Listen and learn

Mathematics in the Foundation Stage: building confidence, not confusion!

Friday 1 October, 11am

Penny Tassoni, education consultant, author and trainer Foundation Stage

Mathematics does not equal misery, as Penny will demonstrate in this workshop. Penny believes we need to get away from the endless sheets of sums that are traditionally used to make adults feel they have 'evidence'

of children's mathematical learning. 'The focus of our work with young children should be about helping them enjoy maths,' Penny says. 'Maths is more than simply getting the answer right - it is about helping children explore number, shape and size, and see the relevance of maths to other areas of learning.'

The workshop will be of interest to nursery nurses, reception teachers, childminders, and anyone working with children aged three to six.

Throughout the session, Penny will work on building participants'

confidence with mathematical concepts. She will also offer plenty of practical ideas to make mathematics fun and interesting, such as using puppets, role play and problem solving. Penny says, 'Children enjoy these playful activities, and almost without realising it they are learning about size, ordering and number. It also provides them with the building blocks for further mathematical development.'

Creating space for children

Friday 1 October, 11am and Saturday 2 October, 12.30pm

Martin Rimes, Community Playthings

Birth to three/Foundation Stage

Providing an attractive, creative and functional space where children can learn is vital for early years settings. Research carried out by Community Playthings has shown that buildings can have significant impacts on children's behaviour and social interactions and their state of mind.

Martin says, 'With all the new children's settings that are being built, there is a danger that the "child" can be forgotten. These buildings, and the spaces within them, must reflect the essence and characteristics of childhood. The needs of the staff and management for flexibility should be incorporated into the room layout to truly allow for creative play - the "work" of children.'

Although educators may have little control over the dimensions of a room, a range of simple steps can be used to enhance its play potential and create the ideal learning environment. Martin will cover a range of matters in his workshop, including natural light, harmonious colour schemes, storage space, rest sections, and access to outdoor play areas.

Participants will also receive a copy of Spaces - room layout for early childhood education to take home to inspire their team. The booklet helps to break down the baffling process of laying out a childcare room into logical steps, and gives tips from experts in the field. In the past year alone, Community Playthings has helped more than 100 childcare settings increase the educational value of their areas.

Encouraging children's creativity

Friday 1 October, 12.30pm

Alice Sharp, education consultant, author and trainer

Foundation Stage

From the youngest age children are eager to explore and find out about their world, and Alice will demonstrate how adults can use art, drama and music to foster curiosity. Emphasis will be placed on encouraging adults to refrain from feeding children too much information, and instead allow the children to come up with their own ideas.

'I was outside in the garden watching a worker show a ladybird she had found to the children,' says Alice. 'It was fantastic when she showed the children the colours and spots, but afterwards I suggested ways she could have improved the experience. I suggested that she hid the ladybird in her hand to make the children curious, and invited the children to come up with ideas about what she was holding. Curiosity and creativity should go hand in hand.'

Alice will consider how adults can support and extend children's curiosity to experiment and invent. The workshop will offer a variety of ideas and practical suggestions to unleash children's natural capacity to imagine, explore and wonder about their environment and their roles within it.

Quality circle time - achieving excellence through valuing individuals Friday 1 October, 2pm, Saturday 2 October, 11am and Sunday 3 October, 2pm

Jenny Mosley Associates

Key Stages 1-2

Quality Circle Time has been developed by Jenny Mosley over the past 15 years and the consultancy will be delivering a session on each of the three days. The first seminar, run by Maggie Grayson, senior associate partner, will be highly interactive, identifying how Quality Circle Time can develop high self-esteem and positive attitudes. Maggie will deliver a second session on day two and delegates will be shown how clearly structured circle time sessions can improve social skills and encourage personal and collective responsibility within an emotionally safe environment.

On the final day, Barbara Dunn, a senior associate partner, will lead a session on Quality Circle Time from which all those attending will go away refreshed with ideas on how circle time can be used to re-energise staff and, most importantly, help staff and children have fun together.

Participants will also find out how circle time training can be tailored to their own specific environments.

Early intervention - the new SEN Action Programme

Saturday 2 October, 11am

Tricia Barthorpe, head of North Lincolnshire SEN Support Services

Foundation Stage/Key Stages 1-2

This practical workshop has been designed to offer support, advice and ideas to people working with children who have special educational needs in schools, nurseries and early years settings. The session will cover four key areas: early intervention, removing barriers to learning, raising expectations and achievements, and delivering improvements through partnership.

Tricia says, 'The aim of the session is to integrate the Every Child Matters document into good practice in education. Participants will be made aware of the range of special educational needs and recent key initiatives.' The workshop will give advice on how to successfully link the New Action Programme with the Disability Discrimination Act and the recent Green Paper. Practical solutions and advice will be given with a focus on meeting the requirements of these three initiatives.

Outdoor play - resources and ideas without spending a fortune

Saturday 2 October, 2pm

Helen Bilton, educational trainer and consultant (0118 9261537)

Birth to three/Foundation Stage

Helen will discuss the importance of outdoor play and how to provide the whole curriculum outside through learning bays or activity areas. These areas are: imaginative, building, gymnasium, small apparatus, art, horticulture, and environmental and science.

'I will talk about how to set up, resource and manage each of these,' says Helen. 'It's important for children to manipulate their own environment, and consequently most of the resources and much of the equipment is inexpensive.' Participants will receive resource lists and advice on getting the most out of a few versatile pieces of equipment, such as skipping ropes, milk crates, boxes and carpet squares.

Helen will illustrate her points with a range of examples of good practice from voluntary and maintained settings that are successfully running outdoor play in the London borough of Brent.

Effective consultation and participation in out-of-school clubs

Saturday 2 October, 3.30pm

Miranda Walker, ABC Educational Services

Out-of-school clubs/playworkers

This session for playworkers and school staff aims to promote consultation with children about how their clubs are run. Consultation has been found to have a direct positive effect on children's level of participation and even their behaviour. 'Consulting with children gives them a sense of ownership of their club, makes them feel valued and respected, and impacts positively on their levels of confidence and self-esteem,' says Miranda. 'Children are more likely to want to participate in activities they have had a hand in choosing.'

Miranda will offer many fun and exciting ways of carrying out consultation with children, and explain a range of ideas and strategies that can be applied immediately to club and playwork settings.

Social skills, problem solving and conflict resolution - sharing skills with young children

Sunday 3 October, 11am

Jennie Lindon, child psychologist, consultant and author

Foundation Stage/Key Stage 1

Jennie will be focusing on how adults can build up children's social skills and encourage them to behave in a positive manner. 'We need young children to learn how to get along with adults and each other, and solve life's ordinary ups and downs,' says Jennie. 'Adults need to set a clear model of behaviour for children to follow, be clear about their own skills, and demonstrate these skills calmly.'

Throughout the session, Jennie will demonstrate how we can help children, step by step, to improve their social interactions. For example, instead of simply telling children to share, participants will learn how to encourage social skills more effectively through adult demonstration and exemplary behaviour. Jennie says, 'Sharing skills with children is all about taking a step back and showing the skills in action - even when the emotional temperature is soaring.'

Starting a day nursery

Sunday 3 October, 11am

National Day Nurseries Association

Nursery management

Day nurseries are one of the fastest growing small business sectors, but establishing your own business can be a daunting task. Starting a nursery is a huge investment in terms of money, time and energy, so careful preparation is essential.

Whether you are considering setting up a nursery, or are already running one and planning to expand, this seminar will give sound practical advice to help you get on the right track.

Delivered by a number of the industry's leading experts, the session will explain the start-up process and legal requirements, examine possible sources of funding and stress the importance of a sound business approach and high-quality staff. There will also be advice on developing the nursery environment and staff management. Case studies will be used to help participants learn from practical examples, and a range of supporting publications from the NDNA will be available.