Sept ember 2010

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Also... Also... Also... Also... New play grants for community events where are the refurbished play areas in Oxfordshire? family play festival Play setting news from Oxfordshire county council Playing with leaves What happened at the Playday events? young people take over on Takeover day news & info & Play ideas for all ages The The The The playing playing playing playing child child child child Inspiring Photos from Oxford City and Banbury Playday events in August 2010 In play and playwork...

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Inspiring Play newsletter is for everyone interested in play for children and young people aged 0-19 years. Produced by Oxfordshire Play Association for the Oxfordshire Play Partnership.

Transcript of Sept ember 2010

Page 1: Sept ember 2010

Also...Also...Also...Also...

� New play grants for community events

� where are the refurbished play areas

in Oxfordshire?

� family play festival

� Play setting news from Oxfordshire

county council

� Playing with leaves

� What happened at the Playday events?

� young people take over on Takeover day

� news & info & Play ideas for all ages

TheTheTheThe

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ch i l dch i l dch i l dch i l d

Inspiring

Photos from Oxford City and Banbury Playday events in August 2010

In play and playwork...

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Oxfordshire County Council wishes to thank Jane Gallagher (OPA), Tym Soper

(Oxfordshire Playbus) and Assia Bibi (Sunrise Multicultural Project) and the

Play Pot Young Xperts who made the decisions about who received funding—Declan

Soper, Georgia Soper, Jay Shadbolt, Hafsa Ahmed, Sunam Shan, Sana Bi, Subhan

Hussain and Waqas Ali for all their hard work in making the Play Pot such a success.

What is the Oxfordshire Play Partnership (OPP)?

newsletter is produced by Oxfordshire Play Association on behalf of the Oxfordshire Play Partnership, a group of

organisations whose aim is to increase the amount and quality of play opportunities for children and young people aged approx 0-19 across Oxfordshire. OPP creates and updates the Oxfordshire Play Strategy — this and lots of other OPP info is available on Oxfordshire Play Association’s website www.oxonplay.org.uk under ‘Play Resources’.

For further information about OPP, Inspiring Play or any aspect of play and playwork, contact Jane Gallagher, Play Development Officer, Oxfordshire Play Association on

01865 779474; email: [email protected] or Sophie Cresswell, Play Development Officer, Oxfordshire County Council on 01865 256673; email: [email protected].

Family Outdoor Festival - A Celebration of Outdoor Learning and Play

Hill End Centre, Eynsham Road, Farmoor OX2 9NJ Saturday 25th September from 10am to 4pm

Come and join families and groups from across Oxfordshire in a celebration of being outside at the county’s beautiful outdoor learning centre at Hill End.

There will be over 30 different activities available

ranging from constructing a bug hotel, making dens, storytelling, improving school grounds, climbing walls, making and flying kites, damming streams, learning about fossils, compost and seeds, making butterflies

and red kites...and much more.

The purpose of the event is to promote outdoor learning and play which is free or very cheap and

essential for health, wellbeing and learning. It is also an opportunity to advertise the excellent work of

organisations across the county in the world of play and environmental education.

There will be a prize for the child who brings with them the best photograph of outdoor play as decided

by our judges.

Just turn up between 10am and 4pm on Saturday 25th September, bring a picnic and have

a great day out. It’s free!

For further information contact [email protected] or call 01865 863510.

The Play Pot young people created the funding criteria and made the funding decisions, giving out £42,878.31 to play projects

over the last 2 years, including a camping trip with night-time walks, fire building, construction kits, a drumming activity, lots of

outdoor play equipment including balance beams, a bird’s nest swing, ropes and balls, sand boxes, a play house and loads of other

high play value indoor and outdoor equipment and trips. Young people were also involved in planning and applying for the

funding. Play Pot funding has now finished, but it has made a big difference to the quality of play across Oxfordshire.

“The Play Pot

project helped the

children to build

confidence.” Assia Bibi

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This year's Takeover Day is happening on Friday 12th November. Takeover Day is a national event offering children and young people the chance to work alongside adults and get involved in decision-making in a wide range of organisations. Everyone can be a part of it. So what happened in 2009? Around 30,000 children and young people across England worked with hundreds of organisations, including businesses, schools, TV and radio stations, charities and local councils. In Oxfordshire, children and young people edited this newsletter, ran Play Ranger sessions, took over after school clubs, assisted with creating the ‘Youth Matters’ website for Thames Valley Police, were handed the keys to a youth club to run it—and lots more. This year, the Children's Commissioner for England wants to raise the number of children and young people taking part to 40,000! You can help make 2010 a Takeover year to remember. There is an information pack to help you plan and carry out your own Takeover—go to www.bigvoiceoxfordshire.com.

Kick them

Print

Stic

k

Sew them

to

make a wig

Crunch them

Mobiles

Cover yourself

Hide

Make arrows with

leaves that lead

to the treasure

Decorate your

exercise books

Oxfordshire Play Association’s

website has had 10,000 hits

since it was launched in

February—find out why at:

www.oxonplay.org.uk

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Congratulations!

The Fun Kids Club (breakfast and after-school club) at Dunmore Primary School in Abingdon has achieved the 4Children `Aiming Higher` quality assurance award. This recognises excellence in providing top facilities and welcoming settings for children and young people. 4Children is the national charity that many out-of-school settings belong to. The club has worked through a programme of self-assessment and portfolio building. It underwent a detailed evaluation by an external assessor who looked into areas of quality of play, staffing, premises, health and safety, equal opportunities and relationships with children and families. The report describes the club as ‘a well-run setting that encompasses the needs of children and parents alike’. It quotes a parent: “The staff are incredibly warm and welcoming and very creative. I can’t sing their praises enough, this club is a godsend.” The club is the only one in Oxfordshire to have achieved the award in the past four years. Nicola Dixey, the club’s Playleader, said: “Completing the award was very hard work, and took longer than anticipated. However, with the continuous enthusiastic support of Gillian Frost, our county council Childcare Development Officer, and the school’s new head teacher and governing body, we finally completed the portfolio in April. We have an average of 32 children attending the breakfast club every day, and 19 after school. They think this is a great club, and we’re pleased to have this formal recognition as well.” Councillor Louise Chapman, Oxfordshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Children, Young People and Families, said: “We are delighted to hear of this achievement. Parents/carers and children need to know that they are using high quality childcare, and providers need to know and to demonstrate that they are offering a quality service.” The club has also been one of the ‘First Claim’ pilot clubs, as mentioned in the last edition of Inspiring Play.

News about Oxfordshire County Council’s Inclusion Support Scheme

The scheme exists to promote inclusion and remove the barriers to play, childcare and leisure for disabled children and young people. It is available for children and young people from birth to under 19 years of age with impairments, or emotional, behavioural or learning difficulties, who would otherwise be unable to take part.

The application forms and criteria have recently been updated, so please ask your Childcare Development Officer for new documents before you next make an application or phone 01865 323004. The new ones are dated August 2010.

In recent years, applications for help with fees for 5-13 year olds have been made to Oxfordshire’s Community Chest (not to the Inclusion Support Scheme). However, Community Chest funding is coming to an end. When it runs out, you will be able to apply instead to the Inclusion Support Scheme.

The scheme can pay for additional staff hours, fees, training, equipment or, in some instances, transport up to a maximum of £250 for children under five, or £500 for older children and young people. These amounts are per child/young person per financial year. Childcare, play and leisure providers who receive a grant are expected to attend disability equality training.

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Consultation launched to inform EYFS review

Dame Clare Tickell has launched a consultation on her independent review of the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS).

Early years and childcare professionals and parents are being urged to respond to the review, which covers issues of regulation, curriculum, children’s welfare and whether early-years-age children should be formally assessed. She has said that she particularly wants to hear from those who are delivering the EYFS on a regular basis and can advise on where improvements could be made.

Play sector organisations are urging those working in play settings to respond and Shelly Newstead, managing director of play sector social enterprise Common Threads, said this was a chance to promote the importance of "free play in children’s lives".

You will have been sent information about the EYFS review from your Childcare Development Officer asking you to feed your views on the EYFS into Oxfordshire County Council’s response to the review. If you haven’t been able to or if you would like to do an individual responses then you still have time, if you get your skates on! You can do this by visiting www.education.gov.uk/consultations But hurry as consultation ends on the 30th September 2010. The final report will be produced in spring 2011 and it is hoped that any changes will be put in place by September 2012.

Ofsted updates

Revised job descriptions and job evaluation

Are you employed by Oxfordshire County Council and working in a school-managed club?

If so, please note that a job description for your role has probably been through the job evaluation process. Links to a ‘Guide to evaluated grades for school support staff’ (see page 6 of the guide) and the five revised job descriptions are on the county council’s intranet. Please ask your Childcare Development Officer if you need help finding these documents. The job descriptions are for:

• Playworker

• Breakfast/After-school Club Playleader

• Playleader in clubs with more than 32 places and/or children from other schools attending daily

• Holiday Playscheme Playleader

• Childcare Manager (daycare and out of school care).

Some posts have been upgraded to a higher pay scale, and you are advised to consult your head teacher/line manager if yours is one of them and you meet the selection criteria. Please note that existing playworkers currently on grade 5 are not affected by the changes, although the ‘unsocial hours’ supplement no longer applies to out-of-school childcare, and new playworkers will be graded differently.

Ofsted form: application to vary or remove conditions of registration

You should use this form if you are a childcare provider on the Ofsted Early Years Register or the compulsory part of the Ofsted Childcare Register, and need your conditions of registration changed. It’s on the Ofsted website: www.ofsted.gov.uk, reference number 20090012. You can also access it from the Childcare Development webpages: www.oxfordshire.gov.uk/outofschoolchildcare. See ‘Documents and forms’ in the Ofsted section.

Revised and new Ofsted childcare factsheets There’s a new factsheet on the Ofsted website, called ‘Requirements for risk assessments’. Please have a look! Some other Ofsted factsheets have recently been revised. These include:

• ‘Giving medication to children in registered

childcare’

• ‘Registration not required’

• ‘Regulating play-based provision’

• ‘Delivering the EYFS in out-of-school provision’

You can find these and many other factsheets at www.ofsted.gov.uk. Click on ‘Forms and guidance’.

Dame Clare Tickell

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Continued...

Training Opportunity – Business Skills

Running a successful and sustainable out of school provision is often challenging, but with careful planning the chances of success will be much greater.

During autumn 2010 and spring 2011 the Childcare Business Development Officers (CBDO) will be delivering a training programme entitled Business Success for Childcare.

Business Success for Childcare is a programme of training originally funded by DCSF and designed and delivered by A4e.

It aims to improve business skills across the childcare sector. It is a short series of workshops and guides, that provide practical help and tools for managing the business aspects and ensure that your service is caring for children for generations to come.

It is not necessary to come to every workshop but the greatest benefit will be gained from attending them all. Maybe you could spread attendance across your committee/management team?

For further details, including booking your place, see www.oxfordshire.gov.uk/stepintotraining > business support section or speak with your CBDO.

David Mendham, Childcare Business Development Strategy Officer, 01865 816758

[email protected]

The Dovecote Playscheme is ‘Outstanding’ and that’s official

Congratulations to The Dovecote Playscheme in Greater Leys, Oxford who recently had their Ofsted inspection and was judged to be an ‘Outstanding’ provision. The Dovecote is one of only two out of school clubs, in the current inspection cycle in Oxfordshire who have received an ‘Outstanding’ judgement for their Ofsted inspection.

The Ofsted inspector commented on the staff team’s enthusiasm, saying “…their enthusiasm is infectious”. She also commented that the staff know when to join in and when to observe and on their ability to support disabled children.

The Dovecote is an inclusive provision that provides both After School and Holiday care for children from 4-12 years of age. Jodi Clements, a Playleader at the The Dovecote, was recently awarded the Aiming High for Disabled Children ‘Playworker of the Year’ award. You may

remember seeing an article about this in January’s edition of Inspiring Play.

Well done to everyone at

the Dovecote.

Oxfordshire Play Association (OPA) is now running the new QCF (Qualifications and Credit Framework) qualifications.

The new QCF Level 2 Award / Certificate / Diploma in Playwork launched on 1st September, and replaces the old NVQ Level 2 in Playwork and the ‘classroom’ based Certificate in Playwork (CPW).

The QCF (Qualifications and Credit Framework ) Playwork qualifications at Level 3 launches on 1st January 2011.

OPA will also be offering the following QCF qualifications: Level 2 Certificate for the Children & Young People's Workforce Level 3 Diploma for the Children & Young People's Workforce Level 3 Assessing Qualifications (Assessor Training) Level 4 Internal Quality Assurance Qualification (Internal Verifier Training)

Please contact the OPA office to register or for further details regarding these new qualifications. For all these qualifications, and for our latest programme of short course play training, you can call 01865 779474, email: [email protected] or visit the OPA website: www.oxonplay.org.uk.

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Make friends with your

local printer and ask for

spare or scrap paper for

the children to play with.

TheTheTheThe

p lay ingplay ingplay ingplay ing

ch i l dch i l dch i l dch i l d

Wendy Russell and Stuart Lester developed the ‘Manchester Circles’ quality assurance model (part of a quality assurance scheme for Manchester), to help play settings ensure that the agenda of the playing child takes precedence over adult-led agendas. It also shows how playwork can fit into the wider integrated children’s services, whilst keeping the playing child as the central focus.

In the circles, there are influences in both directions—the child affects his/her environment, and the environment affects the child. BUT the main principle of the Manchester Circles is that if a setting is play-centred (ludocentric), then the influences of the playing child on circles 2 and 3 should be stronger than the influences in the other direction.

In other words, the play environment and the organisation’s work practices and policies are based on a commitment to supporting children’s personally directed play, rather than children’s play being constrained or changed by working practices and policies.

So—the influence of the playing child on the play environment should be stronger than the organisational framework’s influence on the play environment.

The model is based on Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological Systems Theory (1979).

The playing child—has stronger influences on the play environment and the organisation than...

...the influences of the

environment and the

organisation have on the

playing child.

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Next

Inspiring Play

deadline is

14th

November.

Inspiring Play is produced 4 times a year by Oxfordshire Play Association on behalf of OPP, with financial assistance from Oxfordshire County Council.

Deadlines: September edition: 7th September December edition: 14th November

March edition: 14th February 2011 June edition: 14th May 2011

Oxford City Council and Oxfordshire County Council have recently funded the building and upgrading of play areas across the county. There are so many that the writing is

quite small! Please tell us if you have any opinions any of the play areas.

Botley Road Rec

Alexandra Cts, Summertown Milham Ford, Marston Quarry Hollow, Headington Foxwell Drive, Headington Ridgeway Road, Headington Titup Hall Drive, Headington Kiln Lane, Headington Valenia Road, Headington Fox Crescent, off Abingdon Road Bertie Place, off Abingdon Road Hinksey Park, Off Abingdon Road Bernwood Road, Barton Barton Bradley Rec, Barton Gillians Park (Chaffinch Walk), Northfield Brook Campion Close, Northfield Brook

Marigold Close, Northfield Brook Rowan Grove, Northfield Brook Woodpecker Green, Northfield Brook Columbine Gardens, Northfield Brook Greenfinch Close, Northfield Brook South Park, St Clement's Angel & Greyhound Meadow, St Clement's Southfield Park Flats, off Cowley Rd Ridgefield Road, off Cowley Rd George Moore Close, off Iffley Road Rose Hill Rec (Spencer Crescent) Meadow Lane, Iffley Fields John Allen Centre, Cowley Normandy Crescent, Cowley Bartholomew Road, Cowley St Christopher's Place, Cowley Kersington Crescent, Cowley

Cholsey Close, Cowley Hunter Close, Cowley Cuddesdon Way, Blackbird Leys Aston and Cote Play Area Chilton Active Play Area Cullum Road Play Area, Wheatley Dovecote "Stay & Play", Eynsham Edmonds Park Play Area, Didcot Great Western Drive Play Area, Didcot Horspath Village Play Area Kilkenny Lane Country Park, Carterton Mill Meadows Play Area, Henley Millennium Park, Steeple Aston Pinnocks Way Play Park, Cumnor Princess Diana Park Play Area, Banbury Red Kite Park, Lewknor Southern Town Park, Abingdon The Links Play Area, Kennington