There is no doubt that the measures taken to combat the COVID-19 pandemic have deprived the youngest children of social contact and experiences that are essential for development, with disadvantaged children being the most affected.
At the setting that I lead, COVID-19 resulted in the closure to most children between March and June 2020. Children who started school following the first lockdown, were doing so after a period of instability and drastically reduced social interaction. Our youngest children had spent over 80% of their life in isolation and had also experienced limited contact with peers or wider family members.
It soon became evident that a re-assessment of practice would be required to not only meet the emotional needs of the children, but to provide intervention strategies to support the delays that we were seeing. I was delighted to discover the Department for Education’s (DfE) plans to address the needs of the children in early years and the opportunity for experienced practitioners to be part of this.
With over 35 years of experience within the early years sector, I have successfully led a team of practitioners to achieve Outstanding on our past two inspections and I support setting managers and practitioners as a Local Authority Lead Practitioner. Given my experience, I felt that this programme was something I could make a significant contribution to.
Following a successful application for the position of ‘Area Lead’ for the DfE’s Experts and Mentors programme, as part of the stronger practice strand of the Early Years Education Recovery programme, I was excited to begin my journey as a first point of contact to mentors and experts in my designated region and to provide support to setting leaders with the focus of supporting children to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic.
As educators we are advocates of continual learning and development, becoming an Area Lead has afforded me to become not only an educator or support for others, but also the learner. The initial training programme extended my knowledge on varying leadership and management styles and has had a positive impact on my approach in not only my own setting but those of which I support.
Collaborating with a team from a wide range of backgrounds has broadened my understanding of the widely varying and often complex needs of other settings. It has inspired my creativity and most certainly kickstarted my ability to problem solve again.
Practitioners that have been supported by my regional team, have talked about how the programme has empowered them to reflect on practice and have autonomy over the support they required. The diagnostic report that settings complete, and the input from the regional Local Authority, allowed for me to gain an understanding of the needs of the setting before my initial visit. Following a meeting with the setting manager, I am able to devise a development plan and set targets to follow. Settings are allocated 3 days of support and it has been beneficial that the 3 days can be split in a way that best meets the needs of the setting.
From my experience, plus feedback from mentors and experts within my region, there is no doubt that settings have engaged well, valued the support provided and made positive changes to practice. This has ranged from developing environments, providing strategies for supporting children with SEN and adapting curriculums to support children with lasting effects of the pandemic. For me personally, it has been empowering to not only share my expertise on early years practice, but to be able to reassure nursery managers that we are all currently experiencing some of the same challenges; the emotional support needed by managers was evident to see.
Taking on the role of ‘Area Lead’ has by no means been easy, it is another ‘plate to juggle’ and has tested my ability to work effectively on a wider scale. However, it has been empowering to not only share my expertise on early years practice, but it has helped me to understand that although we are facing extreme challenges, it will get better and I am playing my part in finding that way forward, ensuring that our children will not endure the impact of COVID-19 long term.
I have enrolled to continue as an Area Lead. For those of you joining the programme this year my advice would be; contact representatives from the Local Authority, they will be able to provide you with up-to-date knowledge about the settings that you will be supporting. WhatsApp is perfect for quick communications between the group. I would suggest not only setting up a group with your team but to join a group with other ‘Area Leads’ for if you need any support or guidance. My last bit of advice would be, do not be afraid to email a representative from the DfE, I have always found them to be supportive and reply to my questions quickly.
Being a part of the Experts and Mentors programme has felt like an important, worth-while experience, which I am happy to continue to be involved in.
Debbie Gillibrand is an Early Years Manager at Leyland St James Nursery. You can find out more about the Early Years Experts and Mentors Programme here.