This early years course will support your understanding of the developmental stages of communication and language for children in the early years. It will provide you with universal strategies to support this development for all children and help you to identify when children are at risk of delay. This training is jointly written and delivered by the Equality and Inclusion, and Speech and Language Therapy Teams.

This whole day training is designed to:

• increase your knowledge of the developmental stages of communication and language
• aid your understanding of the universal strategies used to monitor and support communication and language development
• share effective practice from Every Child a Talker (ECAT).

Date: Wednesday 27 November 2019 
Time: 09:30 - 15:30
Venue: The Hop Farm, Maidstone Road, Paddock Wood, Kent, TN12 6PY
Individual price: within Kent: KCC funded; outside Kent: £118 +VAT.

I CAN Early Talk Boost is a pre-school language intervention designed for children aged 3-4 years who have delayed language development. The intervention helps to boost their language skills, helping to narrow achievement gaps between them and their peers.

Findings show that, after taking part in Early Talk Boost, children make, on average, 6 months progress after a nine-week intervention. This is twice the amount of progress than children not having the intervention, making this an excellent use of the Early Years Pupil Premium (EYPP).

This training course is designed for early years practitioners who will be delivering the intervention in early years settings and will be delivered by I CAN Licensees. If you work with older children, we also deliver Talk Boost KS1 which covers Reception to Year 2. Please see the school portal for more details, and to book.

Date: Wednesday 13 November 2019
Time: 09:30 - 15:30
Venue: The Cornwallis Suite, Maidstone Masonic Centre, Courtenay Road, Maidstone, Kent, ME15 6LF
Individual price: within Kent: £80 +VAT; outside Kent: £118 +VAT
Group price: within Kent: £420 per group + £480 for resources +VAT; outside Kent: £665 per group +£480 for resources +VAT.

Do you understand the importance of an effective and robust supervision and value the process of appraisal to develop and grow your team? Is this an area that you would like to further enhance?

This half day training will support you to:

• enhance your knowledge and understanding of supervisions and appraisals.
• develop your skills to carry out effective supervisions and appraisals
• consider the benefits of supporting individuals through effective supervisions and appraisals.

Date: Thursday 21 November 2019
Time: 09:30 - 12:30
Venue: Sevenoaks Indoor Bowls, Hollybush Close, Sevenoaks, Kent, TN13 3UX
Individual price: within Kent: £40 +VAT; outside Kent: £60 +VAT
Group price: within Kent: £210 +VAT; outside Kent: £385 +VAT.

Listening is one of the basic building blocks for language and communication. Through a variety of singing, speaking and listening activities you will have the opportunity to bring Phase One of the Letters and Sounds programme alive.

This half day early years training will help you to:

• identify how Phase One of the Letters and Sounds programme supports children to become attuned to the sounds around them and ready to begin developing oral blending and segmenting skills
• assess and plan for play-based learning to motivate and support the teaching of Letters and Sounds Phase One
• reflect on and audit current practice in relation to letters and sounds provision within your setting.

Date: Tuesday 26 November 2019
Time: 9:30 - 12:30
Venue: Oakwood House Hotel, Oakwood Park, Maidstone, Kent, ME16 8AE
Individual price: within Kent: £40 +VAT; outside Kent: £60 +VAT
Group price: within Kent: £210 +VAT; outside Kent: £385 +VAT

Do you know your Spiderman from your Superman, your Tyrannosaurus Rex from your Stegosaurus? Would you like an opportunity to gain an insight into the minds of boys and why some like to move, shout and shake it all about?

This half day early years training will help you to:

• increase your understanding of brain development and its impact on boys’ behaviour
• identify the right conditions to support boys’ learning and play with practical ideas
• explore and discuss the value of superhero and weapon play.

Date: Thursday 14 November 2019
Time: 09:30 - 12:30
Venue: Holiday Inn - Ashford North A20, Maidstone Road, Hothfield, Ashford, Kent, TN26 1AP
Individual price: within Kent: £40 +VAT; outside Kent: £60.00 +VAT
Group price: within Kent: £210 +VAT; outside Kent: £385 +VAT.

Gain confidence in using signing and visual support materials to enhance and extend children’s communication and language skills.

This half day early years workshop will support you to:

• use signing as a communication system to support language development
• practise signing with others, in an interactive fun environment
• embed the use of visual time lines and other visual support materials into daily practice with children.

Date: Wednesday 27 November 2019
Time: 09:30 - 12:30
Venue: The Cornwallis Suite, Maidstone Masonic Centre, Courtenay Road, Maidstone, Kent, ME15 6LF
Individual price: within Kent: £40 +VAT; outside Kent: £60 +VAT.
Group price: within Kent: £210 +VAT; outside Kent: £385 +VAT

This full day workshop will strengthen knowledge and understanding of the three key judgements for Out of school in the new Ofsted education inspection framework (EIF)

This full day workshop will support you to:

• reflect on the new grade descriptor criteria for the three key judgements
• explore all current and relevant documentation that supports the Ofsted inspection framework
• identify areas for further improvement to secure a met judgement at your next inspection.

Date: Tuesday 3 December 2019
Time: 09:30 - 16:30
Venue: The Cornwallis Suite, Maidstone Masonic Centre, Courtenay Road, Maidstone, Kent, ME15 6LF
Individual Price: within Kent: £80 +VAT; outside Kent: £118 +VAT

Technology is a fast-paced industry. Are you and your children keeping up? Have fun exploring technology during this training, looking beyond laptops and tablets to support children’s understanding of the world within your setting.

This half day early years training will support you to:

• use play-based learning to motivate and enhance technology learning across the EYFS curriculum
• consider how children’s starting points in technology are being captured and used to motivate and challenge learning
• investigate a range of technology resources and plan how they could be used to enhance the seven areas of learning
• reflect on and review current practice in relation to technology provision within your setting.

Date: Tuesday 3 December 2019
Time: 9:30 - 12:30
Venue: Howfield Manor Hotel, Howfield Lane, Chartham Hatch, Canterbury, Kent, CT4 7HQ
Individual Price: within Kent: £40 +VAT; outside Kent: £60 +VAT
Group price: within Kent: £210 +VAT; outside Kent: £385 +VAT.

Do you enjoy spending time with the children sharing books? Through fun and interactive activities, you will help children to fall in love with books, explore literacy and mark-making to inspire their passion to read and write.

This half day early years training will help you to:

• recognise the underpinning skills children need to become early readers and writers
• discover fun and exciting opportunities to inspire young children
• identify effective strategies to work with parents and families to promote children’s early literacy skills at home.

Date: Wednesday 4 December 2019
Time: 9:30 - 12:30
Venue: Ashford Business Hub, Ray Allen Centre, Stanhope Road, Ashford, Kent, TN23 5RN
Individual Price: within Kent: £40 +VAT; outside Kent: £60 +VAT
Group price: within Kent: £210 +VAT; outside Kent: £385 +VAT.

The Kent County Council (KCC) funded offer via The Education People is available to providers of early education and/or childcare within KCC’s geographical boundaries, registered with Ofsted or the Department for Education and/or with KCC to deliver Free Entitlement places; this includes:

• Private, voluntary and independent group providers
• Out of school childcare providers
• Eligible childminders
• Schools and academies admitting children under four.

*Please note that non-eligible childminders can access some elements of the offer only.