Introduction
Professional Development
Resources
Improving the skills of parents/carers, staff and managers: a
training and development programme for the early years and
childcare workforce
Contents
Foreword
Introduction
Module 1: Raising Awareness
Module 2: Identification and Screening
Module 3: Signposting
Module 4: Next Steps
Additional Resources
The Step in to Learning initiative forms part of the mainstream policy of the Skills for Life Strategy Unit (SfLSU), Sure
Start Unit, Department for Work and Pensions and Department for Education and Skills.
1
Introduction
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All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be photocopied, recorded or otherwise reproduced, stored in a
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Introduction
Foreword
By the Minister of State (Children and Families)
Rt Hon Beverley Hughes, MP, and Parliamentary Under
Secretary of State (Skills) Phil Hope, MP
We are delighted to provide this foreword to the Professional Development Resource for
the early years and childcare workforce. This is an exciting time in the expansion of early
years and childcare services in this country, especially in the growing numbers of Sure
Start Children's Centres, and Step in to Learning has a key role to play in supporting this
development. The single biggest factor that determines the quality of childcare, parenting
and family support is the workforce. It is intended that this publication will support the
professional development needs of a wide range of frontline services working with families
in engaging parents and carers, identifying those with literacy, numeracy and/or language
needs and signposting them to local learning opportunities. Encouraging parents and
carers to improve their skills promotes a positive attitude to learning which encourages
their children to succeed, helping to break the intergenerational cycle of poor skills and
poverty which families encounter.
Many millions of adults in England need help to improve their literacy, language and
numeracy skills. Skills for Life, launched by the prime minister in 2001, sets out the
Government’s strategy, which aims to help 2.25 million learners improve these skills by
2010. Since 2001, over 862,000 adults have improved their literacy, numeracy and
language skills and achieved a qualification, and 2.6 million learners have taken up 5.5
million learning opportunities. Right across the Government we are working together to
improve the life chances of all children and their families, to transform the quality,
accessibility and coherence of services, so that every family has the support it needs to
enjoy and achieve, make a positive contribution and secure economic wellbeing.
We would like to say a big ‘thank you’ to everyone who has contributed to the many
success stories that we have seen unfold through Step in to Learning. It has proved to be
a key initiative in delivering the Skills for Life national strategy and has also contributed
significantly to delivering Sure Start targets. The programme has been used as a case
study of good practice by the Department, has been complimented in various Ofsted and
ALI inspections, and has been highly praised by local authorities, early years partnerships,
post-16 providers and voluntary organisations. More importantly, though, it has made a
major difference to the lives of thousands of families where parents are returning to
education.
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Introduction
The challenge now for us is to build on the progress already made to ensure that the Step
in to Learning approach is embedded in the life and ethos of every early years setting and
community. We are sure that this resource will prove useful to many of you working to
make that vision a reality.
Rt Hon Beverley Hughes, MP
Phil Hope, MP
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Introduction
Introduction
Contents
What is Skills for Life?
6
What is the role of the early years and childcare
workforce in Skills for Life?
9
What is the Step in to Learning training and
development programme?
14
What does the Step in to Learning training and
development programme cover?
15
How can the Step in to Learning training and
development programme contribute to staff and managers’
professional development?
17
Why is the Step in to Learning training and
development programme important?
19
The Professional Development Resources file
21
What’s in the Professional Development
Resources file?
22
How to use the Step in to Learning training and
development resources to cascade key messages in
early years and childcare settings
24
Does the Step in to Learning training and
development programme make a difference?
29
Useful contacts
34
Complementary projects and resources
36
5
Introduction
What is Skills for Life?
Step in to Learning is a key initiative in delivering Skills for Life: the national strategy for
improving adult literacy and numeracy skills, launched in March 2001 by the Government.
Skills for Life aims to raise adult literacy, language and numeracy standards and learner
achievement, as well as boosting demand and supply. By 2007 the Skills for Life strategy
aims to have helped 1.5 million adults to improve their literacy, language and/or numeracy
skills as evidenced by a national qualification. By December 2004 a record 862,000 adults
had achieved a national qualification against the 750,000 target set out by the Government
in the Skills for Life strategy. Moreover, the target for 2010 is for a total of 2.25 million
adults to have improved their skills. The strategy is being taken forward by the
Government, working with a number of partners, including the Learning and Skills Council.
A priority group within the strategy are parents/carers, especially those living in financially
disadvantaged areas. It is really important to help parents/carers to improve their skills, not
6
Introduction
only because this will increase their chances of
employment, but also because it will help them to
support their children at school. This will in turn help to
break the cycle of underachievement that often exists in
families with literacy, language and/or numeracy needs.
Step in to Learning will help parents/carers to improve
their skills through effective identification and
signposting.
In addition, Step in to Learning will guide those working
in the early years and childcare sector to identify their
own literacy, language and numeracy skills, and help
them to find opportunities to brush up English and maths
skills.
Every Child Matters
Step in to Learning incorporates some of the key themes from the Government’s 2003
Green Paper, ‘Every Child Matters’, published in response to some of the main findings
from the Victoria Climbie enquiry. This recognised that: ‘In order to realise our ambition to
improve outcomes, we need radical change in the whole system of children’s services
including shifting from intervention to prevention and services working together more
effectively.’
‘Every Child Matters: Change for Children’ is a shared programme of change to improve
outcomes for all children and young people.
'Children and young people have told us that five outcomes are key to wellbeing in
childhood and later life – being healthy, staying safe, enjoying and achieving,
making a positive contribution and achieving economic wellbeing. The
Government’s ambition is to improve these outcomes for all children and to narrow
the gap in outcomes between those who do well and those who do not.
Everyone delivering services for children and young people has a role in
improving outcomes, including those working in childcare settings, schools,
health services, social care, youth services, the police and criminal justice
system, the voluntary and community sector and cultural, sports and play
organisations.'
‘Every Child Matters’ also recognises the key role of parents/carers in achieving these
outcomes and the importance of addressing and improving the skills of the early years and
childcare workforce. Each of the five outcomes has implications for the Step in to Learning
7
Introduction
approach in addressing the literacy, language and
numeracy needs of parents/carers and the early years
and childcare workforce. For example, members of
staff working in children’s centres and childminders
both need to follow detailed written procedures and
complete paperwork in relation to child protection
procedures (‘staying safe’).
Encouraging parents/carers and those working in the
early years and childcare sector to improve their literacy,
language and/or numeracy skills is likely to contribute to
the economic wellbeing of both adults and children.
Adults who improve their literacy, language or numeracy
skills also improve their employment prospects. They are better able to support the learning of
children in their care, consequently improving their chances of achievement and paid
employment.
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Introduction
What is the role of the early years
and childcare workforce in Skills
for Life?
All early years and childcare settings have a role to play in supporting parents so that they
feel more confident about supporting their children. This includes children’s centres, Sure
Start local programmes, nurseries, pre-school settings, holiday clubs, childminders and
extended schools.
The Government’s vision is that every child will get the best start in life and that parents
will have more choice about how to balance work and family life.
Sure Start and children’s centres
Sure Start will deliver better outcomes for children, families and communities by increasing
the availability of childcare, improving the health, education and emotional development of
children, and supporting parents in their aspirations towards employment, education and
training.
Sure Start local programmes and children’s centres are concentrated in the most deprived
communities, where a high proportion of children live in poverty. Based on firm evidence of
what works when addressing disadvantage and improving life chances, these and other
Sure Start initiatives form a cornerstone of the Government’s drive to tackle child poverty
and social exclusion.
Local programmes aim to improve the health and wellbeing of children from birth to 4, so
that they are ready to flourish when they go to school. They are delivered by partnerships
in their areas, with a high level of parental involvement. All agencies (local authorities, the
NHS, the voluntary sector and others) are encouraged to work together in new and
constructive ways to provide better services focused on the needs of families and young
children.
There are currently 524 local programmes, offering services to around 400,000 children,
including a third of those under 4 living in poverty across the country. These local
9
Introduction
programmes are all expected to become children’s centres.
The Government believes that the provision of good-quality, fully integrated services will
have a broad and lasting impact on children, their parents/carers and the wider
community. The Green Paper ‘Every Child Matters’ introduced an extensive children’s
centre programme intended to help ensure the best start in life for every child. The
Government wants to offer support for parents/carers such as that offered through this
programme: better opportunities for parents; affordable, good-quality childcare; and
stronger, safer communities. The children’s centre programme works on the premise that
providing integrated education, childcare, family support and health services is a key factor
in helping children and their parents get the best out of life.
The Step in to Learning approach supports the implementation of the children’s centre
programme by contributing to the continuing professional development of staff and
managers. It raises awareness among staff and managers of the Skills for Life needs of
parents/carers and colleagues, and it provides strategies and resources to help address
these needs.
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Introduction
The idea itself is not a new one: children’s centres aim to build on existing good practice,
rather than starting afresh. A significant number of families with young children already
benefit from good-quality integrated services. Children’s centres enhance these services
and extend the benefits to more families in areas where they are most needed.
Sure Start children’s centres will build on existing successful initiatives like local
programmes, neighbourhood nurseries and early excellence centres, and bring highquality integrated early years services to the heart of all communities. They will offer
services to young children, including early education, from 0–5. Local authorities are
leading the implementation of the initiative in their areas.
Government spending on Sure Start will reach £1.8 billion in 2007/08, more than double
the figure for 2004/05. This extra funding will help meet the commitments to establish a
network of up to 2,500 children’s centres by 2008, with all the young children and their
families in the most disadvantaged areas having access to one, and 3,500 by 2010 – so
every family has easy access to high-quality integrated services in their community, and
the benefits of Sure Start can be felt nationwide.
The role of childminders in Skills for Life
There are currently 72,300 registered childminders in England and Wales,
offering flexible, affordable, home-based childcare to over 300,000 children.
Childminding is often a second or subsequent career and the workforce is extremely
diverse: some have graduate or post-graduate qualifications, but a significant number
11
Introduction
have Skills for Life needs of their own in literacy, numeracy or language.
Initiatives such as the ‘Children Come First’ Networks and the Support Childminding
Scheme mean that childminders are accessing more support and training opportunities
than ever before, including increasing take-up of the Council for Awards in Childcare and
Education (CACHE) Level 3 Certificate in Childminding Practice. The Step in to Learning
approach is key to ensuring that all childminders have the opportunity to address any
literacy, language and/or numeracy needs they may have, to enable them to access
further training opportunities, improving the quality of their practice and therefore leading to
improved outcomes for children.
Childminders run their businesses in the
communities in which they live. Childminders who
are supported to address their own literacy,
language and/or numeracy needs will disseminate
this to the parents they work with, through a ‘role
model’ approach. Childminders are well placed to
develop excellent relationships with parents as
they often care for their children for many years.
This unique relationship of trust often allows the
childminder to be a champion, both for the parents
they work with and also for other parents/carers
within their community, enabling them to access
opportunities to brush up literacy, language and
numeracy skills and become involved in family
literacy, language and numeracy programmes.
Additional information for childminders on the role
that they can play in family literacy, language and
numeracy programmes can be found on the Skills
for Families web site: www.skillsforfamilies.org.
The Pre-school Learning Alliance and the Step in
to Learning training and development programme
The Pre-school Learning Alliance (PLA) is a national organisation, with local, regional and
national support networks, through which staff, volunteers and parents/carers can access
advice, information and guidance. In partnership with the Step in to Learning training and
development programme, the PLA aims to provide staff and managers with opportunities
to brush up their English and maths skills as part of mainstreaming Skills for Life in its core
training provision.
The Pre-school Learning Alliance has always recognised that Step in to Learning helps
staff and volunteers think about how they present information to parents/carers, how to
recognise where parents/carers need support with Skills for Life, and how to talk to
12
Introduction
parents/carers about courses and workshops that
they may find helpful.
The PLA is a registered charity and supports 15,000
registered pre-schools and runs 25 neighbourhood
nurseries. It works mainly with children aged 0–5
years and their parents.
The alliance works closely with staff and managers
to offer the most suitable childcare and education for
young children and their parents/carers, and
settings are well placed to take an active approach
in supporting parents/carers. Research shows that
parents/carers prefer to take up learning
opportunities where they feel most comfortable. This
is often at the pre-school or nursery, where they are
able to develop warm and trusting relationships with
staff and managers. The Pre-school Learning
Alliance encourages all its member pre-schools and
neighbourhood nurseries to provide on-site
workshops and courses for parents/carers.
Even before a child starts at the setting, staff and managers work with parents/carers to
get to know them and their children. This ensures that the child’s educational journey gets
off to the best possible start. Pre-schools and nurseries are able to talk to parents/carers
about their own needs and can often offer learning opportunities on site. These can range
from family learning to accredited childcare courses. By using this small steps approach,
pre-schools and nurseries are well placed to be able to identify and address
parents’/carers’ literacy, language and numeracy needs by working in partnership with
post-16 providers.
Using this route, more than 1 million parents, staff and volunteers have been able to
identify and fulfil their own training needs. The Pre-school Learning Alliance is committed
to ensuring that it continues to reach a wide audience in the years to come.
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Introduction
What is the Step in to
Learning training and
development
programme?
Step in to Learning is a pioneering training and
development programme for staff and managers working
in the early years and childcare sector.
The Step in to Learning training and development programme will equip staff and
managers with the knowledge and skills they need to identify parents’/carers’ literacy,
language and/or numeracy needs and to signpost them to appropriate local learning
programmes to improve their skills. Staff and managers will be able to use the skills and
knowledge gained to extend their qualifications through their work with parents and carers.
The Step in to Learning training and development programme will provide opportunities for
staff and managers from early years and childcare settings to undertake a skills check to
review their own literacy and numeracy skills and support staff and managers to gain
recognised national qualifications in literacy, language and numeracy up to, and including,
Level 2.
The draft ‘Children’s Workforce Strategy’, 2005, states that local workforce strategies
should include:
‘regular training needs analyses, as part of performance management
arrangements, to identify skills gaps including in the essential skills of literacy,
numeracy and language’.
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Introduction
What does the Step in to
Learning training and
development programme cover?
Topic
Aims
Module 1:
Raising Awareness
To help staff and managers to recognise:
• what the Skills for Life strategy is and the role that staff and
managers from early years and childcare settings can have in
mentoring parents/carers with literacy, language and/or
numeracy and ESOL needs
• what it feels like to have a literacy, language and/or numeracy
and ESOL need
• the positive effects that improving these skills can have on
parents/carers and their children
• that effective communication using oral and visual methods to
present information can help parents/carers to take up learning
opportunities.
Module 2:
Identification and
Screening
To help staff and managers to recognise:
• that there are many ways of identifying parents/carers with
literacy, language and/or numeracy needs using a variety of
techniques
• the barriers that can prevent learning
• the triggers and factors that can encourage parents/carers to
take up learning opportunities.
Module 3:
Signposting
To help staff and managers to recognise:
• how to signpost parents/carers to the right local learning
opportunities for them to improve their literacy, language and/or
numeracy skills
• how to forge links with local Skills for Life providers
• how to track the progress of parents/carers.
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Introduction
Module 4:
Next Steps
To help staff and managers to recognise:
• how to build on existing practice to include literacy, language
and/or numeracy skills
• how family literacy, language and numeracy (FLLN)
programmes are structured in early years and childcare settings
• which FLLN programmes are suitable for families in early years
settings, how to set them up, and their role
• how to recognise achievement in the community and the
workplace
• how early years staff and managers can brush up their English
and maths skills to support their job role.
16
Introduction
How can the Step in to Learning
training and development
programme contribute to staff’s
and managers’ professional
development?
The Step in to Learning training and development programme end-of-module tasks and
personal development journal self-study materials can contribute towards staff’s and
managers’ professional development and support staff and managers to gain recognised
qualifications, as illustrated in the diagram on page 18.
Further information is provided in the accreditation guide in the Additional Resources
section of this file. Detailed information can be found on the Step in to Learning web site:
www.surestart.gov.uk/stepintolearning.
Through the Step in to Learning training and development programme, staff and managers
will be given opportunities to brush up their English and maths skills. Staff and managers
could gain a Level 2 nationally recognised qualification in literacy or numeracy to support
future career aspirations.
The resources in this Professional Development Resources file will support staff and
managers to use the Move On self-assessment to identify which English and maths skills
they would like to develop further. Staff and managers will then have an opportunity to
undertake a more detailed check on their skills with a post-16 provider through the use of
the Step in to Learning Personal Skills Check. The post-16 provider will be able to give
details of local learning opportunities, venues and times of sessions. The information
gathered can be used as a basis for discussing and informing appraisals for staff and
managers within the early years or childcare setting.
Please refer to Module 4, Next Steps, in the Professional Development Resources file for the
cascade session using the Move On literacy and numeracy skills quiz.
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Introduction
For further details about Move On please see www.move-on.org.uk or contact
a local Skills for Life provider. If staff and managers are unsure of who to
contact, reference can be made to the Learning and Skills Council.
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Introduction
Why is the Step in to Learning
training and development
programme important?
The Step in to Learning training and development programme offers settings innovative
ways in which to engage parents/carers who may have literacy, language and/or
numeracy needs. Early years and childcare staff and managers have already gained the
trust of parents/carers, which is the perfect foundation for helping them to find suitable
learning opportunities to develop their literacy, language and/or numeracy skills.
The Step in to Learning training and development programme will support staff and
managers in their work with parents/carers to identify learning needs and signpost
parents/carers towards appropriate learning opportunities to develop their skills.
The benefits of adopting the Step in to Learning approach in early years or childcare
settings are extensive; it promotes cross-partnership work with other professionals and
19
Introduction
sectors, and it raises staff and managers’ awareness of how to make the most of
partnerships with parents/carers. Step in to Learning supports the quality of early years
and childcare provision, offering professional development opportunities for staff and
managers, and by extending the range of opportunities for parents/carers on site to
develop their skills, knowledge and understanding of how to support their children with
confidence.
The ‘Effective Provision of Pre-School Education’ (EPPE) project identified that:
‘The quality of the learning environment of the home (where parents are actively
engaged in activities with children) promoted intellectual and social
development in all children. Although parent’s social class and levels of
education were related to child outcomes the quality of the home learning
environment was more important. The home learning environment is only
moderately associated with social class. What parents do is more important
than who they are.’
The Professional Development Resources file is designed to be used by the whole of the
early years and childcare sector, whether you work as part of a team or as an individual
within nurseries, children’s centres, Sure Start children’s centres, or as play leaders,
holiday club leaders, before- and after-school childcare staff and childminders. The Step in
to Learning approach can be adapted to support staff and managers to meet the
expectations outlined in the ‘Ten Year Strategy for Childcare: Choice for parents, the best
start for children’ and ‘Every Child Matters’.
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Introduction
The Professional Development
Resources file
The Step in to Learning training and development programme includes this set of
resources to help staff and managers who have participated in the Step in to Learning
training and development programme to cascade the key messages in their early years or
childcare setting.
The suggested session plans and resources will refresh staff and managers who
participated in the Step in to Learning training and development programme with the key
messages, and enable staff and managers to cascade these messages to other
colleagues in the setting, as part of inducting new staff and managers or through
continuing professional development.
21
Introduction
What’s in the Professional
Development Resources file?
The Professional Development Resource file has the following sections:
Introduction – an overview of the Step in to Learning training and development
programme and how to cascade the key training messages using the resources.
Induction and continuing professional development resources – four modules based
on the Step in to Learning approach. The modules are:
• Module 1: Raising Awareness
• Module 2: Identification and Screening
• Module 3: Signposting
• Module 4: Next Steps.
Each module contains session plans designed to help staff and managers cascade the key
messages from the Step in to Learning training and development programme.
Additional resources – information and resources included to support the training and
continuing professional development of staff and managers.
This section of the Professional Development Resources file includes the following:
• personal development journal
• accreditation guidance for the early years and childcare workforce
• Move On and the National Certificates in Literacy, Language and Numeracy Guide
• information on how to become a test centre
• learning styles explained
• learning styles questionnaire
• Skills for Life champions’ brief
• Skills Check.
The Step in to Learning training and development CD-ROM can be located at the back of
the Professional Development Resources file. It includes the following information:
• PDF copies of all the Step in to Learning training and development programme
materials
• Step in to Learning training and development programme video footage
• Step in to Learning training and development programme audio footage
• copies of the PowerPoint slides used in the Step in to Learning training and
development programme
• PDF of the Learning Journey leaflet
22
Introduction
• PDF of an example screening tool (Family Fast Track).
The pocket inside the front cover of the file includes the following information:
• Move On scratch card
• Family Literacy, Language and Numeracy Guide CD-ROM – information on family
literacy, language and numeracy (FLLN) programmes
• Tips for producing written materials.
NOTE: A useful additional resource to supplement your Professional Development
Resources is the Skills for Life Strategy booklet: Focus on Delivery to 2007. It can be
ordered from Prolog at the DfES on 0845 60 222 60 (quote reference SFLNS2), or
downloaded from www.dfes.gov.uk/readwriteplus/Skills_for_Life_policy_documents. This
booklet provides background information about Skills for Life and is required reading for
those staff or managers wishing to take up accreditation.
23
Introduction
How to use the Step in to
Learning training and
development resources to
cascade key messages in early
years and childcare settings
This Professional Development Resources file contains flexible session plans and
activities and handouts for staff and managers to use. They are based on the Step in to
Learning training and development programme. This means that any manager or member
of staff who has participated in the Step in to Learning training and development
programme will already have had some experience of the activities and had a chance to
discuss the key messages behind them. They will give settings a chance to explore how
the literacy, language and/or numeracy skills of parents/carers affect their lives and their
ability to access a variety of services in the local community.
Remember, it is easy and quite natural to make assumptions about people based on their
appearance and your own experiences. It is important not to be judgemental about the
literacy, language and/or numeracy skills of parents/carers and colleagues but to ensure
that parents/carers, staff and managers are all offered equal opportunities to learning.
Don’t forget . . .
. . . putting cascade activities into practice can also
contribute towards the continuing professional
development of staff and managers.
24
Introduction
Next steps in cascading
Familiarise yourself with the key messages of the modules by following the steps below:
• Watch the relevant module video section from the Step in to Learning training and
development programme CD-ROM.
• Select the cascade session(s) best suited to the needs of the setting.
• Plan and prepare activities and resources to run the chosen session(s).
Cascade methods
Select from the following:
Coffee break session
15 minutes
Staff meeting session
30 minutes
Taster session
Activities to be carried out in normal working
practice
Short workshop session
1.5 hours
Supporting resources:
• Step in to Learning training and development programme CD-ROM
• activity sheets and handouts.
There is a choice of seven cascade sessions within each module, each with support
materials. The sessions can be used equally well with the whole staff team or individual
members of staff.
If you want to, you can begin with a short, sharp 15-minute coffee break cascade session
and move on to more in-depth sessions lasting between 30 minutes and one hour. Just
pick and mix sessions according to the needs of the setting – the choice is yours!
Don’t forget . . .
. . . the materials can be adapted to suit the needs of
staff and managers working in the early years or
childcare setting.
25
Introduction
Coffee break sessions
These activities are designed to provide a quick yet focused method of
cascading information about the Step in to Learning training and
development programme in an early years or childcare setting.
Staff meeting sessions
These activities are designed to help cascade the key messages from the
chosen module of the Step in to Learning training and development
programme during a staff meeting, as an item on the agenda.
Taster sessions
These sessions include additional activities/research for all of the team to
work on between sessions.
For example, staff and managers will have to spend ten minutes, either as
a whole group or in pairs, listening to the appropriate audio section of the
CD-ROM. Colleagues should discuss briefly the focus of the task they
need to carry out in their individual work areas in the interval between
group discussions. Colleagues should then meet again to discuss how
the activity went and what they have learnt.
Short workshops
These are intended to be used as part of manager or staff induction or as
longer continuing professional development sessions.
26
Introduction
Planning ahead
•
Select a module and appropriate cascade method to support the setting’s
key message to staff and managers.
•
Select the session plan(s).
•
Arrange to run these sessions for another manager, staff member
or small group at a suitable time and place.
•
Prepare the resources needed to run the sessions at least one week
in advance.
•
Use the activity sheet templates and handouts to support the
key messages.
Don’t forget . . .
. . . to review what you’re doing throughout the cascade
process – and how well you’re doing it. This
information can then be used to inform future staff and
management development needs.
Ensuring that the information you provide is accessible
The Professional Development Resources file (module 1) contains information on how to
make reading easier to support early years and childcare settings with the accessibility of
their written information. Details of web sites for specialist organisations which provide
more specific guidance on a variety of accessibility issues for adults with learning
difficulties and disabilities are given at the end of this introduction (pages 34–37).
The Step in to Learning web site (www.surestart.gov.uk/stepintolearning) provides further
information on the accessibility of written information.
For general guidance:
27
Introduction
• When planning the cascade session(s), consider the needs of any manager or member
of staff who has a learning difficulty or disability and how the content of the cascade
session might be adapted.
• If a manager or member of staff states they are dyslexic, do not print information on
white glossy paper. Using pastel paper as a background for information will improve its
readability.
• If a manager or member of staff has a visual impairment, ensure that the contrast
between text and background is good i.e. black text on white.
Using the Step in to Learning logo
Early years and childcare settings and organisations who
are promoting the Step in to Learning approach with staff
and parents/carers or delivering the Step in to Learning training and development
programme can customise the official Step in to Learning logo.
The Step in to Learning logo is available on the Step in to Learning web site
(www.surestart.gov.uk/stepintolearning). This logo can be adapted for use by settings or
organisations. Please see the web site for further details.
28
Introduction
Does the Step in to Learning
training and development
programme make a difference?
The Step in to Learning training and development programme was originally developed for
neighbourhood nursery, Sure Start and children’s centre staff and managers, but it is now
being extended to all early years and childcare settings because of the positive impact it
has had. Below are some examples of the successes of the Step in to Learning training
and development programme illustrating:
• the success that staff and managers had at Grace Owen Nursery School in setting up
on-site learning programmes
• how Bentley West Nursery and Maytree Nursery enabled parents/carers to take the
National Certificates in literacy, language and/or numeracy on-site
• how Coventry Adult and Community Service supported early years staff to ‘brush up’
English and maths skills
• the benefits Fleetwood Sure Start had through partnership work with Jobcentre Plus
when signposting parents/carers.
Setting up on-site learning programmes
Case Study 1
In Sheffield
The staff and managers at Grace Owen Nursery School work very closely with
parents/carers on a variety of in-house courses. How could they broach the
subject of literacy, language and/or numeracy needs with parents/carers?
Jean Jones, head teacher at the school, attended a two-day Step in to Learning
training and development programme. She says:
‘The training affirmed what experience has taught us – it takes a long time to
build people’s trust. Survival is something people become very good at.
Individual attention is what gets people going.
29
Introduction
We have built up an understanding and close relationship with our parents and
we work like mad to get parents involved. At first we got them in to do sessions
about what their child was doing in nursery and then began to gradually
introduce other sessions to them. Then they might say, “I can’t do that, love,”
and we could explore that with them and look at how we could support them so
that they could do it.’
Jean believes that helping parents to get back in to learning is all about the
close personal relationships that the nursery staff builds with them:
‘It’s about ongoing support and that means still supporting parents/carers if they
go to a course outside the nursery.’
All the courses at the nursery offer free crèche facilities in a neighbouring
building. Once parents have attended courses and their confidence has grown,
they are able to move on to other training or employment. Several parents are
now employed in the nursery crèche itself.
National qualifications in literacy and numeracy
The Step in to Learning approach has enabled two nurseries to support parents/carers to
take national qualifications in literacy and numeracy on site by working in partnership with
a local Skills for Life provider. As part of a pilot set up by the Government, twelve adult
learners sat the National Certificates at two nurseries, Bentley West Nursery in Walsall
and Maytree Nursery School in Clapham.
On-site national qualifications may not be available in all settings. Please consult your
local Skills for Life provider for further information.
Case Study 2
In Walsall
Jane Cooper, who has a child at Bentley West children’s centre in Walsall,
successfully took qualifications in literacy and numeracy.
Jane had been thinking about improving her literacy and numeracy skills for a
while. Her children had got to the stage where they were beginning to ask for
30
Introduction
help with their homework and Jane found herself continually making up excuses
as to why she couldn’t help: ‘It’s your homework, you should do it on your own,’
she would say.
‘I’d wanted to improve my skills for a while, but the local college seemed to be a
place for young people – a place where teenagers hang out around the gates.
When I had the chance to study at the nursery I felt more relaxed because I
already knew the staff so well, and I knew that I wasn’t too far away if my child
needed me.’
Jane has found that doing the qualifications has given her much more
confidence. She has since gone on to be a qualified helper at the nursery and is
taking an NVQ in childcare.
Using nurseries as test centres is just one of many initiatives being
implemented by the Government as part of the Skills for Life Strategy to get
more adults to improve their skills and gain qualifications.
Improving staff’s and managers’ skills
Case Study 3
In Coventry
Sue Jessop, Skills for Life manager at Coventry Adult Education Service, took part
in the Step in to Learning training and development programme. Afterwards, she
gave support to staff and managers to cascade the key messages to their whole
staff team back in their early years setting.
Sue initially ran a 20-minute cascade session during the team meeting at one
nursery. There was a very positive response from the staff and managers.
During these sessions, as their awareness of the Skills for Life Strategy
developed, some of the staff and managers at the nursery recognised that they
themselves had literacy, language and/or numeracy needs.
‘When staff and managers realised that gaps in learning up to GSCE level were
regarded as Skills for Life, a number identified spelling and grammar issues, in
particular those specialist skills needed for report-writing.’
31
Introduction
As a result of this, Sue is now running work-based literacy, language and
numeracy courses with 14 members of staff. She also provides support to early
years staff with literacy, language and/or numeracy needs in order to access
and progress on NVQ courses.
Staff and managers interested in improving their literacy, language and/or numeracy
skills, visit www.move-on.org.uk to take the mini test and for further guidance, or talk to
a local Skills for Life provider about the learning opportunities they can offer.
Working in partnership
Case Study 4
Fleetwood Sure Start
Tracey McNamara, the team leader for community/family support at Sure Start
Fleetwood, and Angie Hesketh, a lone-parent adviser with Jobcentre Plus, are
firmly convinced that the whole Step in to Learning approach of identifying
needs and providing training within the community has made all the difference
to Fleetwood parents.
They have been using the Step in to Learning approach to identify literacy,
language, numeracy and ESOL needs of parents and carers and signpost them
to appropriate learning opportunities. They believe they are very fortunate in
that they can offer Jobcentre Plus services and a range of training on the
premises at Sure Start Fleetwood.
Jobcentre Plus have contracts with two local providers to provide literacy,
language and numeracy skills training, and will signpost to other courses, often
as part of ‘on the job’ training.
The Step in to Learning training and development programme CD-ROM video footage has
some good examples of Step in to Learning making a positive difference. For more case
studies illustrating the benefits of Step in to Learning, please visit
www.surestart.gov.uk/stepintolearning.
32
Introduction
Step in to Learning Training and Development Programme
Evaluation: executive summary (DfES 2004)
Key findings from The National Institute for Adult Continuing Education (NIACE) external
evaluation:
• The Step in to Learning training and development programme has made a significant
contribution to Skills for Life, raising awareness of the nursery staff and managers.
• Staff and managers reported that they now signpost more parents into literacy,
numeracy and language provision than they did before: 80% of staff and managers
now said they did so, while 33% said they had made changes in their signposting
practice.
• Most staff and managers reported that, having done the training, they felt more
confident about how to respond to parents enquiring or asking for support with
literacy.
• 92% of parents/carers said they felt confident in asking nursery staff and managers
about how to get help.
• When asked about follow-up, 40% of staff and managers said they knew that the
parents had attended further learning opportunities.
• 40% of staff and managers said they would like to go on to further study to improve
their own skills.
Benefits for parents/carers of using the Step in to Learning
approach
The Step in to Learning training and development programme is a pioneering initiative
because it explores ways of bringing learning programmes to the places they are needed
most. It recognises the key role that the early years and childcare workforce plays in
mentoring parents/carers.
By fostering trusting relationships with parents/carers, it makes it easier for them to improve their
literacy, language and/or numeracy and ESOL skills. And by doing this, it will put early years
and childcare settings at the heart of the drive to improve levels of literacy, language and/or
numeracy among both adults and children.
33
Introduction
Useful contacts
Organisation
Web site
Step in to Learning
www.stepintolearning.org
Skills for Life Strategy Unit
(SfLSU)
www.dfes.gov.uk
www.dfes.gov.uk/readwriteplus
Sure Start Unit
www.SureStart.gov.uk
Read On Write Away
www.rowa.co.uk
Tribal Education – Cambridge
Training and Development Ltd
www.ctad.co.uk
Lifelong Learning
www.lifelonglearning.co.uk
Learning and Skills Council
www.lsc.gov.uk
National Literacy Trust
www.literacytrust.org.uk
National Literacy Association
www.nla.org.uk
National Institute of Adult
Continuing Education (NIACE)
www.niace.org.uk
National Foundation for
Education Research (NFER)
www.nfer.ac.uk
Department for Education and
Skills (DfES) parent centre
www.parentcentre.gov.uk
British Dyslexia Association
www.bda-dyslexia.org.uk
Dyslexia Institute
www.dyslexia-inst.org.uk
34
Introduction
Skills and Education – learning
difficulties and/or disabilities
senet.lsc.gov.uk/guide2/learmimg
difficulties
Royal National Institute of the
Blind – RNIB
www.rnib.org.uk
PEERS Early Education
Partnership
www.peep.org.uk
Pre-school Learning Alliance
www.pre-school.org.uk
National Day Nurseries
Association
www.ndna.org.uk
Birmingham Core Skills
Partnership
www.coreskills.co.uk
National Center for Family
Literacy (American site)
www.famlit.org
LLU+
www.lsbu.ac.uk/LLUplus
National Daycare Trust
www.daycaretrust.org.uk
National Childminding
Association of England and
Wales
www.ncma.org.uk
Early Years National Training
Organisation
www.early-years-nto.org.uk
National Association for
Special Educational Needs
www.nasen.org.uk
Campaign for Learning (Family
Learning)
www.campaign-for-learning.org.uk
Basic Skills Agency
www.basic-skills.co.uk
35
Introduction
Complementary projects
and resources
Project
Contact
Skills for Families
www.skillsforfamilies.org.uk
Skills for Health
www.skillsforhealth.org.uk
Skilled for Health
www.continyou.org.uk/content.php?CatergoryID=292
Financial Literacy
www.money-bsa.org.uk
Move On
www.move-on.org.uk
Fathers Direct
www.fathersdirect.com
Learning Together (PEEP & The
Basic Skills Agency)
www.peep.org.uk
Get On video – part of the national
campaign
0800 100 900
Read and Write Together, Count
and Figure It Out Together, Talk
and Listen Together (Basic Skills
Agency)
www.basic-skills.co.uk
Bookstart
www.bookstart.co.uk
Literacy materials for home and
school
www.literacymatters.co.uk
Fun Brain – graphics with games
for parents/carers and children
www.funbrain.com
Help is At Hand – planning family
learning
www.helpisathand.gov.uk
BBC Skillswise
www.bbc.co.uk
learndirect
www.learndirect.co.uk
36
Introduction
National Certificates
www.dfes.gov.uk/readwriteplus/learning
Under 5s Early Years Education
www.underfives.co.uk
Let’s Discover
www.letsdiscover.org
LSC Extended Schools and
Children’s Centre guides
DfES – 0845 60 222 60
BSA Step in to Learning Sure Start
FLLN Guidance
www.surestart.gov.uk/stepintolearning
Skills for Life Materials for
Embedded Learning: Family health
DfES – 0845 60 222 60 Quote ref: Embedded/FH
Skills for Life Materials for
Embedded Learning: Childcare
DfES – 0845 60 222 60 (due for release in June
2006)
Sure Start Chlidren’s Centre
Practice Guidance
www.surestart.gov.uk/publications/?Document=1500
Embedded learning web portal
www.dfes.gov.uk/readwriteplus/embeddedlearning
37
Improving literacy, language and numeracy skills
Module
1
Module 1: Raising Awareness
Aim of this module
To raise awareness of the Skills for Life agenda and the role of the early years and
childcare workforce in mentoring parents/carers with literacy, language and/or numeracy
needs.
Key messages of this module
• Be aware of the literacy, language and/or numeracy needs of parents/carers in the early
years and childcare setting.
• Many different literacy, language and/or numeracy skills are needed for everyday activities
at work and in the community.
• By helping parents/carers improve their literacy, language and/or numeracy skills,
colleagues can help them understand everyday information and enable them to take a
more active part in the community.
• By providing opportunities for parents/carers to improve their literacy, language and/or
numeracy skills, settings will make a positive impact on their children’s development.
• By finding out about opportunities for improving adult literacy, language and/or numeracy
skills, you can develop your own skills. Find out more about the two accreditation routes:
• Working in the Sector, which is part of the Level 2 City & Guilds (C&G) Adult Learner
Support qualification
• Council for Awards in Children’s Care and Education (CACHE) Level 3 Certificate in
Professional Development.
Summary of this module
Once the activities in this module have been cascaded in the early years and childcare
setting, colleagues will have a greater awareness of the literacy, language and/or
numeracy and ESOL needs that parents/carers might want to brush up, and will have
gained a greater understanding of the barriers to learning that they may face.
38
Improving literacy, language and numeracy skills
Module
1
Coffee break session 1 Time needed: 15 minutes
Purpose and benefits of Step in to Learning
Aim
To find out about the purpose and benefits of the Step in to Learning training and
development programme for parents/carers, childcare staff and managers in early years
and childcare settings.
Format
Paired or individual activities and group discussion.
Duration
Activity
2 mins
Introduction – explain aims of the session and purpose of
the activities. Allows colleagues to think about:
• the purpose and benefits of the Step in to Learning
training and development programme
• what is meant by Skills for Life
• the benefits of improving literacy, language and/or
numeracy and ESOL skills.
Individuals to draw lines between the ‘Every Child
Activity sheet 1a
Matters’ Framework objectives and Step in to Learning
aims shown on the activity sheet to identify how the
training can support early years and childcare settings in
their work with families.
Pairs/individuals use own knowledge to record/discuss
Activity sheet 1b
answers to the scale of need questions on the activity
sheet.
The group identifies five ways in which improved literacy,
Flipchart
language and/or numeracy and ESOL skills could benefit
the parents/carers they work with.
3 mins
5 mins
5 mins
Resources
Record on flipchart.
Agree next steps.
39
Improving literacy, language and numeracy skills
Module
1
Expected outcomes
Early years and childcare staff and managers will be able to identify how the Step in to
Learning training and development programme can work towards the key objectives of the
setting’s development plan and the Skills for Life strategy.
Review
• How did the session go?
• What could you do differently next time?
• What are your next steps?
Notes for next time:
40
Improving literacy, language and numeracy skills
Module
1
Coffee break session 2 Time needed: 15 minutes
Literacy, language and numeracy needs of parents/carers
Aim
To find out what staff and managers already know about the literacy, language and/or
numeracy and ESOL needs of the parents/carers they work with.
Format
Small group or pair activities and discussion.
Duration
Activity
2 mins
Introduction – explain aims of the session and
purpose of activities. Allows colleagues to think about:
• what they already know about parents’/carers’ literacy,
language and/or numeracy and ESOL skills
• how they can find out more.
Pairs/small groups complete the scale of need questions
on activity sheet.
Pairs/individuals use own knowledge to discuss answers
to the questions on the activity sheet.
As a group, discuss what is already known and
not known about the parents/carers the setting works
with.
5 mins
5 mins
3 mins
Resources
Activity sheet 1b
Activity sheet 1c
Flipchart
Record on flipchart.
Agree next steps.
Expected outcomes
Staff and managers will be able to explain the key role that the early years and childcare
sector can play in helping and encouraging parents/carers to improve their literacy,
language and/or numeracy and ESOL skills by taking up local learning programmes.
41
Improving literacy, language and numeracy skills
Module
1
Review
• How did the session go?
• What could you do differently next time?
• What are your next steps?
Notes for next time:
42
Improving literacy, language and numeracy skills
Module
1
Staff meeting session 1 Time needed: 30 minutes
Breaking down barriers to learning
Aim
To recognise that by breaking down barriers for parents/carers who have literacy,
language and/or numeracy and ESOL needs and helping them take up new learning
opportunities, early years and childcare settings can ensure that everyone benefits.
Format
Group activities and discussion.
Duration
Activity
5 mins
Introduction – explain aims of the session and purpose of
the activities. Allows colleagues to think about:
• identifying the literacy, language and/or numeracy tasks
that parents/carers face
• how everyone benefits from improving literacy, language
and/or numeracy and ESOL skills
• how settings can improve communication with
parents/carers.
As a group, identify the tasks that parents/carers face in
the setting that require literacy, language and/or
numeracy skills. Discuss further in pairs, small groups or
as a whole group. Record the tasks on Post-It notes and
stick on flipchart paper under the headings on the activity
sheet. Hold up flipchart paper to represent a physical
barrier.
Discuss how everyone can benefit from parents/carers
improving their skills. Record on the flipchart under these
headings: Parent/carer; Early Years or Childcare Setting;
Child; Community.
List five ways in which staff and managers could, in the
coming week, improve the way they communicate with
parents/carers in their own work areas – especially with
dads/male carers, parents/carers with English as a
second language, or families from the travelling
10 mins
10 mins
5 mins
Resources
Activity sheet 1d
Post-It notes
Flipchart
Flipchart
43
Improving literacy, language and numeracy skills
Duration
Activity
Module
1
Resources
communities. Think about the format of letters and
notices the setting sends out and about general
communication methods.
Agree next steps.
Expected outcomes
Early years and childcare staff and managers will be able to identify how to break down
existing barriers for parents/carers who have literacy, language and/or numeracy and
ESOL needs for the benefit of everyone involved.
Review
• How did the session go?
• What could you do differently next time?
• What are your next steps?
Notes for next time:
44
Improving literacy, language and numeracy skills
Module
1
Staff meeting session 2 Time needed: 30 minutes
Understanding difficulties and improving communications
Aim
To identify the difficulties and frustrations experienced with everyday reading and writing
tasks by parents/carers who have literacy, language and/or numeracy needs.
Format
Group activities and discussion.
Duration
Activity
Resources
5 mins
Introduction – explain the aims of the session and
purpose of the activities. Allows colleagues to think
about:
• the difficulties and frustrations for parents/carers who
have literacy, language and/or numeracy and ESOL
needs
• the ways in which staff and managers can improve
communication methods amongst parents/carers.
In pairs, take turns to read the mirror reading on the
activity sheet and discuss:
• what it said
• whether individuals were encouraged or discouraged by
their partner
• what made it difficult.
Tips for producing
written materials
leaflet
Ask individuals to write their name backwards in the
same way as mirror writing. Discuss how it felt. Suggest
that this is how a parent/carer with literacy and/or
language needs might feel when reading or writing.
As a group, examine the letter on the activity sheet.
Activity sheet 1f
10 mins
10 mins
5 mins
Discuss why it is not suitable and what could be done to
make it more accessible for parents/carers.
List five ways in which staff and managers could make a
document they issue more accessible for all
Activity sheet 1e
(photocopy for
each member of
staff)
Activity sheet 1g
Flipchart
45
Improving literacy, language and numeracy skills
Duration
Activity
Module
1
Resources
parents/carers they work with, including those with
learning difficulties and/or disabilities.
Agree next steps.
Expected outcomes
Early years and childcare staff and managers will be able to recognise that parents/carers
with literacy, language and/or numeracy and ESOL needs have better access to
information when it is presented appropriately.
Review
• How did the session go?
• What could you do differently next time?
• What are your next steps?
Notes for next time:
46
Improving literacy, language and numeracy skills
Taster session 1
Module
1
Time needed: 30 minutes
Understanding and meeting the language needs of
parents/carers
Aim
To identify the language needs of parents/carers and any local ESOL provision to which
parents/carers could be signposted.
Format
Small group or individual activities.
Duration
Activity
Resources
15 mins
Introduction – explain aims of the session and purpose of
the activities. As a group, listen to audio sections 1 and
the introduction of the CD-ROM. Complete questions on
activity sheet as group discussion.
Staff and managers to find out what ESOL provision
there is locally that could help parents/carers with their
language needs. They should also think about how they
could signpost parents/carers towards this provision.
Discussion – staff and managers to feed back their
findings from the individual activity by recording their
contributions on a flipchart.
Step in to
Learning CDROM, PC Activity
sheet 1h
(Information about
local providers)
(Do this in
between
sessions.)
10 mins
Flipchart
Agree next steps.
Expected outcomes
Early years and childcare staff and managers will be able to identify the local ESOL post-16
provision available for parents/carers with language needs.
47
Improving literacy, language and numeracy skills
Taster session 2
Module
1
Time needed: 30 minutes
Improving communication and access to information
Aim
To recognise that, by offering a variety of communication methods and styles, early years
and childcare staff and managers can help parents/carers to access information more
easily.
Format
Paired and individual activities.
Duration
Activity
Resources
15 mins
Introduction – explain aims of the session and purpose of
the activities. Review current communication examples
from the setting and plan to rewrite a document, making
it more accessible for all parents/carers, including those
that have learning difficulties and/or disabilities.
Individuals/pairs rewrite or reformat a document or other
communication aimed at parents/carers in their own work
area and trial it with the parents/carers.
Feedback on the activity and discuss.
Selection of
documents used
by setting
(Do this in
between
sessions.)
15 mins
Tips for producing
written materials
leaflet
Agree next steps.
Expected outcomes
Early years and childcare staff and managers will be able to communicate information in a
more accessible way for parents/carers who have literacy, language and/or numeracy and
ESOL needs, and any parents/carers the setting works with that have learning difficulties
and/or disabilities.
48
Improving literacy, language and numeracy skills
Module
1
Review
• How did the session go?
• What could you do differently next time?
• What are your next steps?
Notes for next time:
49
Improving literacy, language and numeracy skills
Short workshop session
Module
1
Time needed: 1.5 hours
Using Step in to Learning to support existing work
with parents/carers
Aim
To recognise how the Step in to Learning training and development programme can
complement and support existing work with parents/carers who have literacy, language
and/or numeracy and ESOL needs.
Format
Either the whole group together or smaller groups.
Duration
Activity
15 mins
Introduction – explain aims of the session and purpose of
the activities. Allows colleagues to think about:
• the impact of low levels of literacy, language and/or
numeracy and ESOL skills on parents/carers
• how Step in to Learning meets local authority workforce
objectives
• what the setting already knows about parents’/carers’
needs and the challenges
they face.
Put the quiz questions from activity sheet on large
flipchart paper (without answers!). Work either as a
whole group or in smaller groups. Discuss and write
answers on the flipchart. Feedback – read the correct
statistics for the activity sheet to demonstrate the scale of
Skills for Life need in Britain.
Individuals draw lines between the key objectives on the
activity sheet. Discuss.
Whole group watches video section 1 of the Step in to
Learning training and development programme CDROM: Raising Awareness. Discuss points raised.
Using the activity sheet, discuss what settings already
know about the parents/carers they work with.
15 mins
10 mins
10 mins
15 mins
Resources
Flipchart
Activity sheet 1b
Activity sheet 1a
Step in to
Learning CDROM, PC
Activity sheet 1c
50
Improving literacy, language and numeracy skills
Module
1
Duration
Activity
Resources
15 mins
Group(s) stick Post-It notes under the headings on
activity sheet detailing the tasks the setting asks
parents/carers to complete.
Summarise with expected outcomes.
Flipchart
10 mins
Activity sheet 1d
Agree next steps.
Expected outcomes
Early years and childcare staff and managers will have a greater awareness of the number
of families affected by literacy, language and/or numeracy and ESOL needs and be able to
identify the variety of tasks that parents/carers are asked to complete by settings that
involve literacy, language and/or numeracy.
Review
• How did the session go?
• What could you do differently next time?
• What are your next steps?
Notes for next time:
.
51
Improving literacy, language and numeracy skills
Module
1
Activity sheet 1a: Using Step in to Learning to
support delivery of ‘Every Child Matters’
Using objectives from the ‘Every Child Matters’ framework identify how Step in to Learning
can support early years and childcare settings to achieve their objectives.
Step in to Learning aims
‘Every Child Matters’ objectives
Module 1
• Children and young people and
their carers are informed about key
risks and how to deal with them
• What it feels like to have literacy, language
and/or numeracy and ESOL needs
• The effects of literacy, language and/or
numeracy needs
• Communication styles – how information is
provided to parents/carers
Module 2
• Ways of identifying parents/carers who have
literacy, language and/or numeracy needs
• Barriers that prevent learning
• Triggers and factors that can encourage
parents/carers to start learning and access
opportunities to brush up skills
Module 3
• Extending existing provision to include literacy,
language and/or numeracy skills
• Family literacy, language and numeracy
programmes that help parents/carers
understand children’s development
• Programmes that enable parents/carers to go
back to learning
• Achievements that are recognised in the
community and workplace
Module 4
• Making links with local providers of adult
education and training
• Signposting parents/carers to local Skills for
Life provision
• Parents/carers are helped to ensure their
children are healthy
• Parents/carers are supported in
helping children and young people
to enjoy and achieve
• Children and young people are
supported in developing personally
and academically
• Action is taken to ensure that
educational provision is of good
quality
• Training is provided for early years
staff, with particular attention to the
needs of vulnerable and
underachieving groups
• Community regeneration initiatives
include action to address the needs
of children and young people and
their families
• Steps are taken to ensure that
young people are financially literate
• Initiatives are targeted at the most
needy areas and address the broad
range of family needs in an
integrated way
• Healthy lifestyles are promoted to
children and young people
52
Improving literacy, language and numeracy skills
Module
1
Activity sheet 1b: Skills for Life quiz on the scale of need
Consider the population of Britain and the wide variety of skills:
What are Skills for Life?
Out of 100 children whose parents/carers have poor reading skills, how
many go on to develop good reading skills?
Out of 100 adults, how many have numeracy skills below the equivalent
of an 11-year-old?
Out of 100 jobs, how many are available for people who have literacy,
language and/or numeracy skills at a very low level?
A woman with poor literacy, language and/or numeracy is more likely
than others to suffer depression. How much more likely?
Out of 100 single parents, roughly how many have no qualifications at
all?
Out of 100 people, how many think they have difficulty with literacy,
language and/or numeracy skills?
What percentage of workers with Level 2 or above numeracy skills earn more
than £20,000 a year before tax?
53
Improving literacy, language and numeracy skills
Module
1
Activity sheet 1b Skills for Life quiz on the scale
of need: Answer sheet
Consider the population of Britain and the wide variety of skills:
What are Skills for Life?
Out of 100 children whose parents/carers have poor reading skills, how
many go on to develop good reading skills?
2
Out of 100 adults, how many have numeracy skills below the equivalent
of an 11-year-old?
21
Out of 100 jobs, how many are available for people who have literacy,
language and/or numeracy skills at a very low level?
2
A woman with poor literacy, language and/or numeracy is more likely
than others to suffer depression. How much more likely?
5 times
Out of 100 single parents, roughly how many have no qualifications at
all?
25*
Out of 100 people, how many think they have difficulty with literacy,
language and/or numeracy skills?
What percentage of workers with Level 2 or above numeracy skills earn more
than £20,000 a year before tax?
5
70%
*this is equivalent to 225,000 out of 900,000
54
Improving literacy, language and numeracy skills
Activity sheet 1c
Module
1
What do you already know?
What do settings already know about the literacy, language and/or numeracy and ESOL
needs of the parents/carers the setting works with? Answer yes or no to these questions.
1 Do you know how many tasks you ask parents/carers to do that involve
reading, writing, speaking, listening or numeracy?
2 Do you know which of these tasks parents/carers tend to have difficulty
with?
3 Do you know which of these tasks parents/carers are good at?
4 Do you know who needs additional support with reading, writing or
understanding information?
5 Do you know what literacy, language and/or numeracy skills parents/carers
have or would like the opportunity to brush up on?
6 Do you know which parents/carers do not have English as a first language?
7 Do you know which parents/carers cannot read their own community
language?
8 Do you know who needs additional support with numeracy?
9 Do you know what parents/carers think of their own skills?
10 Do you know what learning or training parents/carers want for themselves?
11 Do you know which parents/carers want to be involved in activities or
learning with their children?
12 Do you know what literacy, language and/or numeracy activities are
provided by other local settings for your parents/carers?
If you have answered no to any of these questions, discuss the reasons with colleagues.
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Activity sheet 1d: Communication with parents/carers
List the literacy, language and/or numeracy tasks that settings may ask parents/carers to
complete as part of their contact with the early years or childcare setting. Some examples
might be filling in forms or making appointments.
Reading
Writing
Numeracy
Speaking and listening
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1
Activity sheet 1e Mirror reading and writing
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Activity Sheet 1f
Module
1
Mirror reading and writing crib sheet
It is impossible to say that a piece of writing is difficult when
you can read it as a mature and experienced reader. It is
much more difficult when the reader has to struggle to decode
the words before they have any time to begin to work on
comprehension. So, if it was the case that reading was only a
matter of working out the sound made by the words, you
might say that there would be little enough trouble. In reality, it
is the fact that we need to make sense of the words and
sentences at the same time which causes us problems.
If you think reading is hard, you ought to try writing like this.
Name
Address
Tel no.
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1
Activity sheet 1g Improving accessibility: an inappropriate
letter
Dear
We are writing to confirm the decision made to change the arrival time
for children at the beginning of both the morning and afternoon rhyme time sessions.
As you know, this has been done in consultation with parents/carers over the last few
weeks and was finally agreed at our last Board Meeting. From next week the arrival
times will be 9.15am and 1.15pm for morning and afternoon times respectively. The
collection
times will also be altered by 15 minutes.
May we remind parents/carers that leaving pushchairs directly outside
the door, half on the pavement, is not allowed and causes considerable difficulties for
other parents/carers with wheelchairs, pushchairs and prams. It also creates a
potentially dangerous situation for young children.
We would also like to remind parents/carers that we do not allow children to be brought
and dropped off by anyone not known to the staff.
Baby clinic has also changed its times of operation to fit in with school timetables and
holiday periods. It will now commence at 1.30pm every Tuesday and finish in time for
you to collect you child/ren from school.
Finally we are pleased to be able to announce that we have been able
to purchase ten new games and puzzles with the money raised
from the raffle.
If you can spare an hour to help in the créche or if you would like to help to organise
any of the meetings, we would appreciate your commitment. Please indicate your
interest by informing a member of staff.
Yours sincerely
Chris Botham
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Activity sheet 1h Working with parents/carers
with English as a second language
Questions for discussion – Step in to Learning training and development programme CDROM audio clips (introduction and section 1)
• Were you surprised by any of these facts?
• Which fact surprised you most?
• Have you ever noticed children and parents/carers talking in one language for some things
and another language for other things?
• Do you know which parents/carers in your work area are monolingual, bilingual or
multilingual?
• How many languages are spoken in your centre?
• What English as a second language (ESOL) learning provision is available in your area?
How can you find out?
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Module 2: Identification and
Screening
Aim of this module
To support the early years and childcare workforce to identify parents and carers with
literacy, language and/or numeracy and ESOL needs.
Key messages of this module
• Parents/carers have a variety of skills and experiences to build on.
• Everyday situations provide opportunities for finding out about parents’/carers’ literacy,
language and/or numeracy skills and their ambitions.
• There are many different ways of identifying literacy, language and/or numeracy and ESOL
needs.
• Early years and childcare settings can encourage parents/carers to learn effectively and
build their confidence by providing on-site learning opportunities for them to improve their
literacy, language and/or
numeracy skills.
• By breaking down barriers to learning of some parents/carers, settings
can help provide parents/carers with more opportunities to improve their literacy, language
and/or numeracy and ESOL skills.
Summary of this module
Once the activities in this module have been cascaded in the early years or childcare
setting, colleagues will be able to use a variety of tools and techniques to identify the
literacy, language and/or numeracy needs of the parents/carers in the setting. Colleagues
will also develop a greater awareness of how to break down the barriers that prevent some
parents/carers from improving their skills.
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Coffee break session 1 Time needed: 15 minutes
Identifying literacy, language, numeracy
and ESOL needs of parents/carers
Aim
To identify parents’/carers’ literacy, language and/or numeracy and ESOL needs within the
early years or childcare setting.
Format
Small group or individual activities and group discussion.
Duration
Activity
Resources
2 mins
Introduction – explain aims of the session and purpose of
the activities. Allows colleagues to think about:
• the signals and signs that may indicate that
parents/carers in the setting need to improve or brush up
their literacy, language and/or numeracy and ESOL
skills
• the range of needs parents/carers may have, from Preentry to Level 2, and the range of support they might
require from the setting.
Individuals to draw lines between the ‘Every Child
Matters’ Framework objectives and Step in to Learning
aims shown on the activity sheet to identify how the
training can support early years and childcare settings in
their work with families.
Discuss together each point that is recorded.
Summarise with expected outcomes.
Qualifications
Framework in
Delegate
Materials page 27
5 mins
5 mins
3 mins
Activity sheet 2b
Flipchart
Agree next steps.
Expected outcomes
Early years and childcare staff and managers will be able to recognise when
parents/carers may have literacy, language and/or numeracy and ESOL needs.
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Coffee break session 2 Time needed: 15 minutes
Barriers to learning
Aim
To recognise the different barriers to learning faced by parents/carers who may have
literacy, language and/or numeracy and ESOL needs.
Format
Small group or pair activities and discussion.
Duration
Activity
2 mins
Introduction – explain aims of the session and purpose of
activities. Allows colleagues to think about:
• barriers that might prevent parents/carers – especially
dads or male carers, English as a second language
parents or those from the travelling community – from
accessing opportunities to learn
• how these barriers can be broken down to support
opportunities for under-represented groups to brush up
on their skills.
Complete the barriers to learning activity sheet. Discuss
Activity sheet 2a
as a group or in pairs
Discuss how the barriers could be broken down or
overcome.
Summarise with expected outcomes.
Flipchart
5 mins
5 mins
3 mins
Resources
Agree next steps.
Expected outcomes
Early years and childcare staff and managers will be able to identify the barriers to learning
that parents/carers may face, and understand how they can help overcome these barriers
by building relationships of trust.
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1
Review
• How did the session go?
• What could you do differently next time?
• What are your next steps?
Notes for next time:
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Module
1
Staff meeting session 1 Time needed: 30 minutes
Using observation to identify literacy, language, numeracy and
ESOL needs
Aim
To recognise the importance of observation in identifying parents/carers with literacy,
language and/or numeracy and ESOL needs.
Format
Group activities and discussion.
Duration
Activity
5 mins
Introduction – explain aims of the session and purpose of
the activities. Allows colleagues to think about:
• what they can observe about parents’/carers’ needs in
everyday situations
• the signs that may indicate a need.
As a group, watch video section 2 of the Step in to
Step in to
Learning training and development programme CD-ROM Learning CDROM, PC
Discuss what can be identified through observation using Activity sheet 2c
the activity sheet. Remember: It is important not to be
judgmental about the literacy, language and/or numeracy
skills of parents/carers and colleagues but to ensure that
parents/carers, staff and managers are all offered equal
opportunities to learning.
Summarise with expected outcomes.
Flipchart
10 mins
10 mins
5 mins
Resources
Agree next steps.
Expected outcomes
Early years and childcare staff and managers will be able to identify the signs that may
indicate that a parent/carer has a literacy, language and/or numeracy and ESOL need.
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Improving literacy, language and numeracy skills
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1
Review
• How did the session go?
• What could you do differently next time?
• What are your next steps?
Notes for next time:
66
Improving literacy, language and numeracy skills
Module
1
Staff meeting session 2 Time needed: 30 minutes
Indicators of literacy, language, numeracy and ESOL needs
Aim
To recognise the signs which may indicate that parents/carers have literacy, language and/or
numeracy and ESOL needs and the barriers to learning that parents/carers might face.
Format
Group activities and discussion.
Duration
Activity
5 mins
Introduction – explain aims of the session and purpose of
the activities. Allows colleagues to think about:
• what characteristics a parent/carer with a range of
literacy, language and/or numeracy and ESOL needs
might show
• the barriers to learning that parents/carers might face.
Pairs to read the barriers to learning scenarios and
Activity sheet 2e
identify strategies to overcome the barriers individuals
have identified
Complete the activity sheet while discussing as a group
Activity sheet 2a
or in pairs.
Summarise with expected outcomes.
Flipchart
10 mins
10 mins
5 mins
Resources
Agree next steps.
Expected outcomes
Early years and childcare staff and managers will be able to identify some of the
characteristics that parents/carers with literacy, language and/or numeracy needs might show.
Staff and managers will be able to identify the barriers that parents/carers face and possible
strategies to overcome these barriers.
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Review
• How did the session go?
• What could you do differently next time?
• What are your next steps?
Notes for next time:
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Improving literacy, language and numeracy skills
Taster session 1
Module
1
Time needed: 30 minutes
Role of screening tools in identifying literacy, language and/or
numeracy needs
Aim
To recognise how Skills for Life providers use screening tools to identify parents/carers with
literacy, language and/or numeracy needs.
Format
Small group or pairs and individual activities.
Duration
Activity
Resources
10 mins
Introduction – explain aims of the session and purpose of Activity sheet 2c
the activities. Allows colleagues to think about:
• the process of identifying parent/carer literacy, language
and/or numeracy needs through screening
• which Skills for Life screening tools are used locally by
trained Skills for Life teachers; an example might be the
Family Fast Track which will screen for the literacy and
numeracy needs of parents/carers in family literacy,
language and/or numeracy programmes.
Read the activity sheet and discuss – staff and managers
to identify a parent/carer in their setting who may have a
literacy, language or numeracy need. Please note that
screening can be carried out by early years staff and
managers.
10 mins
Some local providers might use the Family Fast Track as
a screening tool. Small groups review this tool and
discuss which literacy and numeracy needs it would
identify.
Identify a key piece of paperwork used by the setting and
agree how this could be used to screen parents/carers
Example
screening tool
(Family Fast
Track is provided
on the Step in to
Learning CDROM)
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Improving literacy, language and numeracy skills
Duration
5 mins
5 mins
Activity
Module
1
Resources
and what indicators settings would look for, such as
spelling, inappropriate use of upper/lower case, speaking
and listening skills.
Discussion: staff and managers to feed back findings and Flipchart
record on flipchart.
Summarise with expected outcomes.
Flipchart
Agree next steps.
Expected outcomes
Early years and childcare staff and managers will be able to recognise the purpose of
screening tools and how they are used with parents/carers who may have literacy, language
and/or numeracy needs and how settings could use their own paperwork as a screening tool.
Review
• How did the session go?
• What could you do differently next time?
• What are your next steps?
Notes for next time:
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Improving literacy, language and numeracy skills
Taster session 2
Module
1
Time needed: 30 minutes
Identifying literacy, language, numeracy and ESOL needs
through everyday work with parents/carers
Aim
To recognise how the literacy, language and/or numeracy and ESOL needs of
parents/carers can be identified by settings in their everyday work.
Format
Small group or pairs and individual activities.
Duration
Activity
10 mins
Introduction – explain aims of the session and purpose of Activity sheet 2d
the activities. Allows colleagues to think about:
• how they can identify a parent’s/carer’s literacy,
language and/or numeracy needs in everyday situations
• confidentiality of information and how to gather
information sensitively.
(Do this
between
sessions.)
10 mins
5 mins
Resources
Review the activity sheet (this can be adapted to meet
the needs of the setting) and plan ways to identify
sensitively the needs of a parent/carer in own work
areas.
During the course of their work, individuals to team up
Activity sheet 2d
with a parent/carer to identify a literacy, language and/or
numeracy and ESOL need that he or she may have.
They should complete the activity sheet with the
parent’s/carer’s consent.
Discussion: staff and managers to feed back findings and Flipchart
record on flipchart.
Summarise with expected outcomes.
Flipchart
Agree next steps.
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1
Expected outcomes
Early years and childcare staff and managers will be able to identify, through discussion, the
skills and needs of a parent/carer they work with. This information will help the setting to
identify the most appropriate learning opportunities for parents/carers including family literacy,
language and/or numeracy programmes. Settings will be able to use this information to plan
the next steps.
Module 4 will support settings in developing links with providers to set up a range of
learning opportunities on site. This might include family literacy, language and/or
numeracy and wider family learning programmes.
Review
• How did the session go?
• What could you do differently next time?
• What are your next steps?
Notes for next time:
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1
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Improving literacy, language and numeracy skills
Short workshop session
Module
1
Time needed: 1.5 hours
Identifying literacy, language and numeracy needs through
observation, communication and use of screening tools
Aim
To recognise how to identify parents/carers who have literacy, language and/or numeracy
needs through observation, communication and use of screening tools in the setting.
Format
Either the whole group together or smaller groups.
Duration
Activity
15 mins
Introduction – explain aims of the session and purpose of
the activities. Allows colleagues to think about:
• clues they can spot in their everyday work that may
indicate literacy, language and/or numeracy needs
• screening tools available to support early identification of
literacy, language and/or numeracy needs
• the triggers that can lead staff and managers into
discussions about needs with parents/carers
• how staff and managers can help parents/carers to
overcome barriers to learning
• the benefits of inviting Skills for Life providers to settings.
Small groups/pairs discuss and complete activity sheet
2b in relation to parents/carers in settings that they know
from their own work area.
Whole group watches video section 2 of the Step in to
Learning training and development programme CD-ROM.
• Discuss the main points raised in the clips and identify
which screening tools were used.
• How do they compare with the Family Fast Track
included on the Step in to Learning CD-ROM in the
Professional Development Resources file?
15 mins
15 mins
Identify how a Skills for Life provider might be able to
support the work with parents/carers – settings might
Resources
Activity sheet 2b
Activity sheet 2c
Step in to
Learning CDROM, PC
Example
screening tool
(Family Fast
Track is provided
on the Step in to
Learning CD74
Improving literacy, language and numeracy skills
Duration
20 mins
Module
1
Activity
Resources
wish to ask them to visit the setting to speak to staff,
managers and parents/carers..
Small groups to list some of the triggers that can provide
opportunities for early years and childcare staff and
managers to start talking about literacy, language and/or
numeracy needs, e.g. their child starts school, they get a
promotion.
ROM)
Flipchart
Discuss how they would give sensitive feedback to
parents/carers who have been identified with a literacy,
language or numeracy need.
15 mins
10 mins
Discuss how they would identify the opportunities
available for parents/carers to brush up their skills.
Complete the activity sheet in small groups/pairs.
Summarise with expected outcomes.
Activity sheet 2a
Flipchart
Agree next steps.
Expected outcomes
Early years and childcare staff and managers will be able to develop and use various
techniques to identify parents/carers who may have literacy, language and/or numeracy
needs and will be able to identify opportunities to give sensitive feedback.
Staff and managers will have identified how a local Skills for Life provider will be able to
provide the setting with support and further information. Settings will have contacted a
local Skills for Life provider and arranged for them to talk to staff, managers and
parents/carers about the programmes they can offer.
Note: Staff and managers can carry out screening with parents/carers, but it is
recommended that they participate in the two-day Step in to Learning training and
development programme and successfully complete the assignment for Unit 1, Working in
the Sector, first.
Review
• How did the session go?
• What could you do differently next time?
• What are your next steps?
Notes for next time:
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1
Activity sheet 2a Barriers to learning and how to overcome
them
Add any more you can think of.
Barriers to learning
Help to overcome them
Practical
• Childcare
•
Find out about crèche facilities
•
Understand benefits such as
opportunities to gain promotion or
employment
Take small learning steps to build and
self-esteem
Emotional
• Fears
•
Personal
• Past experiences
•
•
Benefits for their child
Opportunities to gain qualifications
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Activity sheet 2b Observations – barriers to learning
What can staff and managers observe that might give clues?
• Visible/physical signs, e.g. speaks little English, avoids writing things down.
• Social signs, e.g. doesn’t participate very much with others.
• Emotional signs, e.g. is anxious or aggressive when faced with particular tasks indicating
that they might benefit from brushing
up on their skills.
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Improving literacy, language and numeracy skills
Activity sheet 2c
Module
1
Screening
The screening process
Is there a literacy, numeracy and/or language need?
How can you be sure?
• Observe parents/carers and talk to them normally to identify what they can do.
• Invite parents/carers to talk about the literacy, language and/or numeracy tasks that they
might like help with.
• Invite parents/carers to find out what they can do and what they need support with.
If used sensitively by staff and managers, screening tools can help parents/carers identify
the skills they already have and which skills they might wish to brush up.
Remember
• When parents’/carers’ confidence is low, they often think they are less able than they
actually are.
• Parents/carers will be eligible for free support to improve literacy, language and/or
numeracy needs up to Level 2 or a first qualification up to Level 2.
• Screening starts with what the parent/carer can do – not what he or she can’t do.
• You will need to follow the setting’s policy on confidentiality and comply with the Data
Protection Act when recording personal information related to parents’/carers’ learning
requirements.
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1
Activity sheet 2d Gathering information
Identification of parents’/carers’ skills
Confidential (This will need to be adapted to meet the needs of individual settings)
The information recorded on this document is for the purpose of gathering information that
will support early years or childcare settings in planning
for learning opportunities on site.
The information will be kept in a secure location and will only be kept for the duration of
your child’s continued attendance at this location.
Name:
Date information collected:
Where the conversation took place:
What are the parent’s/carer’s interests?
What are the things the parent/carer feels he or she does well?
What job does the parent/carer do?
What jobs have they done in the past?
What are the parent’s/carer’s ambitions for the future?
What skills does the parent feel confident about?
Any areas the parent/carer would like to improve?
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1
Tick or number in order of importance
IT skills
Maths
Job skills
Children’s learning
Reading/writing
Communication skills
Spelling
Form-filling
Family finance
Other
Parent’s/carer’s consent for recording this information
Signature:
Date:
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Activity sheet 2e Barriers to learning
Read the following case study.
John is 38 and works the night shift at the local factory. He is married and has two children
aged 3 and 8. John has started to get more involved at his children’s school, helping to run
the after-school football club. His wife Mary works full time in an office
John’s early years were often quite disrupted: his parents divorced when he was 7 and
John went to live with his mother who tended to move house frequently. John attended a
number of schools, had few friends and was very shy and quiet, preferring his own
company.
He never really settled in his primary or secondary school and struggled with many of his
lessons. He left school without any qualifications.
John wants to become more involved in his children’s education but he worries that his own
literacy will let him down. He has heard that his daughter’s nursery will be running a family
literacy programme next term, but is concerned that the teacher will find out that he has
difficulty with his reading and writing, so he is unsure whether to join the programme.
Barrier to learning
Strategy to overcome barrier
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Improving literacy, language and numeracy skills
Activity sheet 2f
Module
1
Language as a barrier to learning
Read the following case study.
Gove Hall Primary School is holding a parents’ evening so that parents/carers can discuss
their child’s progress with the class teacher.
Mohammed is 8 years old, and he has told his mother that he is having problems
understanding his class teacher when she explains the maths homework. His mother,
Jamila, is very concerned and asks her son to make her an appointment at the parents’
evening.
Jamila speaks fluent Urdu, but rarely has the chance to speak English. She is
embarrassed when using her oral skills in English. Although a friend has offered to act as
interpreter, she decides not to go in the end.
How do you think Jamila feels? Why do you think she has refused the help
of her friend?
How do you think Mohammed feels?
What could the class teacher do to support Jamila and Mohammed?
Extension activity
Further case studies can be found in the Delegate Materials and the personal
development journal. As a team, identify the barriers to learning and strategies to
overcome these barriers.
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1
Module 3: Signposting
Aim of this module
To identify methods of signposting parents/carers to the most appropriate family literacy,
language and/or numeracy or ESOL programme in order that that they can brush up their
English and maths skills.
Key messages of this module
• Establishing, strengthening and maintaining effective partnerships with family learning and
Skills for Life providers in the community is critically important.
• A choice of literacy, language, numeracy and ESOL provision gives parents/carers a
chance to get exactly the kind of support they need to brush up their skills.
• Family Learning and Skills for Life providers will also be able to give advice and guidance
through progression sessions to parents/carers who want to continue to improve their
literacy, language and/or numeracy skills.
• Success for parents/carers (including grandparents, dads and male carers) can bring about
success for the whole family and community.
• Early years and childcare staff and managers can brush up their own skills at the same
time by gaining a Level 2 National Certificate in literacy and/or numeracy. By contacting a
local Skills for Life provider they will arrange a personal interview with staff and managers
and take a Skills Check. The provider will then discuss the most appropriate literacy,
language, numeracy or ESOL programme to meet the needs of staff and managers.
Summary of this module
Once the key messages have been cascaded from this module to the early years or childcare
setting, colleagues should have a greater awareness of the family literacy, language and/or
numeracy and Skills for Life provision in the local area.
Staff and managers will have developed a range of skills to signpost the parents/carers they
work with to the most appropriate learning opportunities.
Staff and managers might decide to take the opportunity to brush up on their own English and
maths skills.
Staff and managers might wish to take the two-day Step in to Learning training and
development programme to further their own professional development. The accreditation
guidance and personal development journal in the Professional Development Resources file
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1
will support early years and childcare staff in gaining further qualifications.
Video section 4 of the Step in to Learning training and development programme CD-ROM
entitled ‘Signposting’ will support settings on the delivery of this module.
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Module
1
Coffee break session 1 Time needed: 15 minutes
Making the most of a learning experience
Aim
To recognise what makes a learning experience valuable and worthwhile.
Format
Small group or individual activities and discussion.
Duration
Activity
2 mins
Introduction – explain aims of the session and purpose of
the activities. Allows colleagues to think about:
• what elements make for a good and a poor learning
experience.
Using the activity sheet, record the best and worst
Activity sheet 3a
learning experiences that individuals have had.
As a group, discuss what needs to be right about any
experience recommended to parents/carers.
Summarise with expected outcomes.
Flipchart
5 mins
5 mins
3 mins
Resources
Agree next steps.
Expected outcomes
Early years and childcare staff and managers will be able to list the factors that contribute
towards a valuable and worthwhile learning experience.
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1
Coffee break session 2 Time needed: 15 minutes
Local literacy, language, numeracy and ESOL learning
opportunities
Aim
To recognise the learning opportunities available to parents/carers by familiarising the whole
staff team with the family literacy, language and/or numeracy and Skills for Life provision in
the local area.
Format
Small group or pair activities and discussion.
Duration
Activity
Resources
2 mins
Introduction – explain aims of the session and purpose of
the activities. Allows colleagues to think about:
• what they already know about local family literacy,
language and/or numeracy provision
• what they already know about local Skills for Life
provision
• how they could find out more about local provision.
Group/pairs to complete the activity sheet to find out what
staff and managers already know about family learning
and Skills for Life providers.
As a group, discuss how staff and managers could find
out more.
Summarise with expected outcomes.
FLLN Guide
CD-ROM, PC
5 mins
5 mins
3 mins
Activity sheet 3b
Flipchart
Agree next steps.
Expected outcomes
Early years and childcare staff and managers will be able to identify some of the local family
learning and Skills for Life providers who offer learning opportunities for parents/carers.
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1
Review
• How did the session go?
• What could you do differently next time?
• What are your next steps?
Notes for next time:
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Improving literacy, language and numeracy skills
Module
1
Staff meeting session 1 Time needed: 30 minutes
The importance of signposting parents/carers
Aim
To recognise the importance of signposting parents/carers to appropriate local family literacy,
language and/or numeracy or Skills for Life provision.
Format
Group activities and discussion.
Duration
Activity
Resources
5 mins
Introduction – explain aims of the session and purpose of
the activities. Allows colleagues to think about:
• what they already know about local family literacy,
language and/or numeracy provision
• what they already know about local Skills for Life
provision
• what literacy, language and/or numeracy courses they
can signpost parents/carers to in the local area.
Group/pairs to complete the activity sheet to find out
what staff and managers already know about family
learning and Skills for Life providers and what they can
offer the setting.
As a group, watch video section 4 of the Step in to
Learning training and development
programme CD-ROM: Signposting. Discuss
points raised in the CD-ROM and how the
setting can signpost parents/carers.
Summarise with expected outcomes.
FLLN Guide
CD-ROM, PC
10 mins
10 mins
5 mins
Activity sheet 3b
Step in to
Learning CDROM, PC
Flipchart
Agree next steps.
Expected outcomes
Early years and childcare staff and managers will be able to identify post-16 providers of
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local family literacy, language and/or numeracy and Skills for Life provision and develop an
awareness of the opportunities they can offer parents/carers on site or within the local
community.
Review
• How did the session go?
• What could you do differently next time?
• What are your next steps?
Notes for next time:
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Staff meeting session 2 Time needed: 30 minutes
Needs of signposted parents/carers
Aim
To recognise the needs of parents/carers when you signpost them to new learning
opportunities.
Format
Group activities and discussion.
Duration
Activity
Resources
5 mins
Introduction – explain aims of the session and purpose of
the activities. Allows colleagues to think about:
• the preferences and goals of parents/carers that they
should consider when signposting
• the diverse needs, from Pre-entry to Entry 1, 2 and 3, to
Level 1 and 2, of the parents/carers they work with.
In pairs or small groups, discuss the parent/carer
scenarios on the activity sheet.
• Identify the next steps to take in order to help signpost
parents/carers towards new learning opportunities that
are sensitive to their literacy, language and/or numeracy
or ESOL needs.
As a group, listen to audio section 4 of the Step in to
Learning CD-ROM. Discuss the questions on the activity
sheet.
Summarise with expected outcomes.
Qualification
Framework in the
Delegate Materials
page 27
10 mins
10 mins
5 mins
Activity sheet 3c
Step in to
Learning CDROM, PC
Flipchart
Agree next steps.
Expected outcomes
Early years and childcare staff and managers will be able to identify the needs that
parents/carers have when taking up further learning opportunities, and identify what advice to
offer them.
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Review
• How did the session go?
• What could you do differently next time?
• What are your next steps?
Notes for next time:
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Taster session 1
Module
1
Time needed: 30 minutes
Gathering information on local literacy, language, numeracy and
ESOL provision
Aim
To identify factors staff and managers will need to consider when gathering information about
local family literacy, language and/or numeracy and Skills for Life provision that
parents/carers could be signposted to.
Format
Paired and individual activities.
Duration
Activity
15 mins
Introduction – explain aims of the session and purpose of Activity sheet 3e
the activities. Allows colleagues to think about:
• the factors to consider when researching local family
literacy, language and/or numeracy and Skills for Life
provision that parents/carers could be signposted to
• how to complete the ‘What I need to find out about’
section of the activity sheet before carrying out research
in other early years or childcare settings.
Individual staff and managers to research and gather
information about local family literacy, language and/or
numeracy and Skills for Life provision that may be
particularly relevant for parents/carers in their early years
setting. Don’t forget to consider dads and male carers,
parents/carers with English as second language and
those from the travelling community.
Staff and managers to feed back individual findings and
Flipchart
gather the information together in a file as a resource to
use when signposting parents.
Summarise with expected outcomes.
(Do this in
between
sessions.)
10 mins
5 mins
Resources
Agree next steps.
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Expected outcomes
Early years and childcare staff and managers will be able to provide information about which
English and maths programmes local family literacy, language and/or numeracy and Skills for
Life providers offer.
For staff and managers who have opted to work towards the Council for Awards in
Children’s Care and Education (CACHE) Level 3 Certificate of Professional Development
in Work with Children and Young People, this cascade session will help provide local
research evidence for the assignment.
Review
• How did the session go?
• What could you do differently next time?
• What are your next steps?
Notes for next time:
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Taster session 2
Module
1
Time needed: 30 minutes
Signposting parents/carers to most appropriate learning
opportunities
Aim
To identify how the setting can work with parents/carers to signpost them to the most
appropriate local learning opportunities to meet their needs.
Format
Small group or pairs and individual activities.
Duration
Activity
15 mins
Introduction – explain aims of the session and purpose of Activity sheet 3f
the activities. Allows colleagues to think about:
• how to signpost a parent/carer to the most appropriate
learning programmes
• how to track parents’/carers’ future progress so that the
setting can identify if it is effectively signposting
parents/carers.
(Do this in
between
sessions.)
Plan how to signpost a parent/carer that the setting
works with. Use the prompts on the activity sheet for
ideas about appropriate statements and questions. Think
particularly about how to work with dads and male
carers, parents/carers with English as a second
language, and the travelling community.
Staff and managers to work with a parent/carer to
signpost them to an appropriate local learning
programme. Complete the activity – this will help staff
and managers to monitor and evaluate the service the
setting provides. (Staff and managers may wish to
become a Skills for Life champion where they will gain
recognition for the work undertaken by the setting with
parents/carers. Refer to the Additional Resources section
of this file for further information.)
Resources
Activity sheet 3g
Skills for Life
champions’ brief
(page 194)
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Duration
Activity
Resources
10 mins
Feed back findings and plan ways of tracking the
progress of parents/carers using the suggested tracking
record. Staff and managers may wish to adapt the
tracking record to suit the needs of the parents/carers
and the setting.
Summarise with expected outcomes.
Activity sheet 3g
5 mins
Flipchart
Agree next steps.
Expected outcomes
Early years and childcare staff and managers will be able to signpost parents/carers to the
most appropriate local learning opportunities and complete tracking records to evaluate the
setting’s effectiveness.
Review
• How did the session go?
• What could you do differently next time?
• What are your next steps?
Notes for next time:
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Short workshop session
Module
1
Time needed: 1.5 hours
What makes a positive learning experience and how to signpost
to the most appropriate learning opportunities
Aims
To identify which factors contribute to a positive learning experience.
To identify what local family literacy, language and/or numeracy and Skills for Life
providers offer and how the setting can signpost parents/carers to the most appropriate
learning opportunities.
Format
Either whole group together or smaller groups.
Duration
Activity
Resources
5 mins
Introduction – explain aims of the session and purpose of
the activities. Allows colleagues to think about:
• which factors make for good and poor learning
experiences
• what they already know about local family literacy,
language and/or numeracy provision
• what they already know about local Skills for Life
provision
• what they need to know about the availability
of local programmes and the diverse needs of
parents/carers before signposting them
• how they could work together with local family literacy,
language and/or numeracy and
Skills for Life providers to set up programmes on site.
In pairs, discuss what their best/worst learning
experiences were and why. Explore how these learning
experiences could have been improved. Complete the
activity sheet.
Skills for Life
champions’ brief
(page 194)
15 mins
Activity sheet 3a
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Duration
Activity
Resources
15 mins
In small groups/pairs, discuss what staff and managers
already know about local family literacy, language and/or
numeracy and Skills for Life provision. Complete the
activity sheet.
Group watch video section 4 of the Step in to Learning
training and development programme CD-ROM:
Signposting. Discuss the points raised in the CD-ROM.
In pairs, discuss what staff and managers need to know
about the local provision so that settings can effectively
signpost parents/carers. Complete the activity sheet.
Activity sheet 3b
15 mins
15 mins
20 mins
5 mins
Staff and managers may like to visit the provision or
make contact by telephone or e-mail to gather
information and then complete the activity sheet.
In pairs/small groups, discuss the scenarios on the
activity sheet. Consider parents’/carers’ needs when
signposting.
Summarise with expected outcomes.
Agree next steps.
Identify a manager or member of staff that would like to
become Skills for Life champion in the setting.
Step in to
Learning CDROM, PC
Activity sheet 3e
Activity sheet 3c
Flipchart
Skills for Life
champions’ brief
(page 194)
Expected outcomes
Early years and childcare staff and managers will be able to identify local family literacy,
language and/or numeracy and Skills for Life provision and know how to signpost a
parent/carer to the most appropriate local learning opportunities. Staff and managers will
be able to identify how the role of Skills for Life champion can support the early years or
childcare setting in its work with parents/carers.
For staff and managers who have opted to work towards the Council for Awards in
Children’s Care and Education (CACHE) Level 3 Certificate of Professional Development
in Work with Children and Young People, this cascade session will help provide local
research evidence for the assignment.
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Review
• How did the session go?
• What could you do differently next time?
• What are your next steps?
Notes for next time:
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Activity sheet 3a Exploring personal learning journeys
Complete the chart with as much information as possible about your own learning
experiences.
Think about the following types of programmes:
• family literacy, language and numeracy
• Skills for Life classes to improve literacy, language and/or numeracy or ESOL skills
• job-related skills
• leisure and confidence-building classes.
What was your best learning experience?
What made it a good experience?
What was your worst learning experience?
How could these experiences have been improved?
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Activity sheet 3b Early years and childcare research and
action-planning
Who is out there?
(e.g. adult and community education, college, voluntary)
What could they offer us?
(e.g. type of programme, accreditation for early years and childcare staff and managers,
incentives, funding)
Who do we know that we could contact?
(e.g. names, job titles)
What would we like them to do?
(e.g. visit, give a talk, do a taster session)
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Activity sheet 3c: Signposting scenarios
Parent/carer scenarios
1
Gemma has just had a baby. She feels tired and alone and wants to spend some time
with other new parents. She can only leave the baby for a short while and feels guilty
about leaving him at all. She has a lot of practical skills, but little time or money.
Where could you signpost her towards a suitable learning opportunity? Give reasons
for your choice.
2
Daren is out of work and wants his children to have better prospects in the world of
work. He has time to help the children (aged 2 and 6) himself. He has no qualifications
from school and would like to show the children that learning is valuable and fun.
Where could you signpost him towards a suitable learning opportunity? Give reasons
for your choice.
3
Asif has only been in Britain for a short while. He finds it hard to fill in benefit forms
and has support with everyday tasks, such as phoning the doctor. He would like to
find work and become independent but his qualifications are not accepted in this
country. He will not attend any venue that serves alcohol.
Where could you signpost him towards a suitable learning opportunity? Give reasons
for your choice.
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Activity sheet 3d Working with parents/carers with English
as a second language
Questions for discussion – audio section of the Step in to Learning CD-ROM section 4.
• How can you recognise that a parent/carer in your setting has a literacy, language and/or
numeracy or ESOL need?
• What could you do if you felt that one of your parents/carers would benefit from literacy,
language and/or numeracy opportunities?
• What would you need to find out about local literacy, language and numeracy/ESOL
provision relevant to the needs of parents/carers in your early years or childcare setting?
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Activity sheet 3e Researching local learning provision
Record key information that you need to find out about so that you can build an accurate
picture of local learning provision.
Information I need to find
out about
What I need to find out about the provision
The venue
The staff
The programme(s) on offer
The quality of learning
experience
Other learners who attend
Other benefits (e.g.
accreditation)
Questions I want to ask
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Activity sheet 3f
Module
1
How to signpost
Try using prompts similar to those found here to help you discuss opportunities for your
parent/carer.
What would you really like to do?
You can find out about what your child is
learning at nursery/school.
It wouldn’t cost you anything.
It will help to update your work skills.
Have you tried any of the sessions here
before?
I’ll tell you where I went.
They have learner support if you need it.
You could be doing that while your baby
is in the crèche.
The sessions are very flexible
How do you like to learn?
They provide lunch in some sessions.
You would really enjoy it.
I think you could easily manage that.
Look how well you did last time you tried
something new.
They have all sorts of new approaches to
learning.
There’s a place just near here doing
something you’d like.
What did you enjoy at school?
You can get a certificate for that too.
It’s not like going to school.
What kind of things do you like to do in
your spare time?
Have you been on one of the visits to look
around?
You can find out how to help your child
with reading.
Is there anyone else interested in doing
something that you could go with?
The groups are only small. You will be
able to brush up on your skills.
You could try a taster session to see if the
course is for you.
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Please add some of your own prompts that have worked in your setting
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Activity sheet 3g Tracking form
(Part 1 to be completed by staff and managers)
Step in to Learning family literacy, language and numeracy (FLLN) tracking form; this can
be adapted to suit the needs of your early years or childcare setting.
Part 1 (to be completed by staff and managers)
Date:
Early years/childcare setting name:
Name of parent/carer:
Title of programme recommended to parent/carer:
Where is the programme being held? (Give name and location):
Name of early years or childcare setting:
college:
other:
1 What led to recommendation of this course, workshop
or taster session?
Staff offered a selection
Staff observed a need
Parent/carer requested it
Parent/carer described a need
Other
2 Where was screening carried out?
In my early years/childcare setting
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At the local provider
No screening done
Don’t know
Other
3 Was a literacy, language/ESOL or numeracy need identified?
Maths
Writing
Speaking
Spelling
Reading
Listening and understanding
4 Were there any barriers to taking up learning? (Tick all that apply.)
Time
Being recognised in the
community
Size of venue
Other’s opinions
Money
Confidence
Childcare
Getting lost
Other (please describe)
5 Suggestions for other courses to follow this one:
Date:
Completed by:
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Activity sheet 3 Tracking form
(Part 2 for parent/carer to answer)
Step in to Learning family literacy, language and numeracy (FLLN) tracking form; this can
be adapted to suit the needs of your early years or childcare setting.
Part 2 (for parent/carer to answer – staff and managers can
record responses)
Name (or identifier):
Date:
1 Was the information you were given about programme useful?
Yes
No
Fairly useful
2 Was the programme what you wanted?
Yes, just what I wanted
Yes, but different from what I expected
Other
No, but interesting
No, but suitable
3 Were you supported by early years and childcare staff and managers?
Yes, someone came with me
Yes, I got a lot of encouragement
No, I felt very alone
No, but I didn’t
Other
want any
4 How much support was given by adult tutors?
I got individual help
There was a lot of encouragement
Other
None, it was all up to me
No, but I didn’t want any
5 How many sessions did you go to?
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1–2
3–6
7–12
1
More than 12
6 What did you think about the advice you were given about courses and qualifications for
the future?
Exactly what I needed
Too much, it was confusing
A few choices to think about
No information was offered
More than I wanted,
but it was interesting
None, I didn’t want any
Other
7 What certificates/qualifications are you interested in working towards? (Tick any that
apply.)
NVQ
ICT (e.g.CLAIT/ECDL)
GCSE
Other
National qualifications in
English and/or maths
Family Learning specific
certificates
8 What are your preferences for learning? (Tick all boxes that apply.)
Where?
Nursery
College
Local community centre
Why?
To be able to help my child
Certificate/Qualification
Other
School
At home
Other
Just for fun
Improve employment skills
When?
Mornings
Evenings
Afternoons
Other
9 If you finished early what were your reasons for stopping?
It was too easy
No childcare
I changed job/got a job
Costs were too high
It was not suitable
My child didn’t settle in the crèche
I finished the course
It was too hard
I was busy with other things
I didn’t like the course
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I lost interest
Other
Module
1
I didn’t like the way I was taught
10 Next steps – what programme you would like to do next?
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Module 4: Next Steps
Aim of this module
Staff and managers will be able to identify the most appropriate adult or family literacy,
language and numeracy programmes for parents/carers and their families within the early
years and childcare setting.
Key messages of this module
• Family literacy, language and numeracy (FLLN) programmes are an effective way of
improving the skills of parents/carers and their children.
• When planning family literacy, language and/or numeracy provision, early years or
childcare settings must involve both a children’s teacher/practitioner and a family
learning or Skills for Life teacher.
• Research shows how beneficial it can be when parents/carers and children learn
together.
• By working in partnership with local family literacy, language and/or numeracy and Skills
for Life providers, settings can help to meet the needs of parents/carers within their
early years or childcare setting.
• By building on and developing existing provision within the setting, staff and managers
can support parents/carers to improve their literacy, language and/or numeracy skills.
• On-site family literacy, language and/or numeracy programmes should be linked in to
the local authority planning and funding cycle for family literacy, language and/or
numeracy provision.
• Family literacy, language and/or numeracy funding is targeted at under represented
groups in areas of social depravation.
• Staff’s and managers’ development needs can be identified through the use of the Move
On literacy and numeracy quizes.
Summary of this module
Staff and managers may wish to watch video section 3 of the Step in to Learning training and
development programme CD-ROM, entitled ‘Developing adult and family learning provision’.
Once the key messages have been cascaded, early years and childcare staff and managers
should be able to identify ways of building on existing good practice in their setting.
By developing partnerships with family literacy, language and/or numeracy and Skills for Life
providers, settings should be able to offer parents/carers and early years or childcare staff and
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managers more opportunities to brush up their English and maths skills on site.
Family literacy, language and/or numeracy and Skills for Life providers will be able to outline
how different learning provision is funded in the area.
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Coffee break session 1 Time needed: 15 minutes
The learning journey and planning next steps
Aim
To recognise that learning is a continuous journey and that it is always important to plan
the next steps in that journey.
Format
Small group and individual activities.
Duration
Activity
Resources
2 mins
Introduction – explain aims of the session and purpose of
the activities. Allows colleagues to think about:
• their own learning experiences and the choices they
have made
• which factors (‘who’ as well as ‘what’) are important on
their learning journey
• how to develop their skills further – consider the role of a
Skills for Life champion, which will enable them to
support parents/carers who may have English and
maths needs.
Skills for Life
champions’ brief
(page 194)
5 mins
5 mins
Staff and managers to think about their own learning
journey and complete the activity sheet
Discuss their experiences – who helped them, what
motivated them, etc
Staff and managers to explore their own continuing
professional development, and relate this to
parents’/carers’ learning journeys
Learning Journey
handout (This can
be printed off as
many times as
required from the
Step in to
Learning CDROM)
Activity sheet 4a
Accreditation
guidance
(pages 162–165)
Move On handout
(pages 174–176)
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Duration
Activity
Resources
3 mins
Summarise with expected outcomes.
Flipchart
Agree next steps.
Expected outcomes
Early years and childcare staff and managers will be able to identify the different stages and
motivations on their own learning journey and use that knowledge to understand the journey
of parents/carers.
Review
•
•
•
How did the session go?
What could you do differently next time?
What are your next steps?
Notes for next time:
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Coffee break session 2 Time needed: 15 minutes
Using family literacy, language and numeracy programmes
Aim
To consolidate what staff and managers already know about the literacy, language and/or
numeracy needs of the parents/carers in the setting and what they want to achieve through
family literacy, language and/or numeracy programmes.
Format
Small group or pairs.
Duration
Activity
2 mins
Introduction – explain aims of the session and purpose of
the activities. Allows colleagues to think about:
• the range of learning provision that parents/carers are
interested in.
• what programmes are available for them in the local
area.
Group/pairs to identify on the activity sheet the types of
Activity sheet 4b
learning opportunities that parents/carers want to access.
5 mins
5 mins
3 mins
Resources
As a group, discuss the types of learning opportunities
that parents/carers want to access and tick those that are
already available on site in the early years setting.
Start to collect information on local family literacy,
language and/or numeracy and other adult learning
provision to display for parents/carers on the setting’s
notice-board.
Think about providing a folder containing information on
learning opportunities that parents/carers can access on
site or take home – discuss how staff and managers
could organise this information.
Summarise with expected outcomes.
Flipchart
Agree next steps.
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Expected outcomes
Early years and childcare staff and managers will be able to identify the types of learning
opportunities that parents/carers might like to access on site.
Staff and managers will be able to collect a variety of information on local learning
provision to display on site or in an accessible folder for parents/carers to take home.
Review
•
•
•
How did the session go?
What could you do differently next time?
What are your next steps?
Notes for next time:
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Staff meeting session 1 Time needed: 30 minutes
Extending existing on-site learning programmes
Aim
To identify how existing on-site learning programmes for parents/carers can be extended to
include more opportunities to develop literacy, language and/or numeracy skills.
Format
Small group or pair activities and discussion.
Duration
Activity
5 mins
Introduction – explain aims of the session and purpose of
the activities. Allows colleagues to think about:
• the range of programmes in the setting currently offered
to parents/carers and how these programmes meet their
needs
• how staff and managers can extend the programmes to
embed more literacy, language and/or numeracy
• how the local family literacy, language and/or numeracy
or Skills for Life provider can support staff and
managers in their work with parents/carers.
As a group, watch video section 3 of the Step in to
Step in to
Learning training and development programme CDLearning CDROM: Developing adult and family learning provision.
ROM, PC
Discuss the range of learning opportunities available.
10 mins
Resources
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Duration
Activity
Resources
10 mins
Pairs/group to complete the activity sheet, outlining
current learning opportunities provided for
parents/carers.
Activity Sheet 4c
Discuss how these activities could be extended to offer
more opportunities for development of literacy, language
and/or numeracy skills.
5 mins
Identify the information staff and managers require in the
setting from a family literacy, language and/or numeracy
or Skills for Life provider to support them in their work
with parents/carers.
Summarise with expected outcomes.
Flipchart
Agree next steps.
Expected outcomes
Early years and childcare staff and managers will be able to identify ways
to extend existing on-site provision to include further opportunities for parents/carers to brush
up on their literacy, language and/or numeracy skills.
Review
•
•
•
How did the session go?
What could you do differently next time?
What are your next steps?
Notes for next time:
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Staff meeting session 2 Time needed: 30 minutes
Family literacy, language and/or numeracy programmes
Aim
To find out about the Learning and Skills Council (LSC)-approved family literacy, language
and/or numeracy programmes.
Format
Staff group activities and discussion.
Duration
Activity
Resources
5 mins
Introduction – explain aims of the session and purpose of
the activities. Allows colleagues to think about:
• what family literacy, language and/or numeracy
programmes exist and how they work
• who funds the family literacy, language and/or numeracy
programmes and how are they are planned and
delivered
• benefits of families learning together and the impact on
the children in the setting.
Using the activity sheet and the Family literacy, language
and numeracy (FLLN) Guide CD-ROM, discuss which
LSC approved family literacy, language and/or numeracy
programmes might suit the setting and identify what the
setting would need to organise to support this
programme – consider space, staff and managers’ time,
recruitment.
In pairs/groups, complete the activity sheet, listing the
ways in which achievement is recognised in the setting
Summarise with expected outcomes.
Activity sheet 4d
15 mins
5 mins
5 mins
FLLN Guide
CD-ROM, PC
Activity sheet 4d
FLLN Guide
CD-ROM, PC
Activity Sheet 4e
Flipchart
Agree next steps.
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Expected outcomes
Early years and childcare staff and managers will be able to identify a variety of family literacy,
language and/or numeracy programmes, how they could be set up and organised in their
setting, and who provides the funding for the programmes.
Review
• How did the session go?
• What could you do differently next time?
• What are your next steps?
Notes for next time:
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Taster session 1
Module
1
Time required: 30 minutes
Exploring parents’/carers’ learning journeys
Aim
To recognise how to work with a parent/carer to help them identify the type of course they are
interested in and the skills they want to develop.
Format
Small group or pairs and individual activities.
Duration
Activity
15 mins
Introduction – explain aims of the session and purpose of
activities. Allows colleagues to think about:
• how they can work with parents/carers to encourage
them to explore their own learning experiences
• the learning experiences that a parent/carer they work
with have had.
As a group, plan the best approach for staff and
Activity sheet 4f
managers in the setting to carry out this activity.
The Learning
Working with a parent/carer in the setting, discuss their
Journey handout
learning journey so far. Using the activity sheet as a
prompt, staff and managers to explore a parent’s/carer’s
(On Step in to
learning journey. Staff, managers and parents/carers may Learning CDwish to use the learning styles questionnaire to explore
ROM)
how they best learn.
Learning styles
Early years or childcare staff and managers to think
about the triggers that can lead them into a discussion
with a parent/carer.
As a group, feed back and discuss the findings.
Flipchart
(Do this in
between
sessions.)
15 mins
Resources
Agree next steps.
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1
Expected outcomes
Early years and childcare staff and managers will be able to work with a parent/carer in their
setting and support them in identifying their learning journey, and recording experiences, skills
and ambitions.
Review
•
•
•
How did the session go?
What could you do differently next time?
What are your next steps?
Notes for next time:
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Taster session 2
Module
1
Time required: 30 minutes
Exploring how Step in to Learning can support early years and
childcare staff and managers to brush up their English and
maths skills
Aims
For early years and childcare staff and managers to explore their own skills using the
Move On literacy and numeracy quiz and identify areas that they may wish to brush up.
To enable staff and managers who wish to gain further qualifications to work towards the
National Certificates in Adult Literacy and Numeracy at Level 2, if they have not had the
opportunity to gain GSCE A*–C grades in English and maths in the past.
Format
Small group or pairs and individual activities.
Duration
Activity
Resources
10 mins
Introduction – explain aims of the session and purpose of Skills for Life
activities. Allows colleagues to think about:
champions’ brief
• the benefits of brushing up their own skills to help their
(page 194)
job role and future career opportunities
• the areas of literacy and/or numeracy that they would
like to further develop
• how to access Move On materials to support the
development of literacy and/or numeracy skills.
As a group, plan the best approach for staff and
managers in the setting to carry out this activity.
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Duration
Activity
Resources
(Do this in
between
sessions.)
Allow sufficient quiet time to do this activity:
• Read the Move On literacy and numeracy quiz
questions and record your answers on the activity sheet.
• Check your answers using the Move On answer sheet.
• Identify areas of literacy and/or numeracy that you
would like the opportunity to brush up.
Activity sheet 4h
15 mins
5 mins
Activity sheet 4i
Move On handout
(pages 174–176)
Visit the Move On and DfES web sites for more skills
PC/Internet access
tests and activities: www.move-on.org.uk and
www.dfes.gov.uk/readwriteplus.
As a group, and if staff and managers are happy, discuss Flipchart
the experience of the assessment and explore how staff
and managers can access literacy and/or numeracy
courses offered by a Skills for Life provider that will
provide opportunities for staff and managers to gain
Level 2 national literacy and/or numeracy qualifications.
Consider and discuss the following options:
• If the setting has a large enough group, a
Skills for Life provider may set up a dedicated workshop
for the setting.
• The setting could allow staff and managers time off to
access literacy and/or numeracy workshops as part of
continuing professional development.
• The times and locations of local literacy and numeracy
workshops that staff and managers can access outside
of work hours could be provided.
Agree and plan next steps, document actions on the
setting’s training and development plan.
Setting’s training
and development
plan
Expected outcomes
Early years and childcare staff and managers will be able to identify areas of literacy and/or
numeracy that they wish to further develop. Staff and managers will be able to identify a local
post-16 provider and access the most appropriate Skills for Life course to meet their needs.
Review
• How did the session go?
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1
• What could you do differently next time?
• What are your next steps?
Notes for next time:
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Improving literacy, language and numeracy skills
Short workshop session
Module
1
Time required: 1.5 hours
Establishing partnerships with FLLN and Skills for Life providers
Aim
To recognise the importance of establishing partnerships with local family literacy, language
and/or numeracy and Skills for Life providers.
To find out which literacy, language and/or numeracy programmes they can offer on site in the
setting or in the local community and the funding available to support delivery.
Format
Small group or pairs and individual activities.
Duration
Activity
15 mins
Introduction – explain aims of the session and purpose of Activity sheet 4d
the activities. Allows colleagues to think about:
• the range of family literacy, language and/or numeracy
programmes
• where programmes are available locally
• who could be invited to talk to staff, managers and
parents/carers about learning provision
on site.
Read the activity sheet and if possible plan to visit a
family literacy, language and/or numeracy programme in
another setting to do some research.
Resources
Activity sheet 4g
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Duration
Activity
1 hour
Invite a family literacy, language and/or numeracy or
Skills for Life provider to talk to the whole staff team
about the range of provision they could offer the early
years or childcare setting on site or about programmes in
the local community.
1
Resources
Discuss how the setting could offer accreditation
opportunities on site and available funding to support
learning opportunities.
Settings might wish to arrange for the provider to talk to a
group of parents/carers, staff and managers about the
learning opportunities available
15 mins
(Note: Contact the Step in to Learning local trainer if you
have not received information on local providers who
could help you with this activity.)
As a group, feedback and discuss the findings.
Flipchart
Expected outcomes
Early years and childcare staff and managers will be able to provide research on at least one
local family literacy, language and/or numeracy or Skills for Life provider and invite them to
visit their setting to discuss the types of provision they could offer and the funding available.
Staff and managers will be able to identify accreditation opportunities that can be offered on
site in their setting.
This session will help staff and managers working towards the CACHE Level 3 Certificate
of Professional Development in Work with Children and Young People to gather local
research evidence for the assignment.
Review
• How did the session go?
• What could you do differently next time?
• What are your next steps?
Notes for next time:
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1
Activity sheet 4a My own learning journey
What do I love about learning?
What do I hate about learning?
What kind of learner am I? (A learning styles questionnaire can be found in the
Professional Development Resources file, page 180)
Visual
Auditory
Kinaesthetic
What have I done so far on my learning journey?
Where do I want to get to?
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How can I develop my skills to signpost parents and support them with their literacy and
numeracy needs?
What things do I want to do on the way?
What is my next step?
Which people do I need to help me?
What skills would I like to develop for:
my job?
a qualification?
my family?
my hobbies?
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Activity sheet 4b Learning activities research –
what are our parents’/carers’ interests?
leisure activities
(e.g. reading for pleasure, painting)
work-related activities
(e.g. completing a job application form)
parent/carer qualifications
(e.g. National Certificates in Adult Literacy and Numeracy)
information and communication technology (ICT) courses
(e.g. ECDL)
other
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Activity sheet 4c: Review of on-site learning provision
Type of learning activity (Write in
programmes offered by the setting)
How could they be extended to embed literacy,
language and/or numeracy (if not already
embedded)? Discuss with a family literacy,
language and/or numeracy or Skills for Life
provider.
Taster 2–3 hours
e.g. Fun Foods
Springboard 9–13 hours
e.g. Play and language
Short courses 30–49 hours
e.g. Early start
Intensive courses 72–96 hours
e.g. Family literacy
ICT courses
e.g. ECDL, family ICT
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Activity sheet 4d What are family literacy, language and
numeracy (FLLN) programmes?
There is a wide variety of family literacy, language and numeracy programmes, as well as
wider family learning opportunities available.
The five family literacy, language and numeracy programmes highlighted in the Step in to
Learning training and development programme are:
• Playing with language
• Financial literacy
• Early start
• Family numeracy
• Family literacy.
Please see the FLLN Guide CD-ROM for details of all the family literacy, language and/or
numeracy programmes available. They all focus on the skills of literacy, language and/or
numeracy up to and including Level 2 (GCSE grades A*–C).
All the programmes can offer nationally recognised qualifications. Funding can be drawn
down from local Learning and Skills Councils (LSCs), via local authorities (LAs) or in
partnership with college Skills for Life providers. Contact your local family learning
coordinator or local LSC for more information. See www.lsc.gov.uk for local contact
details.
Research shows that FLLN programmes are extremely effective in improving the skills of
parents/carers and their children.
For further research information, see:
• www.basic-skills-observatory.co.uk
• www.skillsforfamilies.org.
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Activity sheet 4e How do you recognise parents’/carers’
achievement in your early years or
childcare setting?
In what ways are achievements recognised and celebrated?
(e.g. internal certificates)
What programmes do you offer where parents/carers can gain nationally recognised
certificates? (e.g. Open College)
What programmes are offered by family literacy, language and/or numeracy and Skills for
Life providers where parents/carers can gain qualifications? (e.g. National Certificates in
Adult Literacy and Numeracy)
Other
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Improving literacy, language and numeracy skills
Activity sheet 4f
Module
1
Parent’s/carer’s learning journey
What do I love about learning?
What do I hate about learning?
What kind of learner am I? (A learning styles questionnaire can be found in the
Professional Development Resources file, page 168)
Visual
Auditory
Kinaesthetic
What have I done so far on my learning journey?
Where do I want to get to?
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1
How can I develop my skills to signpost parents and support them with their literacy and
numeracy needs?
What things do I want to do on the way?
What is my next step?
Which people do I need to help me?
What skills would I like to develop for:
my job?
a qualification?
my family?
my hobbies?
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1
Activity sheet 4g Local research task
Venue
Programme
Venue name:
Title of programme:
Address:
Times of sessions:
Type of venue:
Tutors:
How many:
Gender:
(Important if working with ethnic minority
parents/carers.)
Courses available:
Who plans the sessions?
Facilities for learners with learning
difficulties or disabilities:
Types of activity:
Contact details:
Children’s activities:
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Module
How do you get there?
Parent/carer activities:
What recognition of achievement do
parents/carers receive?
Joint activities (for children and
parents/carers):
How are parents/carers recruited?
Home-time activities:
What screening and/or initial assessment is
undertaken?
What qualifications do they offer?
What advice and guidance is on offer for
parents/carers?
What opportunities are there for
progression?
1
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Activity sheet 4h Move On self-assessment quiz
Please note: This quiz cannot be used in conjunction with the Move On jigsaw
described on the Move On web site.
Level 2
Focus on Children
Literacy
This is an extract from an article about food labelling.
What the label claims
The colourful packs show pictures of fruit unwinding into long strips, with large flashes
pointing out that a packet contains between 65 per cent and 76 per cent fruit and fruit
juice. They contain ‘all natural colours and flavours’, and claim to let children ‘unwind the
fruit fun for ever’. But the fruit in the picture is not necessarily the main fruit ingredient for
that pack. The blackcurrant flavour, for instance, relies mainly for its fruit content on pear
puree from concentrate, with blackcurrant puree making just a fifth of the fruit portion.
1 The purpose of this extract is to:
A sell the product
B advise against buying the product
C explain that the label may mislead readers
D say that the labelling is inaccurate
Answer: ________
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1
This extract is taken from the findings of a two-year study, commissioned by television
broadcasters and regulators.
Children get sex lessons from soaps
What most startled the researchers was the precocity of youngsters and the ease with
which they discussed subjects formerly considered taboo for minors. A nine-year-old girl
told researchers that exposure to sex and marriage break-ups on television was ‘normal’,
adding: ‘They are a part of society even if you don’t agree with them.’
2 Which word best describes the researchers’ response to their findings?
A disappointment
B approval
C surprise
D horror
Answer: ________
3 Which of the following quotes below contains a spelling error?
A ‘the findings should be treated with caution’
B ‘their body’s change and life just takes over’
C ‘television’s impact could be overestimated’
D ‘they feel they know more about life than their parents’
Answer: ________
Read this quote from a parenting newsletter then answer the question.
What’s so Terrible about being Two?
Two-year olds have this marvellously inquisitive mind, but absolutely no experience from
prior learning to understand ‘safe or harmful’, ‘good or bad’, ‘right or wrong’. As such, they
simply set out to explore the world, as it is available to them. Until they learn or experience
otherwise, all objects are neutral. Objects have no inherent worth and are not yet known
for causing either pleasure or pain. It’s only when the child experiences the object that they
can experience its value. Value to the two-year old is usually a function of the pleasure an
object can bring to the child. Pleasure is derived from touch, taste, sight, sound and scent.
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Module
1
Some things are pleasurable and ‘fun’ while others offer neither amusement nor any
particular pleasure. Other items, like the taste of a sour lemon, may cause displeasure and
children soon learn to avoid these.
The challenge facing parents and carers is to pre-empt negative outcomes from the child’s
exploration and learning while maximising the opportunity for positive outcomes.
4 Which words could mean the same as ‘pre-empt negative outcomes’?
A avoid bad experiences
B stop them injuring themselves
C limit the child’s exploration
D show the child what to do
Answer: ________
Read the extract from the article ‘Parents’ guide to writing’ by Judith Puddick.
Teaching today builds on children’s pre-school learning. Early writing attempts are
encouraged and praised and children are given opportunities to ‘read’ their writing to a
friend or to the teacher. Their vocabulary is developed through discussion, reading and
hearing quality texts read aloud; they are taught to notice the ways that authors use
language to create particular effects. Children are encouraged to use existing texts as
models for their own writing and most importantly they are treated as real writers from the
start with a genuine purpose and audience for their work.
5 The purpose of the author in this text is to
A provide hard, factual evidence
B illustrate through example
C describe current practice
D present an argument for consideration
Answer: ________
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1
Numeracy
Out of a total of 500 interviews with young people aged 16–18 who had completed their
GCSEs in 2001, 2002 or 2003, eighty-five per cent said they would rather pass their
GCSEs than appear on The X Factor.
6 How many young people would rather appear on The X Factor?
A 50
B 75
C 225
D 425
Answer: ________
52 million text messages were sent throughout the UK on the day the GCSE results were
announced.
7 If the profit was 11p per text, about how much profit was made that day?
A approx £520,000 profit
B approx £500,200 profit
C approx £5.2 million profit
D approx £5 million profit
Answer: ________
A report found that there were 830,000 registered childcare places for five million children
under the age of 8 in England.
8 Does this suggest a ratio of:
A approx 2 places to every 9 children
B approx 1 place to every 6 children
C approx 1 place to every 8 children
D approx 1 place to every 9 children
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1
Answer: ________
This information was included with the instructions on how to make up a children’s drink:
Imperial (UK) 20 fluid ounces = 1 pint = 0.568 litres
9 Approximately how many fluid ounces are there to a litre?
A 30 fluid ounces
B 26 fluid ounces
C 42 fluid ounces
D 33 fluid ounces
Answer: ________
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Activity sheet 4i
Module
1
Move On self-assessment quiz answers
Level 2
Focus on Children – Answers
Literacy
1 C
2 C
3 B
4 A
5 C
Numeracy
6 B
7 C
8 B
9 D
141
Additional resources
Additional resources
Contents
Introduction
143
Personal development journal
144
Accreditation guidance
162
Learning styles explained
166
Learning styles questionnaire
168
Move On and the National Certificates in
Adult Literacy and Numeracy
174
How to become a test centre
177
Skills for Life champions’ brief
181
Skills Check
183
The Step in to Learning initiative forms part of the mainstream policy of the Skills for Life Strategy Unit (SfLSU), Sure Start Unit,
Department for Work and Pensions and Department for Education and Skills.
142
Additional resources
Introduction
This section of the Professional Development Resources file contains additional handouts
developed alongside the Step in to Learning training and development programme. The
resources are designed to support the personal and professional development of staff and
managers who have accessed the Step in to Learning training and development programme.
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Additional resources
Personal development journal
Overview
The purpose of the information in this personal development journal is to provide early years
and childcare staff with additional material to supplement that already covered in the twelvehour Step in to Learning training and development programme and to help staff prepare for
the written assignment(s) required to achieve one of two qualifications:
• The City & Guilds 9295 Level 2 Certificate in Adult Learner Support, Unit 1, External
Assessment (Working in the Sector)
• The Council for Awards in Children’s Care and Education (CACHE) Level 3 Certificate of
Professional Development, Optional Unit 19, Delivering Skills for Life: the national strategy
for improving adult literacy and numeracy skills (Step in to Learning).
The accreditation route selected will depend on current job role and future career
aspirations of staff.
To register for the accreditation, staff will need to contact the early years and childcare
service or Skills for Life manager in their local authority or local college. The Step in to
Learning training and development programme trainer should be able to give advice and
guidance on local contacts.
City & Guilds Level 2 Certificate
A single assignment provides the assessment for this unit and consists of a number of
tasks related to the work that has been completed on the Step in to Learning training and
development programme. It lasts about three hours. The assignment is ‘open book’, which
means that all the notes from the training and the personal development journal can be
taken into the assessment venue, but remember, time is short so the first thing to do is to
ensure that the notes are in an order where the relevant points are readily accessible. The
assignment is externally set and marked.
Council for Awards in Children’s Care and Education (CACHE) Level 3 Certificate
Three assignments provide the assessment for this unit based on the completed Step in to
Learning training and development programme. The completed assignments must be
submitted and marked as a whole and not in separate sections. The completed work
should not exceed 3,500 words. This should include references and a bibliography to
144
Additional resources
support the work, where appropriate. References and quotations within the text are not
included in the word limit. The assignments are internally set and marked.
Putting the Step in to Learning training and development programme notes in order
Generally the topics for the assignment will follow the modules of the Step in to Learning
training and development programme. Please ensure that the notes are ordered according
to these headings:
• Background to the Skills for Life agenda
• Scales of national and local need
• The impact of low language, literacy or numeracy skills on the individuals involved, on the
communities they are part of, and on the workplace
• The assessment process including identification of and screening for language, literacy or
numeracy needs
• Barriers to learning
• Local provision and signposting
• Skills for Life roles and responsibilities.
The scope of the assignment is rather wider than the focus of the Step in to Learning
training and development programme. However, by the time the supplementary
information has been completed there will be sufficient material in total to ensure that you
are confident about taking the accreditation.
This personal development journal will supplement three main areas of the Step in to
Learning training and development programme:
• local provision and signposting
• the assessment process
• Skills for Life job roles and responsibilities.
For each of the topics there will be additional information and a number of activities to
complete to help ensure understanding. Each section closes with an activity similar to one
in the final assignment. In addition, at the back of the personal development journal there
are four case studies for you to consider and questions about each of them to help you to
begin to think about how your early years or childcare setting might put this learning into
practice.
Local provision
In module 3 of the Step in to Learning training and development programme, you have
already begun to look at ways of establishing links with a range of post-16 Skills for Life
providers. This section is going to help you to get started on building up a practical resource
base to use to help you signpost parents/carers to the most appropriate provision.
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Additional resources
Activity 1: Local providers (approx. 10 minutes)
Take a few moments and note down all the organisations in your setting’s locality that
might provide Skills for Life opportunities.
Obviously the answers here will all be different depending on the setting’s exact area but
some of the suggestions that you might have noted down include:
• local further education college
• adult and community education
• Workers Educational Association (WEA)
• Jobcentre Plus
• private training providers (e.g. A4E, Best)
• libraries
• learndirect
• housing associations
• voluntary organisations
• probation service.
Workplace Skills for Life provision could have been included in the list, although this is
often more difficult to find out about. However, if the parents/carers that your setting works
with are in employment, you and your colleagues should encourage them to find out what
is available at their workplace. Some workplaces are very supportive of employees who
want to brush up their literacy, language and/or numeracy skills and may either provide onsite sessions or allow them to take time to attend adult post-16 provision elsewhere.
However, to be able to signpost effectively, it is not enough just to suggest to
parents/carers where they might find post-16 provision. Some adults with language,
literacy and numeracy needs find it very daunting to deal with educational establishments
and may need support to read information in a college prospectus. In order to support
them, you will need to try to obtain leaflets or brochures from all the providers in the area
so that you can help parents/carers to actually find the information they need. It is also
helpful if you can find out who parents/carers need to talk to so that, if they go into an adult
education centre to enrol or phone to find more information, they already know who they
need to talk to and do not have to explain themselves in what might be a very public
reception area.
Activity 2: Collecting Skills for Life information
Start to build a folder containing a prospectus/leaflet/brochure for all the Skills for Life
providers in your setting’s locality together with the name of the appropriate contact and a
phone number. Use the set of pro-formas in the Professional Development Resources file
to record this information if you wish (module 3, activity 3b and 3e). Once this is prepared,
you will have instant information to help the setting’s parents/carers to access the most
appropriate learning opportunities to meet their needs.
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Additional resources
Don’t forget to update this information regularly. Adult education courses may change
during an academic year and staff sometimes change jobs or take on different
responsibilities.
Activity 3: Pre-assessment (approx. 45 minutes)
In an early years setting the manager is considering a range of family learning
programmes which the setting will organise on site for parents/carers. Write a memo, to
the manager, using the pro-forma on the next page, outlining why
they should include Skills for Life provision on site.
Consider what is already available locally and where there are gaps in the provision that
the setting could fill. As this is an imaginary situation, do not worry too much about the
practicalities such as funding or staffing the provision, just outline what would be ideal for
the setting.
(Hints: For this activity please make use of the Step in to Learning training and
development programme delegate materials and the notes made on the training
on scales of local/national need and effects of low language, literacy and numeracy skills
on individuals and the community; the file that you have put together in activity 2 on local
provision; the work that you have done on signposting parents/carers to the most
appropriate provision; and, most importantly, imagination!)
Me m or a ndum
To:
________________________________________________________
From:
________________________________________________________
Date:
________________________________________________________
Subject:
________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
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Additional resources
The assessment process
Assessment for potential adult Skills for Life learners follows a number of set steps. After
working through module 2 of the Step in to Learning training and development programme,
you will already be familiar with the idea of initial observations or interviews followed by the
use of a screening tool. Screening can be carried out by anyone, but to ensure that you
have the necessary skills to be able to screen effectively it is recommended that you have
appropriate training.
After you have signposted parents/carers to a Skills for Life provider they will be further
assessed to determine exactly what areas of language, literacy and numeracy they need
to brush up and to ensure that they attend the most appropriate learning opportunities to
meet their individual needs. The diagram below shows the different stages in the
assessment process.
Whilst you may never be directly involved with this further assessment (although as a
trained champion or volunteer you could administer an initial assessment which would
then be interpreted by a trained Skills for Life subject specialist (teacher)), it is important
that you understand the process. The more information that settings can provide to the
parents/carers they work with, the less apprehensive they will be about accessing
appropriate learning opportunities.
Initial interview/observation
This is the first step in the assessment process and, as you have already identified, may
consist of observing parents/carers and talking to them about what areas of literacy,
language and/or numeracy they wish to brush up.
This is a particularly important stage – many parents/carers with language, literacy or
numeracy needs are extremely skilled in camouflaging their needs so you may be looking for
both verbal and non verbal clues. For example, some parents/carers trying to complete
registration forms might resist and say that there’s always too much paperwork involved in
everything and that they don’t have the time to waste. This sometimes means that staff
complete the form for parents/carers and just ask them for a signature.
In addition to what you have already learnt during the Step in to Learning training and
development programme about parents/carers underestimating their abilities, surveys
carried out for the International Adult Literacy Survey (IALS) have shown that a significant
number of adults also overestimate what they can do. This is a particularly difficult area to
approach as the individual’s assertions may not be backed up by observation, and an
indirect approach may be needed. In cases such as these, the fact that teaching methods,
in both early years provision and in schools, have changed substantially may provide
settings with an opportunity to suggest that parents/carers might benefit from learning
about the current methods in order to support the children they care for. In this way
parents/carers have the opportunity to brush up their own skills and learn how to support
their children.
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Additional resources
Adapted from the DfES leaflet ‘The Learning Journey’
149
Additional resources
Activity 4: Looking for clues (approx. 10 minutes)
Think about all the day-to-day procedures in your early years or childcare setting that
involve parents/carers (e.g. registration forms, absence notes or phone calls), and then
make a list of all the procedures which might provide you with clues as to whether or not a
parent/carer had language, literacy or numeracy needs.
Screening
Is there a language, literacy or numeracy need?
During the Step in to Learning training and development programme, you learnt that
observation alone is not necessarily enough to identify language, literacy or numeracy needs
and that it is best to supplement observations with a screening tool. Screening tools within
early years or childcare settings are often geared to the types of activities parents/carers
would normally carry out in that setting, but other organisations may use different methods
such as the Family Fast Track Twenty Questions screening tool. (During the Step in to
Learning training and development programme your trainer will have already shown you the
Family Fast Track or an alternative screening tool.)
Whatever method is used, it is important to remember that screening should be a negotiated
process carried out in cooperation with parents/carers. It should never be something that is
done to them; rather something that is done supportively and collaboratively.
Activity 5: Questioning parents/carers (approx. 20 minutes)
Using the list that was made for activity 1, together with your knowledge of the early years
or childcare setting, make a list of questions that you could ask parents/carers to begin the
screening process, or other ways you could introduce the topic of their potential language,
literacy or numeracy needs.
(Hint: For this type of activity it is best to try not to use ‘closed’ questions – those which
can be answered with ‘yes’ or ‘no’. The aim is to get parents/carers to begin to talk about
language, literacy or numeracy concerns in general.)
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Initial assessment
Activity 6: Why do you need to assess parents/carers?
(approx. 5 minutes)
Once parents/carers have undertaken a screening process to establish whether or not
they have language, literacy or numeracy needs, why would a post-16 Skills for Life
provider ask them to undergo further assessment? Make a note of the answer and see if it
corresponds with the information below.
Many post-16 Skills for Life providers make provision for prospective learners to attend a
preliminary interview before they enrol for a course. These interviews are often conducted
1:1 or in small groups and allow the subject specialist (teacher) to conduct an initial
assessment and to talk informally to the parents/carers so that they can be directed
towards the most appropriate provision to meet their needs. Most Skills for Life providers
use a standard initial assessment tool for these interviews.
Following on from the screening which established whether or not there was a language,
literacy or numeracy need, this initial assessment asks the question:
‘What level is that need at?’
The national adult literacy and numeracy standards (and the core curricula) are divided
into five levels: Entry 1, Entry 2, Entry 3, Level 1 and Level 2. There is a separate Preentry curriculum for parents/carers working below Entry level, and an ESOL curriculum for
learners whose first language is not English (Please refer to the qualifications framework in
your delegates’ pack which shows equivalent qualification levels.)
This assessment helps a Skills for Life subject specialist (teacher) to identify the level that
parents/carers are already working at and begins to identify particular areas of strength
and weakness. For example, on the initial assessment tool, some questions are based
around comprehension whilst others are based on spelling. Some Skills for Life providers
may then be able to direct parents/carers towards Skills for Life courses which are at their
level – although many such courses cater for a wide range of abilities, some linked by a
common interest such as family learning, learning using IT resources or workplace specific
provision.
For some Skills for Life providers, it is impossible to provide specific initial assessment
sessions for parents/carers prior to the start of a course. In these cases, the parent/carer
would undergo initial assessment once they had enrolled. Where it is possible to use initial
assessment prior to enrolment, this process would determine the best possible course for
parents/carers aimed at their assessed level.
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In both models the initial assessment may be administered and supervised by a trained
volunteer, support worker or champion, but the results should always be interpreted and
discussed with the parent/carer by a fully trained Skills for Life subject specialist.
Using the information gained from this initial assessment, the subject specialist and
parent/carer can begin to negotiate an individual learning plan. This is one of the most
important documents in Skills for Life provision as it records the parent’s/carer’s overall
aims and objectives (i.e. why they want to improve their language, literacy or numeracy)
together with the steps they will take to achieve these objectives.
Activity 7: Individual learning plans (approx. 5 minutes)
Take a few minutes to consider whether or not the information from an initial assessment
would be sufficient to allow the subject specialist and parent/carer to complete a detailed
individual learning plan (ILP). If not, what further steps might they need to take?
An initial assessment, when interpreted by a trained and experienced Skills for Life subject
specialist, provides sufficient information to start an ILP, but more detailed information is
needed before the subject specialist (teacher) can plan an effective programme of
learning. For example, the initial assessment may show the teacher that the parent/carer
needs to brush up on their spelling and an experienced teacher may even be able to begin
to identify areas of spelling that need developing, but this information is not enough to plan
a programme of learning. For example, in addition to knowing that the parent/carer has
some general areas to brush up in their spelling, the subject specialist needs to know
which particular spelling patterns, such as double consonants or formation of plurals for
example, are causing a difficulty. In order to help the subject specialist identify these more
detailed areas, the parent/carer will be asked to take part in a diagnostic assessment.
Diagnostic assessment
Where screening asks ‘Is there a language, literacy or numeracy need?’ and initial
assessment asks ‘What level is that need at?’, diagnostic assessment asks
‘Which particular areas within that level does the parent/carer need to work on?’
This type of assessment should always be both administered and interpreted by a trained
Skills for Life subject specialist and is very often carried out using IT facilities within the
session such as laptop computers. The subject specialist can select a number of activities
from a wide variety of topics which help to pinpoint the exact areas of language, literacy or
numeracy most appropriate for each parent/carer to work on. In this way, each diagnostic
assessment is specific to the needs of the individual. When the assessment has been
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completed, the teacher and parents/carers receive a printout which can be used as a basis
for discussion to help negotiate a more detailed individual learning plan.
A handout called ‘The Learning Journey’ showing the full assessment process for personal
information, which also outlines the role of formative and summative assessment
(discussed below), is included on your Step in to Learning training and development
programme CD-ROM.
Two other types of assessment are associated with all learning situations: formative
feedback and summative feedback. Although you may not be familiar with the terms,
it is very likely that settings regularly provide both types of assessment.
Formative assessment
Formative assessment consists of the feedback given to parents/carers and children while
they are performing a task to help them to try to extend the finished activity.
For example, in the setting’s day-to-day work situations, you are involved with children
who are carrying out various activities. Formative feedback is the suggestions that you
might make to help children to develop or extend what they are doing.
If a child is painting a picture, for example, you will give them some positive
encouragement such as ‘I really like the way you have included lots of animals in your
picture’ and then a follow this up with suggestions for how they might build on the picture:
‘What do you think the farmyard looks like?’
Similarly, teachers on Skills for Life courses continually provide formative feedback for
parents/carers. A parent/carer writing the first draft of a letter, for example, might receive
encouragement from their teacher about the content of the letter and the way they have
set it out but also be asked to think whether they have used the appropriate way of starting
and ending the letter.
Summative assessment
Summative assessment is the feedback given once a task is completed.
Again it should always be supportive and encouraging but should also provide the learner,
be they adult or child, with constructive suggestions for how the activity could be further
extended in the future.
Initially, the teacher, subject support worker or volunteer/champion should help the
parent/carer to acknowledge the strengths of their work before going on to help them
identify any areas where they might like to develop their skills.
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So, in the case of the letter-writing example above, the subject specialist will comment
positively on aspects such as layout, spelling of particular words that the parent/carer had
previously been unsure of, and punctuation that they have now mastered before asking
the parent/carer if they felt there were any ways in which the letter could be extended. This
gives the parent/carer the chance to identify mistakes for themselves – this is always
better for self-esteem than having them pointed out by someone else!
Only at this stage would the teacher then offer suggestions and these should always be
kept within reason. If the parent/carer was working on spellings, for example, the teacher
might identify spelling errors but not comment on punctuation, as the parent/carer was not
concentrating on that aspect at that time.
Activity 8: Using formative and summative assessment
(approx. 30 mins, although you might want to make notes during the day)
Now that you are able to recognise summative and formative assessment, make a note of
all the times during a day that this type of feedback has been given to either children or
parents/carers. Remember to record instances of their use at home as well as at work.
You might be surprised to see how many times you already use these assessment
techniques in everyday work or home situations.
Activity 9: Producing handouts (approx. 20 min)
In the course of the setting’s work, you may meet a number of parents/carers who are not
clear about what will happen to them if they enrol on Skills for Life provision. They have
heard that they will be ‘assessed’, but are not sure what this involves and are nervous
about having to take any kind of ‘test’.
Using the information that you now have about the assessment process; try to make a
handout for parents/carers that shows the different ‘steps’ of the whole assessment
process.
Remember that some of the parents/carers that you will be signposting towards Skills for
Life provision will have low reading skills, so try to keep the text for the handout to a
minimum. You might find it helpful to include illustrations or other visual clues where
possible.
(Hints: You may wish to use the ‘Learning Journey’ handout on the Step in to Learning
training and development CD-ROM.)
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Action point
Because settings may need to provide this information to parents/carers at short notice, it
would be a good idea to develop the handout, maybe in discussion with colleagues, and
devise a final version for the early years or childcare setting. You could then keep copies
of the handout on file ready to provide to parents/carers that you are signposting about
accessing support with language, literacy and numeracy.
Skills for Life job roles and responsibilities
During the Step in to Learning training and development programme you have already
considered the key role that early years and childcare frontline staff can have as
champions and adult learner supporters helping to encourage parents/carers to brush up
their language, literacy or numeracy skills. In addition, Skills for Life learners may also
meet three other categories of people who will support them during their Skills for Life
sessions, described in the table on the next page:
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Role
National Qualification
Framework level of
specialist qualification
Definition of role (all
contexts)
Adult learner supporter
(sometimes referred to as
champion, volunteer or
mentor)
Level 2
Supports the learner:
identifying and screening
potential learners, signposting
to appropriate provision,
supporting learners under the
supervision of a subject
specialist (teacher).
Support/teaching assistant
(This role may be fulfilled by
two types of people: teachers
of other subjects who also
wish to support discrete adult
literacy, numeracy or ESOL
learning, or those for whom
the Level 3 role is their sole
responsibility).
Level 3
Supports the teaching
process: screening and
contribution to initial
assessment, contribution to
individual learning plans,
contribution to teaching,
supporting learners to identify
progress towards their goals;
can work individually or with a
small group; works under the
instruction and guidance of
the subject specialist.
Subject specialist/teacher
Level 4
Leads the learning: leading
teaching, planning work for
each session based on
learner ILPs, responsible for
negotiating ILPs, full initial
and diagnostic assessment,
teaching, guiding and
supporting of teaching
assistants (subject support)
and learner support.
All of these people play important and slightly different roles in post-16 Skills for Life
provision; this section will help you to identify these different, although sometimes
overlapping, roles. In addition to enabling settings to provide information to parents/carers
to help them understand Skills for Life provision, an overview of the different roles will also
help you to understand the opportunities for future professional development open to you
once they have completed the activities in this journal.
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Activity 10: Areas of responsibility (approx. 20 minutes)
The table below shows a number of possible areas of responsibility in Skills for Life
provision. If possible, cut out all the separate responsibilities and then try to sort them into
three separate groups depending on whether each responsibility would be undertaken by
the adult learner supporter, a subject support assistant or a subject specialist (teacher). If it
can’t be cut out, draw lines in different colours showing who does what.
Subject specialist
(teacher)
Adult learner supporter
(volunteer, champion or
mentor)
Taking the register
Write for the student
Follow directions from the
teacher
Photocopy
Prepare handouts
Mark work
Administer initial
assessment
Complete enrolment forms
Write individual learning
plans for learners
Make the tea
Publicise classes
Review learning with
students
Translate for learners
Deliver the lesson
Read for the learners
Move furniture
Unlock the classroom
Prepare a scheme of work
Help learners organise
portfolios
Provide formative
assessment for the learners
on their work
Provide summative
assessment for the learners
on their work
Subject support assistant
This is not an easy task to complete and, to some extent, the answers will depend on
particular working environments. For example, some Skills for Life providers would need a
subject specialist to collect and sign for keys personally whilst other providers would allow
adult learner supporters to do this on their behalf. However, there are some responsibilities
which you should have linked to specific roles:
Subject specialist teachers: take the register, write individual learning plans, deliver the lesson,
review learning with parents/carers, prepare a scheme of work, provide formative and
summative assessment and review learning with students.
Subject support assistants: can undertake any of the other responsibilities and may also
provide parents/carers with formative assessment as they assist them in the completion of
tasks and may, depending on the circumstances, mark the learner’s work.
Adult learner supporters: may undertake many of the same tasks as subject support
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assistants but should not provide parents/carers with assessment nor mark their work. They
have a valuable role in encouraging and motivating learners, helping them stay on the course.
In most learning situations, everyone makes the tea!
Scenarios: Working with parents/carers
These case studies are designed to help you start to put into practice what you have learnt
on the Step in to Learning training and development programme and from the additional
information included in this personal development journal. Each case study provides you
with some background information about a potential ‘learner’ and asks that you identify
potential barriers that might prevent the ‘learner’ from taking up learning opportunities and
how you can signpost them to appropriate adult post-16 provision. Read each of the case
studies and then try to answer the questions at the end. Guidelines are offered at the end
of the case studies suggesting possible approaches to the different scenarios but there are
no absolute ‘right’ answers here
– for example, the advice you give may depend on what post-16 provision is
available locally.
Case study 1
Judy is a single parent in her early 20s and lives at home with her three-year-old son,
her parents and younger brother. After leaving school at 16 without any qualifications
she went to work in the same factory as her mother and has been there for the past
seven years. During this time she has progressed from being a machinist to overseeing
a team of other machinists but now the company is closing and she will be made
redundant. Her mother has been offered early retirement.
At a recent workshop at the nursery her son attends, Judy shared some of her concerns
about her future job prospects with the nursery manager. It helped to confirm Judy’s
growing awareness that her prospects of getting another job would be improved if she
had a maths and English qualification but she doesn’t know where to begin to get help.
Her family assume that she will just be able to get a job as a machinist in another factory
and keep telling her not to worry about it.
Task: Try to identify what the potential barriers to learning might be for Judy.
How would you encourage her to begin looking for ways to brush up her
maths and English?
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Case study 2
Winston is a lone parent with two daughters aged seven and four. His wife died about
two years ago and since then he has found it difficult to try to keep his family together. At
the moment he has a part-time job to fit in with his childcare responsibilities but he is
beginning to look towards the time when his younger daughter will start school and he
may be able to seek full-time employment which would substantially help the family
budget.
Although Winston gained a GCSE grade C in English, he didn’t really enjoy maths and
got a grade E. Since leaving school he has not undertaken any education and has been
working in low-paid manual jobs. He would like to enrol on an engineering course at
college but thinks he may need to improve his numeracy skills.
Task: Make some notes on how to use a screening tool to help Winston to identify
whether he needs to brush up his maths skills. How would you go about giving him
feedback? What sort of Skills for Life provision might you signpost him towards so
that an initial assessment could be carried out to identify the level he is working at?
Case study 3
Najwa is in her late 40s and doesn’t do paid work. Although her own children are now
grown up, she takes care of two of her grandchildren (aged seven and nine) three
times a week both before and after school whilst her daughter is at work. Najwa’s
own language and numeracy skills are probably somewhere between Level 1 and
Level 2 and, while her grandchildren were small, she had no problems supporting
them with their school work in the same way that she had done with her own children;
but now she finds it difficult to support them. She tells you that she really doesn’t
understand the way children are taught maths in British schools and can’t understand
why her grandchildren do not want to learn the way she and her children were taught.
She says that they’re always telling her that her ways of doing maths are wrong and
‘that we don’t do it like that at school’. Najwa would like to support her grandchildren
with their English and maths homework and would like to gain a maths qualification.
Task: What would you advise Najwa to do to be able to continue to support her
grandchildren and to re-establish her confidence?
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Case study 4
Michael is in his late teens and left school with a GCSE grade D in Maths and no
qualifications in English. With the help of his sister, who already works in a children’s
centre, he has been working as a volunteer with a children’s summer play scheme
and has decided that he would like to work with children as a career. He is prepared
to undertake further training to be able to attain this goal and has the full support of
his parents, who are delighted that he has found a potential avenue of work which
already interests him.
Task: Michael doesn’t know where to start or how to find out information about
childcare courses. What first steps would you advise?
Suggested considerations
Case study 1
The main barrier to learning for Judy may be her family’s attitude to learning. Research
shows clearly that low educational attainment tends to run in families and some parents
take the attitude that what was good enough for them should be good enough for their
children. Judy has recognised that the employment market has changed since she got her
first job and that she will need to update her skills but it will be hard for her to overcome
her family’s assumption that she will only get the same type of work as before. There may
also be a barrier about fitting in courses with starting a new job and looking after a young
child.
Many nurseries have staff who have attended the Step in to Learning training and
development programme and may be able to offer direct support to Judy, signposting her
to appropriate local provision. The nursery may also offer family literacy, language and/or
numeracy courses that Judy could access while her son is in the nursery, helping with the
childcare issue.
In addition, many firms who are closing down now offer their employees short training
courses to assist them in writing CVs, completing application forms and writing supporting
letters for job applications. If this type of provision is available, it would be another way to
begin to ease Judy back into education.
Case study 2
Winston has already recognised that he may need to improve his existing maths skills.
You could offer to carry out a Skills for Life screening assessment to help him identify if he
has a definite need. This could be done at his children’s school, nursery or local
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community centre who may offer learning opportunities and have links/partnerships with
local post-16 providers.
The advice you offer after this would depend entirely on his existing work commitments
and what courses were available locally but, given the fact that he achieved a grade D
maths qualifications at school, it is likely that he will need more support to brush up his
maths skills and would need to be signposted to a Skills for Life provider who would carry
out an initial assessment to determine the level he was working at. In the light of this, it is
unlikely that a short intensive course would be appropriate and Winston would probably be
better off attending a Skills for Life numeracy workshop where he could work on the skills
he needed to develop at his own speed and where occasional absences due to work or
childcare commitments could be accommodated. It is worth exploring learning
opportunities offered locally to fit in with his childcare needs.
Case study 3
Najwa would like to gain a maths qualification and would like to learn more about modern
teaching methods for maths in schools. As she has few time constraints within school
hours, a family numeracy course where parents/carers are brought up to date with current
teaching methods would probably suit her and reassure her that she was, in fact, able to
support her grandchildren. She might also benefit from brushing up her skills in order to
take the National Certificate in Adult Numeracy at Level 2.
If you don’t already have knowledge of courses at schools in your area, you might suggest
that she speaks to the children’s class teacher to find out what is available
at the school itself.
Case study 4
In some ways, Michael’s case is probably one of the easier examples that you will meet.
He is already motivated and has plenty of support at home, including a sister who can
provide practical support in the completion of assignments. You could advise him to begin
attending Skills for Life provision to gain qualifications in numeracy and literacy as well as
any appropriate childcare courses. Sooner or later he will need Level 2 qualifications to be
able to continue to progress in his chosen field of work. This may be available at his
placement once he is registered for a childcare course.
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Accreditation guidance
Additional information for delegates
As part of continuing professional development, staff working in early years and childcare
can develop their skills by gaining one of two qualifications related to the delivery of Skills
for Life: both cover very similar content so it is not necessary to work towards both awards.
Level 2 Certificate in Adult Learner Support City & Guilds 9295 –
Working in the Sector
Unit 1 of this qualification can be accredited as a stand alone unit for practitioners who
may need to support parents/carers with literacy, numeracy or language needs so that
they are more confident in supporting their children’s early development.
There is also the option of gaining the full certificate by completing Unit 2, ‘Supporting
Learners’ and one of the options for Unit 3:
• Literacy
• Numeracy
• ESOL.
Practitioners will also have the opportunity to gain Level 2 literacy and numeracy
qualifications if they do not currently have GCSE grades A*–C.
Level 3 Council for Awards in Children’s Care and Education
(CACHE) Continuing Professional Development Certificate
The Step in to Learning training and development programme, counts as one optional unit
(Unit 19) towards the CACHE Level 3 Certificate of Professional Development in Work with
Children and Young People. To gain the full qualification, practitioners will need to
complete one mandatory unit on individual professional development, plus
one more optional unit from the following:
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Unit
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
Title
Advanced practice in work with babies
Designing programmes for early learning
Delivering and assessing programmes for early learning
Developing children’s mathematical skills
Developing children’s language and literacy skills
Management of early years settings
Management of early years practice
Moving into out of school provision
Protecting children
(No longer available)
Influences on the behaviour of children and young people 0–15 years
Skills and strategies for working with children and young people 0–15 years
Supporting families in daily living
Supporting families in distress
Supporting children and families in toy libraries
Working with children and young people with special needs
Working with children and young people with special needs
Delivering Skills for Life: the national strategy for improving adult literacy and
numeracy skills: Step in to Learning
Working with children 0–3, including the Birth to Three Matters framework
Syllabus for Unit 1 of Adult Learner Supporter 9295 Certificate
and Unit 19 Council for Awards in Children’s Care and Education
(CACHE) Awards
Unit 1 (ALS) and Unit 19 (CACHE) both aim to equip managers and key staff from early years
and childcare settings with the knowledge and skills to help them to identify parents and
carers with a literacy, numeracy and/or language need and then signpost them to local adult
literacy, numeracy and/or ESOL learning opportunities. Improving parent/carer literacy,
numeracy and language skills will raise their confidence in supporting their children’s
development. We know from research that children with better educated parents perform
better at school, and conversely, that 60% of children in the lowest reading attainment group
have parents with literacy, language and numeracy difficulties. Candidates will identify and
access information about the agencies and organisations that provide appropriate adult
literacy, language, numeracy and/or ESOL learning opportunities in their local community.
Unit 1 (ALS) and Unit 19 (CACHE) both cover the following content:
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1 Raising awareness: the adult Skills for Life agenda and the role nursery staff have as
intermediaries and mentors
a) To recognise that Skills for Life is the national strategy for improving adult literacy,
numeracy and ESOL standards
b) To understand that Step in to Learning is a key initiative in response to Skills for Life
and is one of many programmes to engage adults with literacy, numeracy and/or
language needs
c) To acknowledge that there is an intergenerational cycle of literacy, numeracy and/or
language need
d) To identify the key role that early years and childcare staff have in encouraging
parents/carers to participate in improving their literacy, numeracy and/or language
skills because of the relationship of trust that already exists with parents/carers
e) To understand the role that early years and childcare staff have in identifying
parent/carer needs and signposting potential learners to local provision
2
Identifying and encouraging parents/carers with adult literacy, numeracy
and/or language needs to improve these skills
a) To recognise that adults have a variety of skills but may also have some literacy,
numeracy or language needs
b) To understand how parents/carers can be encouraged to improve their literacy,
numeracy and/or language skills by removing barriers to communication between
parents/carers and staff
c) To build on and develop techniques to help identify parents/carers with literacy,
numeracy and /or language needs
d) To plan how to match the literacy, numeracy and/or language needs of
parents/carers with local provision
3
4
Taking the next step: local research tasks
How to carry out local research leading to local knowledge of adult literacy
numeracy and/or ESOL learning opportunities
a) To identify common issues emerging from local research and consider ways of
addressing them
b) To reinforce the benefits of a whole team approach
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c) To identify ways of effectively planning to implement Step in to Learning
5 Action-planning for signposting
6 Signposting parents/carers to local literacy, numeracy and/or ESOL learning
opportunities. To develop the confidence to use existing skills to approach
parents/carers and signpost them to local literacy, numeracy and ESOL learning
opportunities
a) To consolidate knowledge of a range of organisations that early years and childcare
staff can establish working relationships with, to provide information and learning
opportunities for parents and carers to improve their literacy, numeracy and/or ESOL
skills
b) To understand the importance of establishing and maintaining strong links with
education and Skills for Life providers in the local community
c) To acknowledge that making recommendations requires sensitivity to the needs and
wishes of the parents/carers
d) To recognise that passing information within ethical boundaries, to others in the
setting increases the likelihood of success for parents/carers wanting to develop their
literacy, numeracy and/or language skills
On successful completion of either unit (Unit 1 ALS or Unit 19 CACHE), you will be able to:
• explain the importance of the Skills for Life agenda
• identify the basic literacy, numeracy and/or language needs of parents/carers
• evaluate the availability and accessibility of local provision of Skills for Life for
parents/carers
• reflect on own practice and perceptions of the role of promoting parent/carer
Skills for Life.
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Learning styles explained
You have probably noticed that when you try to learn something new that you prefer to learn
by listening to someone talk to you about the information. Some people prefer to read about a
concept to learn it; others need to see a demonstration of the concept. Learning style theory
proposes that different people learn in different ways and that it is useful to know what your
own preferred learning style is.
What are learning styles?
Learning styles are simply different approaches or ways of learning.
What are the types of learning style?
Visual learners:
learn through seeing
These learners need to see a person’s body language and facial expression
to fully understand the content of what is being said. They tend to prefer
sitting in the front row at events to avoid visual obstructions (e.g. people’s
heads). They may think in pictures and learn best from visual displays such
as diagrams, illustrated textbooks, overhead transparencies, videos,
flipcharts and handouts. During meetings, training or discussions, visual
learners often prefer to take detailed notes to absorb the information.
65% of the population are visual learners *
Auditory learners:
learn through listening
They learn best through verbal information exchanges, discussions, talking
things through and listening to what others have to say. Auditory learners
interpret the underlying meanings of speech through listening to tone of
voice, pitch, speed and other nuances. Written information may have little
meaning until it is heard. These learners often benefit from reading text
aloud and using a tape recorder.
30% of the population are auditory learners *
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Kinaesthetic (tactile) learners:
learn through, moving, doing and touching
Kinaesthetic learners learn best through a hands-on approach, actively
exploring the physical world around them. They may find it hard to sit still for
long periods and may become distracted by their need for activity and
exploration.
5% of the population are kinaesthetic learners *
Refer to the Step in to Learning training and development programme Delegate
Materials module 2 for further activities related to learning styles.
* McLuhan (1964), Labour (1998)
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Learning styles questionnaire:
Know your VAK
Tick the box which describes you best
1 When you think about spelling a word do you:
V
see the word?
A
sound the word out?
K
write the word down to see if it looks right?
2 When you are really concentrating, are you distracted by:
V
messiness/untidiness?
A
noise/talking/music?
K
movement?
3 When you recall specific incidents, do you:
V
do it with pictures/images?
A
do it with sounds?
K
see moving pictures?
4 When you are angry, do you:
V
remain silent, but seethe inside?
A
shout loudly?
K
clench your fists, grit your teeth, stamp about?
5 When you have difficulty remembering an incident that has
happened or a person you’ve met, do you:
V
forget names but remember faces?
A
forget faces but remember names?
K
remember only where you were and what you did?
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6 When describing an object, for example your front door, would you:
V
picture it in your mind?
A
describe it with words?
K
think how it feels, sounds, opens etc?
7 When you are learning, do you prefer:
V
work that is written down in many colours?
A
listening to a person talk or give instructions?
K
participating in activities, making or doing?
8 When you do leisure activities, do you prefer to:
V
watch TV, read, play on a computer?
A
listen to music?
K
play sports and games?
9 When you are talking, do you:
V
talk little and not like to listen for too long?
A
like to listen and talk as well?
K
talk with your hands and gesture a lot?
10 When you receive praise or a reward, do you prefer to:
V
receive a written note or certificate?
A
hear it said to you?
K
be given a ‘pat on the back’ or a handshake?
How did you get on?
Turn the page to find out what kind of learner you are.
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Results
Total number of Vs
___________
Total number of As
___________
Total number of Ks
___________
The letter that has the highest score indicates your preferred way of learning.
Many people do not have a really strong preference and can work easily with all three styles. If
you have roughly equal scores, this may be you!
What is VAK?
V = visual
A = auditory
K = kinaesthetic
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Primarily VISUAL learner
Looks at what is being taught
Into the language of the teacher
Well-organised, neatly kept work
Visualises and constructs
Good speller and reader
Rule follower
Observant
Quieter
Memorises by picture
Would rather read than be read to
Has trouble remembering oral instructions
Benefits from the use of colour in learning
Strategies for VISUAL learners
Use visual displays
Mindmaps
Video and OHPs
Highlighter pens
Creative visualisation
Diagrams
Charts
Images
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Primarily AUDITORY
learner
Talks under breath and mutters
Good mimicker, can repeat word for word
Remembers what has been said
Easily distracted by noise
Can ‘tell’ an essay better than write it
Moves lips/says words when reading
Likes music
Learns by listening
Often sits with head to one side – dominant ear turned to teacher
Cannot ‘tune out’ sounds very easily – irritated by someone talking when teacher is talking
Strategies for auditory learners
Pair/group discussions
Dramatic reading out loud
Muttering
Guest speakers
Rap, rhyme, chants
Mnemonics
Onomatopoeia
Music
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Primarily KINAESTHETIC
learner
Moves out of seat a lot
Reaches out or goes to teacher frequently
Likes to read words with finger and touch the paper
Likes to be ‘part of’ and learns by muscle memory
Committed to comfort and movement
Touches people and stands close
Gestures a lot
Responds physically
Memorises by walking, seeing
Needs to get their ‘hands on the learning’
Strategies for kinaesthetic learners
Underlining key points
Mime/body sculpture
Break state activities
Design and build activities
Notes on Post-Its or cards
Walking and talking
Field trips and visits
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Move On and the National
Certificates in Literacy
and Numeracy
Move On offers a direct and positive approach to promotion, recruitment and delivery of
literacy, language and/or numeracy that highlights the benefits that learning and
qualifications can bring. Move On encourages Skills for Life post-16 providers to offer a
free brush-up course and practice tests. This approach has proved to be very successful.
The Move On approach uses the National Certificates in Adult Literacy and Numeracy as a
promotion tool and to accredit skills development at Levels 1 and 2 with people who would
probably not see themselves as having Skills for Life needs.
So how does Move On work?
It offers focused learning opportunities which include time to sample the national
certificates and then take a brush-up course that includes an individual learning
programme with two strands:
• to address learners’ wider skills development, and
• preparation and practice to gain the National Certificates in Adult Literacy
and Numeracy when ready.
The Move On approach enables a number of different models of delivery to be used to
meet the needs of learners. Although the initial model developed was built on a 30-hour
programme, the project has worked with Skills for Life providers to develop other models,
all fitting within the Learning and Skills Council funding methodology.
What are the key elements of Move On?
The key elements of the Move On approach are:
• to focus on learners at Levels 1 and 2, ensuring that Entry learners are referred to
appropriate provision
• promotion and publicity – positive sell of opportunity and entitlement of a national
qualification rather than negative needs focus; clear logo, promotion and presentation
resources
• recruiter/referrer/champion identification and training, using a cascade model
• focused short course with an individual learning plan that includes the two strands of wider
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•
•
•
•
•
skills development courses for learners and support for achieving a qualification
courses often offered through taster/motivational sessions
manager and teacher briefing and support modules
provision of mini and practice tests, session plans, teacher and learner resources
progression information, advice and guidance built in during the course
support to adopt the ‘package’ from a team of regional advisers, in turn supported by a
project and development team.
Is there anything else I need to know about the
Move On approach?
Move On will provide ‘recruiter training’ to enable early years staff and managers to
signpost parents/carers and colleagues to the national certificates. This training is provided
free of charge by regional Move On advisers. Contact details can be obtained from
www.move-on.org.uk.
Two nurseries were involved in a pilot project to set up as test centres to demonstrate
what is possible in early years and childcare settings. These nurseries had successfully
run family literacy, language and numeracy programmes in the past and so had a potential
learner base in the setting already. The families had developed confidence in the nursery
as being a safe environment in which to learn and had gained confidence in their own
skills and were open to taking a ‘national certificate in literacy and/or numeracy’.
What is involved if someone wanted to gain a
Level 2 qualifications in English and maths?
The National Certificates are delivered at Level 1 and Level 2 by Skills for Life
post-16 providers.
• Level 1 would be equivalent to a GCSE grade D.
• Level 2 would be equivalent to a GCSE grade A*- C.
• The National Certificates in Adult Literacy and Numeracy at Level 1 and 2 consist of 40
multiple-choice questions.
• A learner needs to score between 22 and 30 marks out of 40 to pass the test.
• The literacy test is one hour long and the numeracy test is one hour and
15 minutes long.
The literacy test covers:
• reading and understanding texts, e.g. newspaper articles and letters
• skills in spelling, grammar and punctuation.
The numeracy test covers:
• interpreting information, e.g. tables, charts and graphs
• calculating
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• measuring
• presenting information.
Parents/carers, staff and managers in early years and childcare settings who
pass the tests show current and potential employers that they are competent to carry out a
wide range of literacy and numeracy tasks. Staff, managers and parents/carers who have
not previously had any qualifications in English and maths will be able to add these to their
CVs. They will have gained a qualification that is nationally recognised and contributes to
local and national strategies.
The Children’s Workforce Strategy, 2005, states that local workforce strategies should
include: ‘regular training needs analyses, as part of performance management
arrangements, to identify skills gaps including in the essential skills of literacy, numeracy
and language’.
Where can I find out more information?
Early years and childcare settings can find out more information about the
Move On approach by ordering the following publications:
• The National Test Toolkit is available to order from DfES Publications on
0845 60 222 60 (ref: SFL NTT). This contains paper-based and CD ROM versions of the
practice tests and comprehensive information about the national certificates.
• The National Test Toolkit can also be accessed at:
www.dfes.gov.uk/readwriteplus/LearningInfrastructureAccreditation.
• The original version of the Move On document can be downloaded from the Move On web
site (www.move-on.org.uk).
• Copies of the Move On leaflets can also be ordered from DfES Publications on 0845 60
222 60 (ref: DSFL/NTL).
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How to become a test
centre
This information is for organisations that may be considering registering with an awarding
body to offer the National Tests to gain national qualifications in Adult Literacy and
Numeracy.
You should read this information in conjunction with the section on ‘Becoming a Test
Centre’ in File 1 of the National Test Toolkit, which contains additional information about
the arrangements for centres wishing to enter candidates for the National Tests.
The updated Toolkit and further information is available on the Move On web site
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(www.move-on.org.uk) or from DfES Publications by calling 0845 60 222 60 (quote
reference SFL NTT/NTT04 or NTT/NQ04 for all three files that include teaching and
learning materials and practice tests).
How will our becoming a National Test centre benefit my client
group?
• Giving them the opportunity to achieve a National Certificate shows that
you have belief in them and want to support them
• Being able to take the test within their own community is of great benefit
to learners
• Move On has already attracted several thousand adult learners to enrol on brush-up
courses leading to the National Certificates, with a success rate in the pilot of over 90%. In
order to give learners the best opportunity to pass the test we need more centres where
adult learners can take them.
But we are not an educational organisation – does that matter?
• No. In fact, many adult learners prefer to take the National Tests in non-educational
surroundings, so the more ‘non-traditional’ centres that offer the tests, the more people who
could benefit the most will be encouraged to gain a national qualification.
• So, whether you are a village hall, community centre, Internet café, sports club, social club,
public library, training provider, voluntary body, or any other sort of organisation, there’s
every reason why you should become a centre for the National Tests.
What will our clients need to do to gain the National Certificates?
Your clients who want to take the National Test in Adult Literacy or Numeracy in order to gain
the National Certificates will want to be confident that they can pass. They may benefit from a
skills brush-up and some practice tests before they take the ‘live’ test.
The Move On project can support you to develop an effective approach to offering this
opportunity. Visit www.move-on.org.uk to find out what resources are available and for the
contact details of the Move On regional adviser in your area.
What form do the National Tests take?
The tests consist of 40 multiple-choice items and last for one hour for literacy and 11/4 hours
for numeracy. They are available to take on paper and on screen. Tests are available on
demand, at any time on any day, to suit both the centre and the candidates.
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What do we need to do next to become a National Test centre?
You will need to register as a centre with what is known as an ‘awarding body’. Contact
details are listed on the insert. For the latest update on fees and customer service visit the
Move On web site (www.move-on.org.uk/findatestcentre.asp).
There are two ways in which you can become a registered centre. These are explained below:
1 Approach an awarding body directly and say that you want to
become a registered centre
The awarding body will normally visit your premises in order to assure itself that you can meet
all of the necessary requirements for security, supervision and general conduct of the tests.
The fee for this visit will be in the region of £150 to £250, according to which awarding body
you choose. You will need to show that:
• you can provide secure storage of test papers, (although this could be somewhere off the
premises)
• there is adequate space for the anticipated number of candidates to take the tests, with the
required gap of about 1.25 metres between tables, and that you can provide appropriate
staffing for invigilation.
2 Join up with a local college, school or other organisation that is already an
approved centre
You can ask a local school or FE college that is already a registered centre with an awarding
body to become one of their ‘satellite centres’. The school/college will need to satisfy itself that
you have all of the necessary facilities (as explained above). Some, but not all, awarding
bodies may still need to carry out an inspection visit at the same cost as above.
The advantage of this approach is that the school/college will be able to advise you about how
you should operate the tests and may be willing (sometimes at a cost) to provide the
invigilator(s) and any additional support for learners.
This method could be the quickest route to you being able to offer the National Tests. When
you are more familiar with what’s involved, you can then apply to become a centre in your own
right at a later date if you wish.
You could approach the second option above in three stages:
Stage 1: You provide premises and people interested in the opportunity to brush up their skills
and gain the new English and maths qualification.
• Learning/training provider gives tuition and you become a satellite test centre.
Stage 2: As above.
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• Provider trains your staff/volunteers to support learning.
Stage 3: You employ a teacher and become self-sufficient.
• Register as a test centre in your own right.
• Apply to your Local Learning and Skills Council for funding.
If you would like to discuss this further, please talk to your Move On regional adviser. You will
find the contact details on the Move On web site (www.move-on.org.uk/contactus.asp).
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Skills for Life champions’
brief
Skills for Life champions are early years and childcare staff and managers who are very
enthusiastic and committed to supporting the literacy, language and numeracy needs of
parents/carers through the Step in to Learning approach.
Skills for Life champions are people who particularly enjoy working with parents/carers or
colleagues and see the benefits of identifying their literacy, language and numeracy
needs. They become the identifiable ‘lead’ in their setting with whom managers,
colleagues and parents/carers liaise in relation to Skills for Life. This directly contributes to
the Skills for Life strategy for improving adult literacy, language and numeracy. The priority
is to improve the skills of key target groups where literacy and numeracy needs are
greatest and where the most impact can be made.
The skills that ‘champions’ acquire will contribute towards their own continuous
professional development – for example in gaining the Adult Learner Supporter Certificate
and widening their career opportunities.
Could YOU become a Skills for Life champion?
Are you:
• good at sharing information and do you have good interpersonal skills?
• aware of the need for confidentiality and sensitivity when working with parents/carers?
• a good motivator, supportive and sensitive to the needs of parents/carers, colleagues,
other volunteers and professionals who may have Skills for Life needs?
• able to identify the literacy, language and/or numeracy needs of parent/carers and have
an understanding of the benefits of screening to identify these needs?
• aware of local learning opportunities for parents/carers or colleagues to brush up their
literacy, language and/or numeracy skills and work towards national qualifications?
• aware of the benefits of helping parents/carers to improve their literacy, language and/or
numeracy skills and aware of the difference that Skills for Life will make to families, the
early years or childcare setting, and the local community?
• willing to work with your own colleagues and other professionals on the Step in to
Learning approach?
• able to raise awareness of learning opportunities, stimulate demand for learning and
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engage increasing numbers of early years and childcare staff and managers?
What do you need to do next?
• Discuss becoming a champion with your manager to gain their support and explore how
this valuable role can be implemented in your early years or childcare setting.
• Record in the setting’s development plan how the champion’s role can contribute to key
objectives.
•
Contact your early education and childcare department to find out how you can
access the Step in to Learning training and development programme to further develop
your skills to work with parents/carers.
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Personal Skills Check
Guidance documents for this Skills Check can be found at www.surestart.gov.uk/stepintolearning/resources.
Name of person checking their skills:
Date
Name of tutor/specialist
Location
Questions
What I have to do
The skills that I have to
help me do this
The skills I would like
to develop
English and maths
skills I may need help
with
Section 1: Being healthy
What do you have to
be careful about when
you prepare food for
children?
What do you do to
encourage them to
develop healthy eating
habits?
What do you have to
do if they are ill?
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Questions
What I have to do
The skills that I have to
help me do this
The skills I would like
to develop
English and maths
skills I may need help
with
Section 2: Staying safe
How do you avoid
risks to children?
What do you have to
do to understand and
follow health and
safety rules?
What do you do
if a child has an
accident?
What do you have to
do if you think a child
is suffering from child
abuse or neglect?
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Questions
What I have to do
The skills that I have to
help me do this
The skills I would like
to develop
English and maths
skills I may need help
with
Section 3: Enjoying and achieving
How do you help
parents1 to help their
children to develop
their skills?
How do you help
parents to play with
their children?
How do you help
children in your care to
develop their personal
skills, for example
through play or reading
stories?
How do you help
children with special
needs?
1
The term ‘parents’ refers to either the parents or the primary carers of the child.
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Questions
What I have to do
The skills that I have to
help me do this
The skills I would like
to develop
English and maths
skills I may need help
with
Section 4: Making a positive contribution
What do you do to help
children learn to behave
with other children, the
staff and their parents?
What do you do when
children behave
badly?
What do you do when
children behave
badly?
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Questions
What I have to do
The skills that I have to
help me do this
The skills I would like
to develop
English and maths
skills I may need help
with
Section 5: Other
What other activities
do you have to do in
your job?
•
•
•
•
•
Are there any other
skills you would like to
develop?
•
•
•
•
•
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