Targeted training for staff to teach early language and numeracy skills

The Government is providing funding for training to help two to four year-olds with language and mathematic skills, as part of early years recovery investment.

Thousands of pre-school children will benefit from improved language, numeracy and personal, social and emotional skills, thanks to a programme of high-quality training and professional development support for early years staff.

Children and Families Minister Vicky Ford said, “We know high-quality early years education can make an enormous difference to the outcomes of our youngest children, not just in their language and numeracy but also their social and emotional development, helping to give them the best possible start to life. This is more important than ever as we build back from the pandemic.

“This programme will play a central role in equipping our important early years staff with the high-quality training they deserve, so that they can support children at the very beginning of their education, enabling them to build on these skills with confidence as they grow up.

“The second phase of the Early Years Professional Development Programme is for one-year, delivered by Education Development Trust in partnership with Elklan providing high quality, evidence-based and fully-funded professional development for early years practitioners from schools and private, voluntary and independent early years settings,” she added on September 6.

The £10 million extension, building on £20 million already invested in the programme since 2019 as part of the Government’s efforts to narrow the attainment gap in the early years, is aimed at levelling up upcomes for children, particularly the most disadvantaged, between the ages of two and four by providing high-quality training and professional development support for staff in nurseries and preschools, or childminders.

Up to 2,000 early years practitioners and teachers in the new areas will benefit from high-quality online training delivered directly by experienced trainers, reaching up to 32,000 pre-school children across the country. The local authorities who will benefit from the additional training support will be confirmed later in the autumn.

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