Kym Scott | Re-invigorating Learning in the Early Years Post-Covid 

Day 1 - Friday 3rd November 2023 • 9:30 am - 3:30 pm

Post-Covid Priorities: Supporting the social, emotional and language development of young children including dual language learners and those with additional needs.

Target Audience: Leaders and educators working with children aged 0-6 years old, SENCos, PSHE Leads

It has been widely reported by educators that the impact of Covid on young children’s development continues to be significant as they enter kindergarten settings and schools. Many children have missed out on early opportunities to socialise, adapt to new situations, and develop self-regulation skills. Mask-wearing in both adults and children for extended periods may have affected aspects of communication and language development. Children with additional needs have often missed out on early referrals. The continued anxiety levels of some parents are also likely to impact children’s well-being and confidence. No wonder then, that those working with young children report huge challenges in their settings and classrooms and those working with older children report increased mental health concerns such as anxiety.

This day will draw upon Kym’s many years of experience working in and with schools in a range of circumstances, where practitioners often must go the extra mile to help children to access the learning on offer. She will offer information, advice, and practical ideas to support these vital elements of children’s development which continue to be affected by the pandemic. The aim is that delegates leave with a clear plan of what should be prioritised in their particular setting going forward and how this can translate into practice.

On this day Kym will:

• Provide support and guidance to help address the ongoing impact of the pandemic on young children’s social, emotional and language development.

• Share the latest research around what really matters in these areas and how this translates into practice.

• Show the links between brain development and externalised behaviour and how to positively support both.

• Give clear strategies that adults can adopt to become co-regulators and emotion coaches to grow children’s ability to manage their response to stressors.

• Explore the vital role of play in supporting language development for all children, including those with additional needs and EAL.

• Demonstrate how the environment, routines, relationships and adult interactions can boost children’s development in these areas.

Day 2 - Saturday 4th November 2023 • 9:30 am - 3:30 pm

Inspiring creativity and critical thinking through foundational STEAM experiences in the Early Years: How to ensure progression and learning across the curriculum through play and authentic activities.

Target Audience: Leaders and educators working with children aged 3-6 years old, Subject Leads

STEAM is a powerful vehicle for helping children to gain content knowledge and skills in the different areas of learning and development, and to develop characteristics of effective learners. In settings that embrace a developmentally appropriate STEAM approach, it is ongoing and embedded in play, exploration, curiosity, observation, and questioning. It builds crucial skills for learning and life, in particular critical thinking, and creativity. However, it can be hard to interpret what STEAM can look like for younger children, and how to effectively implement, manage, resource, and extend it.

Kym will show how early years practitioners already provide a range of STEAM experiences such as woodwork, cooking and constructing without always being aware of the potential of these for greater stretch and extension. She will show how to grow these to become more meaningful and challenging and to ensure progression within them. Delegates will leave feeling inspired and informed as to how they can make STEAM work in their setting.

On this day Kym will:

• Focus on STEAM in its broadest and simplest sense taking inspiration from Froebel, Montessori, Reggio Emilia, and Planning in the Moment.

• Interpret how this can look for young children from 3 years plus, by showing how to build in foundational STEAM experiences.

• Show how this approach can impact positive outcomes for children across the curriculum and beyond traditional STEAM areas.

• Highlight the great boost that real-world STEAM experiences can give children’s language development, physical development, and social and emotional development.

• Focus on progression in knowledge and skills within the different STEAM experiences from nursery to KS1.

• Explore a possible working model for developing a sequenced STEAM curriculum.

• Use real examples from schools and settings to explore what STEAM can look like, particularly focusing on the child’s ideas and autonomy.

Day 3 - Sunday 5th November 2023 • 9:30 am - 2:30 pm

Leading a team in the early years - establishing priorities, ensuring impact and keeping people on board!

Target Audience: Anyone leading a team, particularly those working with children aged 0-6

Many people working in the early years lead a team of some sort, whether it is as a room leader, class teacher, middle or senior leader. To effectively lead a team of any kind a range of skills and knowledge are required. Not only do leaders require a strong working understanding of curriculum, child development and early years pedagogy, but they also need the ability to disseminate this knowledge effectively to others. A good leader at any level needs to be creative in terms of their thinking, but also analytical, to be able to distil information and use it to plan ways forward.

Finally, a leader needs to tread that fine line between support and challenge, inspiring their team to be the best they can be, whilst also establishing clear expectations for quality and impact. All this and yet many leaders in the early years report never having had any formal training for the role. Those that did often find their training omitted to give them the knowledge and skills they find themselves needing, such as how to have difficult conversations, how to remain empathic whilst also being assertive, how to delegate effectively etc. Kym provides a refreshingly new take on leadership training, focusing on the things she wishes she had been told before she became a leader, sharing the mistakes she has made along the way and what she has learnt from them!

On this day Kym will:

• Share the key skills needed to be an effective leader, particularly when leading change or improvement.

• Highlight the importance of developing a shared team vision and the key steps to take to do this.

• Show how leadership style can be adapted to different people and situations.

• Share clear and specific strategies for dealing with difficult people and having challenging conversations.

• Explain how best to evaluate quality – from gathering information needed to distilling it into clear action points and providing effective feedback.

• Provide support with establishing priorities for development and how to ensure that actions take place and impact happens.

• Share insights from excellent leaders in early education, using video footage and quotes.