Welcome to Inspirational Insights - The monthly modicum of meanderings from MBK Training. We find it hard to deal with change, like most people we presume, so when they changed the size and price of soft drinks, we had a good moan in the office. The sugar tax may be used to add £26 million to support breakfast clubs though, so that's something! But maybe some things should change; NCTs (SATs) in KS1 for example, or the amount of … [Read more...]
Blended Learning in Paediatric First Aid
April 5, 2018 by Leave a Comment
Update: 24th April 2018 Since we wrote and published this blog, the HSE have changed the document that is referenced in the EYFS. The new document states that blended learning is an accepted method of training for workplace first aid. You can view the new version on the same link below, or here. Point 24 is the one of interest. This is obviously a fundamental change to their policy, and one that may cause us to change our position on … [Read more...]
Inspirational Insights 36th Edition
March 19, 2018 by Leave a Comment
Welcome to Inspirational Insights - The monthly modicum of meanderings from MBK Training. Something we haven't talked much about in Inspirational Insights before, is just how hard it is to find staff at the moment! A recent survey by the NDNA shows that there are almost 20% less L3 qualified staff than there were in 2015. And with the 30 hours 'free childcare', nurseries are as poor as ever so this doesn't look set to … [Read more...]
Inspirational Insights 35th Edition
February 13, 2018 by Leave a Comment
Welcome to Inspirational Insights - The monthly modicum of meanderings from MBK Training. As is becoming the custom, after the second half of 2017, not a great deal has happened in the News. We had a reshuffle of the government, naming Damian Hinds (pictured) as the new Education Secretary. We will keep you informed how that works out! Without much news, we spent our time (or rather Matt spent his) writing about the key topics that … [Read more...]
Supervisions – What’s in them? Part 4
February 5, 2018 by Leave a Comment
So we are already on to the 4th and final part of our series of blogs about the content that we believe should be included in a supervision, you can find the previous articles here, here and here. If you have read the previous posts, then jump right in below, but if this is your first one, then here is what you have missed... Including moderation allows you to make sure that staff are all looking for the same things and that children continue … [Read more...]
Supervisions – What’s in them? Part 3
January 15, 2018 by Leave a Comment
Last year (Happy New Year everyone), I started a series of articles about the different subjects that should be covered during a supervision, you can find the previous articles here and here. Information about what should be included in a supervision doesn't seem to be forthcoming from any of the usual sources, and that means settings are all doing it a bit differently. We thought it was about time to get some alignment. This time, I will be … [Read more...]
Merry Christmas & A Happy New Year
December 23, 2017 by Leave a Comment
We just wanted to take this time to thank you all for your custom this year and we look forward to working with you again in 2018. Merry Christmas & a Happy New Year! From the MBK Team x … [Read more...]
Supervisions – What’s in them? Part 2
December 22, 2017 by Leave a Comment
A couple of weeks ago, I started writing about the different subjects that should be covered during a supervision, you can find the article here. This information doesn't seem to be forthcoming from any of the usual sources, and that means settings are all doing it a bit differently. This week, I will be discussing why I think safeguarding should be a big part of a supervision. This is a slightly more obvious topic than last time, so I think … [Read more...]
Early Years: Will we get our £770,000,000 back?
December 15, 2017 by Leave a Comment
So, on reading this article in Nursery World which informs us that there is a massive 93% underspend on the Tax Free Childcare Accounts - which ultimately forms part of the £6 billion investment in early years funding for education & childcare I can't help but ask: Will we see this money come back into the sector through increased funding rates? I suspect I know the answer will be NO, but perhaps we should be asking those that advocate our … [Read more...]
Inspirational Insights 34th Edition
December 12, 2017 by Leave a Comment
Welcome to Inspirational Insights - The monthly modicum of meanderings from MBK Training. Christmas is fast approaching and we have had some cold days to remind us that it's officially winter. Or maybe that the weather has been colluding with Russia (which it denied when asked). Early Years looks set for some serious changes in the coming months and years. We heard from two prominent people, and they were both saying that the current … [Read more...]
