Haringey Nursery Schools Training Consortium

The Consortium was formed in 2011 to represent the progressive and outward looking role of nursery schools in the 21st century. We are a partnership of three maintained nursery schools in Haringey with a rich and diverse history of excellent integrated early years practice. Our central aim is to progress our role in leading system improvement in the Early Years in Haringey and beyond. Within our local authority we have established a strong reputation for providing high quality accredited and non-accredited training. This has been enhanced by working in partnership with the Haringey Early Years Team, Pen Green, Derby University, Middlesex University and Barnet and Southgate college. The schools are located in areas with some of the highest levels of deprivation within the borough of Haringey and serve a diverse population representing a rich cultural and ethnic mix. Typically 24 different languages are being spoken at each school and 65% of the pupil cohort have EAL. Each nursery school has an on site Children’s Centre and a key aspect of this work is supporting families onto pathways back into employment. The centres have effective on site volunteer training and placements for families within the community. We have been part of projects to enable and enhance children's learning and development across the curriculum and widened our partnership through collaborative creative projects including link work with Italy. Sweden, Finland & Denmark. We are one of 16 consortiums designated as an Early Years Teaching Centre, by the DfE in 2011, and we continue to develop and promote the training of staff in local early years settings. Staff training and development is associated with higher quality early years provision (Study of Early Education and Development (SEED), 2017) Children who experience high quality early years provision are well placed to achieve higher outcomes at school and develop better social, emotional and cognitive abilities necessary for life-long learning. (Foundation Years Great Early Years & Childcare, Knowledge Hub, 2018) Who are we? The Haringey Nursery Schools Training Consortium is a collaboration between Rowland Hill, Woodlands Park and Pembury House Nursery School and Children’s Centres. This partnership was formed in 2010 in order to support young children and practitioners in Early Year’s settings locally and further afield. The Nursery Schools have on-site Children’s Centres and offer fully integrated care and education for families. The combined strength of the nursery schools together with children’s centre services and childcare enables them to offer a wide range of services to children and families. The Nursery Schools have been judged by Ofsted to have outstanding practice and in 2011 were awarded ‘Early Years Teaching Centre’ (EYTC) Status. What is our aim? The Nursery Schools have a reputation for exciting, innovative Early Years expertise, practice and research which we have developed in order to improve outcomes for young children and their families. Through a close, strategic partnership with the Local Authority and a range of other partners, we are able to offer a range of high quality training and development opportunities for those in the Early Years Workforce. This includes staff in Primary Schools, Nursery Schools, Private, Voluntary and Independent Early Years Settings and Childminders. Together with the Haringey Early Years Quality and Improvement Team, we also offer an annual Early Years Conference.