11 May. It will look at ways of introducing music opportunities to children.
Contact the Montessori Centre International, as above.
The Riverside Early Years Training Centre has courses on:
* Singing with confidence in early years. This course is for staff working with three- and four-year-olds, and aims to develop confidence in teaching songs.
* Developing self-expression through dance in early years. The course aims to reveal ways of encouraging creative movement.
Contact the Riverside Early Years Centre, as above.
Play
Children in Scotland has courses on:
* Therapeutic play with children with disabilities, on 22 March and 28 June. This course looks at the problems in playing faced by children who have disabilities and introduces the uses of play therapy.
* An introduction to play therapy, on 11 April, 7 May and 6 June. This series of three workshops combines theory, discussion and experiential work. It has been designed for childcare professionals who are interested in therapeutic ways of working with children.
Contact Alison Rowan, Children in Scotland, Princes House, 5 Shandwick Place, Edinburgh EH2 4RG (0131 222 2405, fax 0131 228 8585, website www.childreninscotland.org.uk).
Early Education will be running a seminar on:
* Planning for play, on 15 January.
Contact Early Education, as above.
The Institute of Education has a course on:
* Outdoor play in the early years, on 12 March.
Contact the CPD/INSET Office, as above.
The National Early Years Network runs a workshop on:
* Muscles and minds: Outdoor play in the early years for all practitioners working with children under-five. Participants will explore the theoretical and practical justifications for outdoor play and the need for outdoor play to be rigorously planned as part of the whole learning environment Contact the National Early Years Network, as above.
The Wales Pre-School Playgroups Association (Wales PPA) runs courses including:
* Introduction to children's play. This course for new playgroup staff and parents comprises 12 two-hour weekly sessions. Topics covered will include physical play, communicating with children, books and stories, food and cooking, music, songs and rhymes, child-centred creativity and imaginative play.
* Managing behaviour. This involves eight two-hour weekly sessions, and its aim is to enable participants to work effectively with children in a playgroup setting and encourage positive behaviour. It focuses on how the environment, rules and routines affect children's behaviour, challenging behaviour, children and choice, reward and punishment, managing unwanted behaviour, and promoting acceptable behaviour.
* Playing together. This course comprises six two-hour weekly sessions and aims to promote good practice in the integration of children who have special needs in a pre-school setting. The course will explore the benefits of integrated play for all children, giving carers advice and support for best practice.
* Planning for play. This one-day course covers the importance of planning in an early years setting.
* Level 2 Certificate in playgroup practice. Students for this course will be working in a supporting role in an early years setting. It will enable them to gain recognition for their knowledge and practical work so that they can progress to CACHE Level 3.
Contact the Wales PPA, as above.
Kidsactive is a national charity concerned with ensuring the play needs of disabled children and young people are fulfilled. This is undertaken both through direct services on six adventure playgrounds in London, and through publications, training and consultancy carried out nationally. In addition to the three courses - Including Everybody, Challenging Behaviour and Everyone Can Play - it is developing extensive inclusive play training, funded by the Department for Education and Skills.
Kidsactive is also running a new Level 3 course:
* Planning inclusive play (PIP). Run for five days over three months, the course provides theoretical and practical training. The course aims to enable early years team leaders to be confident in implementing inclusive policy and practice in play, leisure and out-of-school settings.
Contact Kidsactive, Pryor's Bank, Bishops Park, London SW6 3LA (020 7731 1435, fax 020 7731 4426, e-mail Ktis@Kidsactive.org.uk,website www.kidsactive.org.uk).
Science
The Institute of Education is holding a course on:
* Science in the nursery and reception class, on 4 March.
Contact the CPD/INSET Office, as above.
The Pre-School Learning Alliance has a workshop on * Early science. It aims to develop an awareness of opportunities for scientific learning in early years settings.
Contact the Pre-School Learning Alliance, as above.
The Riverside Early Years Training Centre is running a course on:
* Practical science in the Foundation Stage. This course for early years professionals working with children aged three and four looks at a wide range of approaches to science teaching and how to develop the skills children need to encourage them to be interested in making a scientific enquiry.
Contact the Riverside Early Years Training Centre, as above.
