It’s lunchtime at Waterways Children’s Centre in the London Borough of Greenwich. Children choose food from a trolley and sit at tables with key workers. Each has decorated a placemat with their names, pictures and dietary requirements. ‘We learned that from the Pacey course,’ says Lynn Manning, head of childcare for four Children’s Centres in Greenwich.
Launched by the Professional Association for Childcare and Early Years (Pacey) last year, EY smart offers 35 short courses on subjects including Stories and the Education Inspection Framework and Cultural Capital, with new courses added regularly.
Each subject on the platform can be covered in 10 to 15 minutes. However, Ms Manning says learners can go into more detail if they follow all the links included. Videos provide examples of how learning can be put into practice. In each, learners are asked to complete a reflective document, which generates a certificate upon completion.
When Pacey adds new courses, Ms Manning asks her staff to do them. They discuss the learning in weekly team meetings. Last September, she used the platform as a basis for an inset day. ‘Staff split into groups. Each looked at a Pacey course to do a summary on flipchart paper to feed back to the other teams,’ she says. ‘They explained what they learned, what they’d put into practice, and how that improved children’s outcomes.’
The setting has also used the platform’s course on English as an Additional Language to develop the way it celebrates home languages, which was a recommended improvement identified by Ofsted.
The platform rewards users with stars for completing sections, and offers a continual professional development log function. It is accredited by the CPD Certification Service.
‘The format is fantastic’, says Ms Manning. ‘I have a long list of future subjects I want Pacey to add.’
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