Anita Soni

Group supervision: supporting practitioners in their work with children and families in Children’s Centres

This article discusses how group supervision can be used to support the Continuing Professional Development (CPD) of those working with children and families in early years provision in England. It is based on research conducted in 2008 with a cluster of four Children’s Centres in the West Midlands in England, UK. The research evaluated group supervision with 12 Family Support Workers (FSWs) and three managers, using Realistic Evaluation (Pawson and Tilley 1997) as the methodological approach. The research identified key mechanisms within the group supervision process: the professional contract, group working agreement, facilitation and size of the group. In addition, the research identified key features of the context, namely management support and group dynamics. This article will focus on the key mechanisms within the group supervision process, and the key features of the context, whilst providing a brief overview of the outcomes.

Reflections on the use of Critical Incident Stress Debriefing in schools

Abstract Providing support to schools following a critical incident has become an established part of service delivery for many Educational Psychology Services (EPSs) in the UK. This article offers reflections on the use of Critical Incident Stress Debriefing (CISD) in schools. A review of the literature on critical incidents, trauma, resilience and bereavement suggested that studies exploring the effectiveness of psychological debriefing in general have produced mixed findings, which may be accounted for by methodological flaws and inappropriate application of the intervention. However it is also argued that the underpinning theoretical assumptions of CISD are questionable and, as a result, that Psychological First Aid, a non-intrusive evidence-informed approach, may be more appropriate in this context.

Child development a practical introduction

to reflect on how they are working with children. It will be a more powerful tool if used in conjunction with the second book, by Dukes and Smith, whose focus is on work with two-year-olds. Their book is a valuable source of A4 photocopiable resources for staff development, and a handy outline of some of the key lines of enquiry for practitioners aiming to reflect on their work with two-year-olds. Where Clare focuses on the environment for learning, Dukes and Smith focus on the child’s development: in language, social interactions, emotions and behaviour. The authors point with a light touch to relevant research as well as to ideas for developing children who are at an important stage in their development. Seven chapters deal with transitions, environment, development and checking progress: many of the same topics as Clare discusses, but approaching them from a slightly different angle, summarising key thinking and approaches in brief, wellsignposted sections. Chapters open with a box outlining what will be covered, and go on, through clearly signalled stages, to explore ideas relating to the particular topic. Photocopiable resources are included on stand-alone pages, and chapters include bullet pointed lists of strands for reflection. Each chapter ends with a list of further reading. There are shaded boxes that offer ‘a note on’ specific theories such as schemas. Although the blurb suggests that the book will be useful to lecturers, I feel that that audience will find the book overly simplistic in its discussions of approaches. Being designed for ease of reference, rather than detailed reading, it will be of far greater value to practitioners as a useful and handy guide for checking certain points and stimulating further thinking about aspects of work with two-year-olds. While both texts offer valuable information on their own, taken together, the two offer a useful mini-library of help and guidance for settings. Both are written with professional development for busy practitioners in mind, and where one (Clare) offers more detail, the other works best as a quick reference. Used in tandem, they will be invaluable to busy settings.

Opportunities for development: the practice of supervision in early years provision in England

ABSTRACT This article examines how the practice of supervision has developed within a range of early childhood education and care (ECEC) provision in a county in Central England in the United Kingdom. Supervision has been recently introduced as a mandatory requirement for ECEC in England in 2012, and there is limited research looking at the impact of this. The research aimed to examine how supervision is being implemented by ECEC providers. It employed a mixed methods research design including a questionnaire (n = 38) and three subsequent telephone interviews, and draws out key themes on who is accessing supervision, the level of frequency, the purposes, challenges and enablers of supervision. It highlights the tendency of the managerial function of supervision including safeguarding of children to dominate, and the potential for supervision as a reflective space and as support for staff including managers and leaders to be overlooked.

Supporting Children with Disabilities in Low- and Middle- Income Countries: Promoting Inclusive Practice within Community-Based Childcare Centres in Malawi through a Bioecological Systems Perspective

Given the narrow scope and conceptualisation of inclusion for young children with disabilities in research within low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) contexts, we draw on a bioecological systems perspective to propose the parameters for a broader unit of analysis. This perspective situates human development within a specific cultural context in which family, peers and schooling are regarded as key in responding to young children with disabilities in a given setting. We outline a new bioecological model to illustrate the proximal and distal factors that can influence inclusive early development for children with disabilities within LMICs. To illustrate the relevance of this model to early child development research, we consider its application, as a conceptual framework, with reference to a research study in Malawi. The study was designed to promote greater inclusive practice for young children with disabilities in Community-Based Childcare Centres (CBCCs) with a particular focus on the role of the CBCC volunteer ‘caregiver’ in rural Malawi. It has significance for educators, service providers and researchers concerned with facilitating inclusive early development across national boundaries and contexts.RésuméL’étroitesse de la portée et de la conceptualisation de l’inclusion de jeunes enfants handicapés dans le corpus de recherche dans les pays à revenu faible et (PRFI) contextes intermédiaire, nous puisons dans une perspective de systèmes bioécologiques pour proposer des paramètres pour une unité d’analyse plus large. Notre perspective situe le développement humain dans un contexte culturel spécifique dans lequel la famille, les pairs et la scolarité sont considérés comme des éléments clés pour apporter une réponse à la question des jeunes enfants handicapés dans un contexte donné. Nous décrivons un nouveau modèle bioécologique pour illustrer les facteurs proximaux et distants qui peuvent influencer le développement des enfants handicapés dans les PRFI pendant leurs premières années. Pour illustrer la pertinence de ce modèle pour la recherche sur le développement des jeunes enfants, nous prenons en considération son application comme cadre conceptuel, en référence à une étude menée au Malawi. L’étude a été conçue aboutir de promouvoir des pratiques plus inclusives pour les enfants handicapés fréquentant des garderies communautaires, en mettant un accent particulier sur le rôle de l’«assistant » bénévole dans les zones rurales du Malawi. Elle est importante pour les éducateurs, les prestataires de services et les chercheurs qui veulent faciliter un développement inclusif des jeunes enfants, au-delà des frontières et contextes nationaux.ResumenDebido al poco alcance y la conceptualización limitada de la inclusión de niños de edad temprana con discapacidades en investigaciones realizadas en el contexto de países de ingresos bajos y medios, utilizamos una perspectiva de sistemas bio-ecológicos, con el fin de proponer parámetros más amplios de análisis. Esta perspectiva sitúa al desarrollo humano dentro de su contexto cultural específico en el cual la familia, los compañeros y la escuela son considerados como factores vitales en la atención a niños de edad temprana con discapacidades. Se describe un modelo bio-ecológico para ilustrar los factores proximales y distales que pueden influenciar el desarrollo temprano en contextos inclusivos para niños con discapacidades en países de ingresos bajos y medios. Con el fin de ilustrar la importancia de este modelo para la investigación del desarrollo infantil temprano, consideramos su aplicación, como marco conceptual, con referencia a una investigación llevada a cabo en Malaui. El estudio se diseñó con el objeto de promover mejores prácticas inclusivas para niños pequeños con discapacidades en Centros Infantiles Comunitarios (CICs) con un enfoque especial en el papel que juega el cuidador voluntario del CIC en zonas rurales de Malaui. Este estudio es relevante para educadores, centros de educación e investigadores interesados en brindar desarrollo temprano inclusivo en diferentes contextos y territorios.

A systematic literature review of the ‘managed move’ process as an alternative to exclusion in UK schools

ABSTRACT This paper reports the findings from a systematic review of research evidence on the use of managed moves as an alternative to exclusion in UK schools. The review begins by discussing the political landscape of school exclusion, the concept of managed moves and their use with children and young people (CYP) ‘at risk’ of permanent exclusion. During a systematic search nine papers were identified, reviewed and appraised using the Critical Appraisal Skills Programme checklist. A synthesis of the literature identified the most prominent factors relevant to successful integration of pupils following a managed move using pupil, parent and LA staff perspectives. Despite the paucity of research on the topic, this report finds there are key features associated with successful transition during a managed move. Developing new relationships with both staff and peers is key for CYP, in order that a sense of belonging is created for them in their new environment. Further factors supporting successful reintegration are effective communication between all stakeholders and a personalised and pastoral support plan for the CYP. This review holds relevance for those working in schools who may encounter CYP at risk of exclusion during their practice.

Preventing radicalisation: a systematic review of literature considering the lived experiences of the UK’s Prevent strategy in educational settings

Abstract This article surveys relevant literature on experiences of the Prevent Strategy in the UK in order to explore the role of schools in preventing radicalisation. The first section explores the concept of radicalisation and how this is positioned within UK policy and legislation followed by a review and critical appraisal of seven relevant articles. The following section synthesises themes from this literature in relation to pedagogical inefficacies in relation to academic freedom and flawed fundamental British values, and the problematic focus of the Prevent strategy in terms of surveillance and securitisation, and having a focus on individual vulnerability and ends with a positive example of Prevent funding. The article closes with implications for school staff.

Anti-discriminatory practice: a guide for those working with children and young people (third edition)

by Rosalind Millam, 2011, London, Continuum, 384 pp., £24.99 (paperback), ISBN 978-4411-7741-4 This book is written for practitioners working in childcare and educational settings in the UK to supp...

Working with parents in early years settings

I was keen to review this book to gather more ideas on how to support early years’ settings in their work in developing partnerships with parents. This book is both thought provoking and practical. The book is clearly laid out, and each chapter begins with objectives to show the parameters of the chapter. All chapters contain practical and reflective tasks, detailed case studies and opportunities for self assessment; they also give suggested further reading and useful websites to investigate. The book begins by discussing the role of the parent in a child’s life, including a useful section on the legal guidance on parental responsibility. The second chapter discusses assumptions that may be commonly held about parents and why some groups of parents are less likely to participate in early years settings. It considers the stereotypes of parents that can be held by practitioners, such as disinterest or a lack of motivation. This could be used to provoke a reflective and stimulating discussion between practitioners! The following chapters explore the child–parent–early years professional triangle, examine partnership working and suggest practical ways parents can be involved in an early years setting. This latter chapter also helpfully considers how children’s learning can be supported through working with parents in the home or at the setting. A useful addition is a discussion of the role of parent in relation to leadership and management through parent forums, which will be of value to settings that want to fully engage and work with parents at all levels. There is a constructive and practical chapter on groups of parents who may be less likely to access early years settings and the associated services. A chapter that interested me was on the role of parents as learners within settings. This chapter explored the needs of adults and identified effective adult learning experiences. This, therefore, enables those working within early years settings to evaluate the opportunities that are presented to parents as adult learners. Another chapter that I found useful considered scenarios where working with parents becomes challenging, including issues and practical case studies where parents are working as volunteers or employees, or are friends. There was a very valuable section on coping where there are concerns about how a parent is parenting, or about a child’s safety and well-being. These are areas that can be overlooked and it was refreshing to read these issues being discussed openly. In addition it was heartening to read about the importance of supervision for all stakeholders in an early years setting including parental volunteers. This book is useful for students on Early Years foundation degrees, degrees in Early Childhood Studies and those on pathways towards Early Years Professional Early Years Vol. 31, No. 2, July 2011, 203–208

Thinking children learning about schemas

This book explores schemas and builds upon Chris Athey’s seminal work in this area. It aims to leave practitioners and students more confident and knowledgeable in observing, identifying and extending children’s schemas. There are six chapters to the book, with the first chapter introducing schema learning theory and clearly setting it within constructivist theory. The first chapter also introduces the two research projects used throughout the book, the Competent Children action research project and the Wilton Playcentre centre of innovation project, and gives an overview of each chapter. The second chapter also reviews the research and literature on children’s thinking, with a particular focus on extending children’s thinking about schemas. The second chapter is also interesting to read as it gives the policy context and curriculum approach in New Zealand and draws some comparisons with the Early Years Foundation Stage in England. Chapters 3, 4 and 5 examine the findings from the two action research projects. There is discussion at the end of each chapter on implications from the research for adults working in similar contexts. Chapter 6 draws the chapters and the book together and considers the role for adults in enhancing schema development and extending children’s thinking. It ends with some useful reflective questions that could be used within discussions and training sessions. I consider the first two chapters to be particularly useful for students and others who are in the early stages of understanding children’s thinking with reference to schemas. The following chapters discuss some interesting and thought-provoking results. The value of adult–child interaction in supporting children’s thinking, particularly in the use of open theory-seeking questions or adults offering their own theories and ideas themselves, is discussed but reported to be at a low level of frequency. Meade and Cubey note that this has been reported by many commentators, and suggest this may be due to feelings of inadequacy in relation to mathematical and scientific knowledge. The value of parents being involved in understanding and supporting their child’s schema is also discussed, and again emphasises the value of continuity between home and early education setting. The final chapter has a useful model showing how adult knowledge of schema learning theory (both parents and practitioners) and their interventions to enrich schema understanding can make a significant impact on children’s learning. It would have been interesting to read about how children with SEN (special educational needs) develop schemas, particularly those with social communication difficulties where interests can be viewed as obsessions. This book is described as being suitable for those studying early childhood or working in early years settings. It is a valuable book to help practitioners and students feel more knowledgeable and confident in schema learning theory.