Nursery World - Nursery staff train in adult literacy

A new training programme intended to equip nursery staff with the necessary skills to help them support families with low basic skills is being tested out in four local authorities in England. The local authorities, Leeds, Norfolk, Birmingham and the London borough of Haringey, are piloting the First Step training, developed by the Basic Skills Agency, before it is introduced across England and offered to all settings that are part of the Neighbourhood Nurseries initiative.

The local authorities, Leeds, Norfolk, Birmingham and the London borough of Haringey, are piloting the First Step training, developed by the Basic Skills Agency, before it is introduced across England and offered to all settings that are part of the Neighbourhood Nurseries initiative.

The two-day training programme is aimed at managers and key staff, and will help them understand the difficulties facing parents and carers with poor reading and writing skills. It will help them to recognise which adults have low basic skills and know where they can be referred to for help.

Linda Parkin, manager of Little Acorn pre-school in Leeds, who completed the first stage of the course in March together with her deputy manager, said the initiative was 'a very good idea'. Between now and the final day of the programme in June, she will be required to undertake an action research project within her setting which involves looking at the facilities available for family learning.

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