Category: DP News

Dingley’s Promise launches FREE Transition Training Course

Dingley’s Promise collaborates with the Early Years SEND Partnership to launch FREE Transition Training Course

Following the success of the charity’s Inclusion Training Offer, launched during the Covid-19 lockdown, Dingley’s Promise has become the newest member of the Early Years SEND Partnership and will offer a new course that centres around transitions in the Early Years.

The course, titled Early Years SEND Transition Training, is aimed at professionals working with children in the EYFS, Special Educational Needs Coordinators (SENCOs) in receiving primary schools, and relevant Local Authority staff. It focuses on how to best support children with special needs and disabilities (SEND) to have the best transitions from Early Years settings to school.

The training takes place online via workbooks, recorded seminars and live group webinars led by trainers. The course is divided into three units which delve into the transition process from the point of view of the child, the family, and the settings. It will consider why children with SEND (and their families) are likely to find transition more challenging, and look at what strategies can be used to benefit everyone involved in the process. The course will also highlight how to support well being and the impact of Covid-19.

180 free spaces are on offer to local authorities across England, with a maximum of three people from each area. Those three spaces will first be offered to an Early Years Practitioner, a school SENCO, and a local authority employee, but the most important thing is that participants are actively committed to working in their local area to improve transitions for children with SEND.

Dingley’s Promise is also facilitating transition planning processes in four local authority areas in the south as part of the same project, and in those areas there will be local ‘Action Learning Sets’ and an additional three places on the training to give them the most information and expertise possible during the process.

Sign ups for the training are open and will close on the 20th of August.

Dingley’s Promise looks forward to working with the first cohort of trainees in September and is proud to be spearheading a movement to improve transitions for children with SEND nationwide.

7th August 2020
CEO’s Blog: Learning from lockdown

What can we learn from lockdown about how to best support children with SEND in the early years?

Lockdown has been hard for everyone – but particularly for children with SEND and their families. Research from the Council for Disabled Children highlights how the early years sector is concerned about transitioning children back to settings, as well as transitioning them on to school in light of the long absence from settings. The research also raises concerns about the social and emotional impact of lockdown for children, and an increase in challenging behaviour as children struggle to cope with changes to routine and the loss of usual social interactions.

As children started returning to our Centres in June, we were surprised to find that few of them had difficulty in returning and in a relatively short time they had all resettled well. Once settled, we focused on working with them and their families to understand what the impact of lockdown had been on them and their learning. What we found was that in general, the higher the needs of the child, the more they had fallen behind, which leaves us with concerns about those children who are still self-isolating with their families and are clinically vulnerable. For children with higher needs that experience a longer period of absence, the return to settings is likely to be more challenging.

For those children, we have put in place a plan to focus on the therapy they have missed while in lockdown when they return in September. Our teams have identified activities and strategies for each child who had a Physiotherapy, Speech & Language, and Occupational Therapy Plan to ensure they can access as much professional therapy as possible. In addition, we have started planning activities for each of them that will complement that therapy whilst in the setting. We are also continuing to support children and families remotely through the summer holidays and are doing our best to ensure that they have a sense of belonging, structure and continuity in their lives.

Specifically, the key learning areas that we discovered to have suffered the most during lockdown, among all of our children, are ‘health and self care’, and ‘listening and attention’. In order to help the whole cohort of children, we have planned a range of activities linked to these skills for all the children in our Centres in September so that we can contribute to recovering lost progress in these areas.

Of course, all of this will be done very carefully so that children are not overwhelmed, and we are aware that it is unlikely children will fully catch up to where they would have been had lockdown not happened.

More surprisingly though, we also found that some children had thrived during lockdown. The lack of pressure to conform to daily routine, the familiar surroundings and faces of home, and parents with much more time to support them, has meant that for some children lockdown has been a gift and they have developed fast. Our research showed that for 40% of our families, learning and communication actually improved for their children during lockdown.

As education providers, we must pause and think about what all of this means. It gives us the opportunity to restart our settings with a greater understanding of what helps children thrive, with the recognition that all children are unique. It is so important for all of us to consider which strategies used in lockdown will continue to be important in the future – and certainly for Dingley’s Promise this will mean more remote support that enables us to support and empower families more than ever before.

– Catherine McLeod MBE, CEO of Dingley’s Promise

If you would like to support our recovery programme for children with SEND, please donate to our project on the Good Exchange.

If you donate via The Good Exchange this Friday, the 24th of July, your donation will be trebled by the Greenham Trust as part of Double Matched Funding Day.

Learn more and donate here: https://app.thegoodexchange.com/project/18286

22nd July 2020
Dingley’s Promise staff upskill during lockdown

Staff at Dingley’s Promise have taken the opportunity to develop their skills and further their knowledge by undertaking online training during lockdown.

The course, titled ‘Behaviour that Challenges’, aims to equip caregivers with a more in depth understanding of the different behaviour conditions that affect children and young people, as well as the guidance and legislation surrounding behavioural risk factors and the impact mental health concerns may have on young children and others.

Run by The Aim Group (an online learning resource), the course is fully funded by the Government’s Adult Education budget, and learners receive an Ofsted Registered Level 2 Qualification upon completion.

Screen Shot: www.theaimgroup.co.uk/vocational-courses-vrqs?course_id=1

Staff participation in the ‘Behaviour that Challenges’ course forms part of Dingley’s Promise’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic. The charity’s three centres are temporarily closed and staff have been adapting to working and supporting children and families remotely. This change has therefore given staff some extra time to focus on upskilling.

Dingley’s Promise, as an organisation, has always been dedicated to providing opportunities for its staff to learn and develop because it is important for staff wellbeing, as well as benefiting the children and families that the charity supports.

Hannah Goddard, an Early Years Practitioner at Dingley’s Promise in Reading, explains how what she is learning on the course will help;

“When staff have better understanding, children receive better care and support. This training reminds us that the behaviours children show are a form of communication and expression. It also teaches us how to look for a child’s triggers (sensory overload such as lights, noise etc) and develop a support plan so we can care for each child in the best way, taking into account who is suitably trained and confident to support different behaviours.”

Chloe Owens, who works at the charity’s Wokingham Centre, says;

“It’s been interesting to see how much we are already doing for children in the centre fits into the ideas set out in the course, and the training is a reminder of how important it is to investigate the root cause of a behaviour. Consistency and communicating are two things I will be even more conscientious of in my practice, such as seeking out opportunities to talk regularly with colleagues and families about what’s working, what’s not and to find new ideas.”

The concluding section of the training focuses on helping practitioners to understand the support available to maintain their own wellbeing. This is particularly relevant because the 18th – 24th of May is Mental Health Awareness Week, led by the Mental Health Foundation. Dingley’s Promise is passionate about this initiative and embraces any new way to further support the mental well being of it’s team, such as through the ‘Behaviour That Challenges’ training. The charity signed up to the ‘Time to Change’ movement in 2017, and introduced ‘five ways to wellbeing’ and mental health first aiders across the organisation. An Employees Assistance Programme provides counselling and support when needed, and the organisation regularly takes part in staff sessions that encourage opening up, sharing concerns and supporting each other. The most recent staff survey shows that 77% of staff feel supported by Dingley’s Promise when they are stressed, with the remaining 23% neither agreeing or disagreeing. No staff member felt they were not supported, which shows the impact of really taking wellbeing in the workplace seriously.

Chief Executive Catherine McLeod MBE said:

“A few years ago, we encouraged staff at all levels of the organisation to share their thoughts and feelings on mental health and wellbeing. I shared my own story too, and since then we have all become much more open about mental health. Not only has this taken some pressure off people, but it has helped build closer relationships between colleagues as we all recognise how common mental health problems are, and that we can be there for each other.”

To lean more about the ‘Behaviour That Challenges’ course, visit https://www.theaimgroup.co.uk/

For more information about Mental Health Awareness Week and the support on offer, visit https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/campaigns/mental-health-awareness-week

18th May 2020
Dingley’s Promise partners with Newbury Weekly News to share expertise during lockdown.

Dingley’s Promise has partnered with Newbury News Ltd to create a new weekly column sharing articles that aim to support and advise families of young children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) during the Covid-19 lockdown. The articles are published both in print in the Newbury Weekly News paper and online at newburytoday.co.uk.

Dingley’s Promise has a long history of supporting West Berkshire based children with SEND in the early years, and their families, providing specialist support services at their centre in Shaw and through the charity’s Family Support Workers. Although the centre was forced to close due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Dingley’s Promise remains dedicated to continuing to support families and has adapted to new remote/online ways of working; such as virtual coffee mornings, creating online resources, and extending the Family Support Offer to all that need it.

The new column will play a vital part in sharing the charity’s message, ensuring that as many West Berkshire families as possible are aware that Dingley’s Promise is there to help. Each article is written by Training Manager Julia Cox, and is specifically targeted at parents/carers of children with SEND in the early years. Topics covered in the articles range from home learning advice, specialist insight and strategies to assist children’s development, links to useful resources and much more.

Dingley’s Promise is proud to be entering into such a brilliant partnership with Newbury News with the shared goal of encouraging and reassuring parents, as well as reducing feelings of isolation for families during lockdown. The two organisations have long enjoyed a supportive relationship, with Dingley’s Promise winning Charity of The Year at the first Newbury Weekly News Awards in 2017, and the news team have featured developments at the charity for a number of years.

The Newbury Weekly News is published every Thursday, with articles appearing online shortly after.

To read Dingley’s Promise’s latest article, on the topic of transitioning a child with SEND to school, click here.

11th May 2020
Staff Spotlight: Georgia Fromant

Life has become very different for a lot of us during the Covid-19 pandemic, and Dingley’s Promise has adapted quickly to new remote ways of working so we are able to continue providing life changing support to the children that attend our centres.

Our centre teams have risen to the challenge brilliantly! We spoke to Georgia Fromant from our West Berkshire Centre to hear about how her work life has changed and how she continues to support her key children;

What is your role at Dingley’s Promise?

Early Years Practitioner.

How has your role at Dingley’s Promise changed given the current circumstances? How are you finding it?

If you had asked me a few months ago whether it would be possible for me to work from home, I would have responded absolutely no way! But here I am, supporting my key children’s families as best I can by creating activity ideas and tutorials (via our online database, Tapestry). I’m also keeping in regular contact with my families to ensure they are all okay. I’m using the time to become my ‘best me’ as a practitioner – planning interactive stories, future activity ideas and making my way through a long list of additional training that I can complete ready to support my practice when we all come back together.

What do you enjoy most about your role?

Building relationships with families and children and getting to celebrate their successes with them.

Could you talk about your background in the Early years sector?

I started my Early Years journey in September 2016 when I came to Dingley’s Promise in West Berkshire as an Apprentice. I was gutted when it was over and there weren’t any full-time vacancies! So off I went for a year to be a Nanny. During this time I gained my qualification in Level 3 Inclusive Practice (created and run by Dingley’s Promise) and in October 2018 I returned to the West Berkshire centre as a qualified practitioner! Fast forward a year and I began my degree in Children’s Development and Learning!

In your spare time, what do you enjoy doing?

I really enjoy making things and doing DIY projects – for a while I even had my own Youtube channel! These days time is a little harder to come by but I still enjoy making things every once in a while. I have a good list of things to make for my wedding next year too!

How would you describe yourself in three words?

Creative, caring and energetic.

If you could go on holiday anywhere in the world, where would you go? (Once it is safe to of course!)

I would really love to go to the Maldives and stay in one of the bungalows on the water. Hopefully this dream can come true for our honeymoon!

Thank you Georgia!

To read more about the fabulous staff at Dingley’s Promise and the life changing support that the charity provides, sign up to receive our news here: https://app.etapestry.com/onlineforms/DingleyFamilyandSpecialistEar/signupfornews.html

To help us support as many families as we can during the Covid-19 pandemic, please donate to our vital appeal: https://www.justgiving.com/campaign/dingleyspromisecovid19appeal

29th April 2020
Dingley’s Promise launches FREE training offer in Inclusive Practice

Across the country, we are all contributing to the safety of others by self distancing and working from home. At this time, Early Years Practitioners may be looking for ways to keep busy and develop their skills while they are at home.

In line with their commitment to improving Early Years provision for children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), children’s charity Dingley’s Promise has developed and launched a new training module in Inclusive Practice, which is being offered free of charge to anyone it would benefit.

The new course, titled an ‘Introduction to Early Years Inclusive Practice’, forms part of the charity’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic and focuses on ensuring children with SEND are included in the mainstream wherever possible. With the charity’s centres being closed, Dingley’s Promise has adapted to supporting children and families remotely, and remains dedicated to providing every child with the best start in life, especially in these challenging times.

Chief Executive of Dingley’s Promise Catherine McLeod MBE said ‘we are so happy to be able to offer this module for free across the UK as we believe that it will help to spread inclusive practices in the early years. When we all return from this crisis we could be returning to more opportunities for children with SEND in the early years than ever before.’

Dingley’s Promise is a leading voice in the Early Years field and advocates for wider inclusion nationally, through relationships with organisations such as the Disabled Children’s Partnership. The charity also already runs a Level 3 qualification ‘Certificate in Early Years Inclusive Practice’, accredited by NCFE and supported by nasen (National Association for Special Educational Needs), making them well placed to launch this new training initiative.

The charity pledges that the free training offer will be accessible to all for as long as the lockdown continues.

For anyone who is interested in the course, a simple online form (https://www.dingley.org.uk/covid-19-response/#training) can be filled in and once an applicant is accepted, the training manual will be sent via email.

10th April 2020
Dingley’s Promise’s Reading receives Good Ofsted rating.

Following a routine inspection in November, Dingley’s Promise’s flagship Reading Centre has been awarded the rating of Good by Ofsted.

The inspection was undertaken by Ingrid Howell, and during her visit she completed a learning walk of the centre, led by Centre Manager Louise Farmer, to understand how the centre is run and how the curriculum is delivered. She also observed an activity that children and staff were taking part in and was able to have discussions with parents to take their views into account too.

In the resulting report, the centre is rated Good in all areas; quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development and leadership and management. The centre is described as a “warm and welcoming environment” where “children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) thrive”. The centre’s resources and use of it’s outside facilities were highly praised in particular:

“There are a good range of resources to support their physical skills, including climbing apparatus, swings and ride-on toys. Children with physical disabilities show great skill as they manoeuvre around obstacles with confidence.”

Additionally, centre staff were credited for the way they interact with the children. “Staff have a good understanding of children’s learning needs. They assess their progress accurately and know what they need to learn next.” The staff were also praised for incorporating the children’s interests into activities and for encouraging children to challenge their abilities and make independent choices. Notably, the report highlighted the positive and supportive language staff use with the children:

“Staff act as very good role models and frequently use positive language to help children understand expected behaviour… They are particularly supportive in helping children who struggle to control their feelings. For example, they use language, such as, ‘I understand’ and ‘I know how you feel’, alongside providing gentle physical comfort to help children calm and regulate their emotions.”

The centre’s overall management was commended by the report too, which highlighted the centre’s “robust recruitment procedures”, ongoing training and the commitment of the manager and staff.

Dingley’s Promise is pleased by the positivity of the report and the inspection outcome. The charity is committed to continuing to provide a Good service and welcomes the opportunity to reflect and implement improvements, ensuring the support the centre provides to children, families and the community goes from strength to strength.

To read the full report, click here :https://reports.ofsted.gov.uk/provider/16/EY428241

14th January 2020
Staff Spotlight: Abi Preston-Rees

We are lucky to have such amazing staff at Dingley’s Promise, and we want to put them in the spotlight because they are at the heart of everything we do!

Abi Preston-Rees is the Manager at our West Berkshire Centre in Newbury and has been with Dingley’s Promise since 2014. We managed to grab her for a chat about life, work and Justin Fletcher – and here’s what she said:

What do you enjoy most about your role at Dingley’s Promise?

Working with such lovely families, children and staff, and being able to provide a safe environment where everyone feels welcome and supported.

What has been your favourite memory from working at Dingley’s Promise so for?

Going to watch the Panto at the Hexagon in Reading and meeting Justin Fletcher (Mr Tumble). The children were so excited to meet him and so was I as I’m a big fan!

Can you tell us about your background in the Early Years/ Education sector?

Before starting at Dingley’s Promise in 2014 I had previously worked at Treloars, a Special School, as a Health Care Assistant and then a Physio Assistant. I had also spent some time in a mainstream nursery and worked 1:1 with a child with ASD within her family home. I have been a foster carer since 2010 and provide respite care for children with additional needs within my own home.

What do you enjoy doing in your spare time?

Spending time with my husband and 3 daughters going on adventures and making memories. I also love to go to the theatre and have seen numerous musicals!

How would you describe yourself in three words?

Friendly, Determined, Busy.

What are you passionate about?

Children, especially in the early years. I really feel it is important to expose them to as many new experiences as possible from an early age. This gives them the opportunity to make their own decisions and take risks in order to learn and grow into the best versions of themselves.

What is an accomplishment you are proud of?

Being given the opportunity to become Manager of the West Berks Centre and completing my Level 5 in Early Years Management.

What makes you laugh?

My daughters. They are a constant form of entertainment and make me laugh every day.

24th September 2019
Dingley’s Promise Early Years Inclusion Training goes national

Leading children’s disability charity, Dingley’s Promise has partnered with Action for Children, to spread their expertise and build more inclusion across the country. The two organisations have entered a partnership around the ‘Certificate in Early Years Inclusive Practice’ developed by Dingley’s Promise and accredited by NCFE. The first stage of this partnership will be a pilot of delivering the training to Action for Children nurseries in the Northeast of England. Funded by Sylvia Adams Charitable Trust, the pilot will track the impact of the training on early year’s practitioners, and on the children with special educational needs and disabilities that they work with.

Dingley’s Promise launched this unique training programme in January 2018, and had over 50 trainees sign up in the first year. Through their own evaluations of the training, they have found that 100% of trainees felt the course had benefited their own practice, and 100% felt it had benefited their organisation. Early figures suggest that the training results in a doubling of the capacity practitioners feel they have to support children with SEND.

In the UK currently, only 22% of local authorities reported having sufficient places for children with SEND in the early years, and only around 25% of children with SEND are taking up their 30 hour early year’s entitlement. The gap between children with SEND and other children continues to grow across the country, and this lack of access in the early years can only contribute to making this gap even wider.

Chief Executive of Dingley’s Promise Catherine McLeod MBE said: ‘The inclusion training is an important part of ensuring that children with SEND have equal access to early year’s education, and it is our hope that in the future every mainstream setting in the country will have the opportunity to take the training.’

Head of Early Years at Action for Children Sarah Read said: ‘We want to ensure inclusivity is at the centre of our early years services at Action for Children and we’re really pleased to be working with Dingley’s Promise on this exciting project, which really puts children at the heart of the training for our front-line staff. It’s vital that people working with children in their early years sector are equipped with the practical skills and knowledge to help them effectively support children with SEND.’

Certainly this partnership of small regional charity with large national charity will ensure that there is an independent evaluation of the impact of the training, and more people than ever before will hear about the benefits of ensuring early year’s practitioners are knowledgeable and confident in working inclusively with children with SEND.

21st May 2019
Safe + Sound Governance Mark Awarded
Leading children’s charity, Dingley’s Promise were delighted to recently receive the coveted Governance Mark, administered by Reading Voluntary Action.

The quality mark has been developed with local charities in mind, to give them the confidence in their governance. The mark is both credible and achievable, offering an opportunity for groups to identify any gaps in their composition and procedures.

By progressing though the quality mark, Trustees can demonstrate that they have sufficient safeguards in place to protect themselves, the charity and the beneficiaries and has given due consideration to its core responsibilities.

Safe + Sound cover the following areas:
- The constitution
- Management
- Finances
- Employment
- Managing volunteers
- Reporting and Monitoring
- Safeguarding
- Health and Safety
Dingley’s Promise Treasurer, Ian Mackinder, Chief Executive, Catherine McLeod MBE and Group Operations Manager, Aimee Knight attended Reading Voluntary Action’s AGM to collect the Award.

Ian Mackinder said “At Dingley’s Promise we pride ourselves on our strong management team and having a set of trustees with a wide range of business skills. Nevertheless, we recognise that it is very easy to be complacent about your charity’s own governance, particularly when the Board’s attention can be dominated by the need to secure income and deliver services. We therefore welcomed an opportunity to review ourselves against the Safe + Sound standards, and to show our supporters that we take governance seriously.”

Read Reading Voluntary Action’s article on our award here.

Find out more about the Safe + Sound Mark here.
5th November 2018