Support for communication and language, physical development and personal, social and emotional development.
Please note, the Every Child a Mover Assessment tool documents are currently under review and therefore currently unavailable to download.
These three areas of learning are vitally important for building a foundation for future learning.
Through high quality learning experiences and supportive adult:child interactions you will be igniting children’s curiosity and enthusiasm for learning, enabling them to form positive relationships and supporting them to thrive both physically and mentally.
Communication and language
A portion of children are arriving in EYFS provision with underdeveloped communication and language skills or specific needs. The government continues to recognise this issue and has increased the emphasis within the current EYFS on supporting children to develop these essential life skills.
Whether you are new to the profession or more experienced and wanting a refresher, the Derbyshire Early Years Service offers several opportunities to support EYFS providers in meeting this communications and language need.
To guide you through key communication and language features, and strategies to enhance, enrich, and support all children, register for the free self-guided learning package: 'Early Years Communication and Language: A practitioner's guide to providing children with the best start for communication and language', available via Eventbrite.
The above-mentioned course is also the starting point for the Confident Communicators non-accredited package. Further to this, Confident Communicators will progress to strategies and resource guidance for you to provide the best learning environment and interactions to provide targeted support for some children. Confident Communicators has 2 main packages of staff development: leadership support and professional networking. For more details, please visit the Confident Communicators and Readers information page.
You may also choose to use the ECaT (Every Child a Talker) Assessment Tool to make a more detailed assessment of the child's needs. An introduction session is available to guide you through the use and implementation of these documents which are available to download from the related documents section of this page.
The quickest way to find information for the full range of training and events is to follow the Derbyshire Early Years service on Eventbrite.
Personal, social and emotional development
Children’s personal, social and emotional development (PSED) is crucial for children to lead healthy and happy lives, and is fundamental to their cognitive development. Underpinning their personal development are the important attachments that shape their social world. Strong, warm and supportive relationships with adults enable children to learn how to understand their own feelings and those of others.
(Department for Education: Statutory framework for the early years foundation stage)
Physical development
Is physical development of ‘prime’ importance in your setting?
Being well-developed physically has countless benefits for children. In addition to influencing their lifelong health and fitness, physical development is also a necessary part of cognitive development as well supporting good mental health.
Motor skills in early childhood are significant predictors of achievement in reading and mathematics in primary school. Did you know that 91% of children aged 2-4 years do not meet the Chief Medical Officer's physical activity recommendations?
Some children are always spinning or rocking whilst others struggle to sit still. There are children with poor fine motor development who find mark making/writing difficult. Would you like to get to know and understand children’s movements better and improve the outcomes for these children?
Every Child a Mover (ECaM) is a Derbyshire Physical Development support programme that will enable children to be physically ready, eager and able to learn. It consists of a number of elements and complimentary support tools, including the Physical Development Monitoring Tool (PDMT) which helps you to identify children at risk of delay.