Alliance Connect Roadshows: Building belonging

London: Thursday 16 April, 9.45am -4pm NCVO, Regents Wharf, 8 All Saints St, London N1 9RL 

Manchester: Thursday 15 October, 9.45am -4pm, King’s House Conference Centre, King’s Church, Sidney St, Manchester, M1 7HB

Alliance members: £55 per person; non-members: £90 per person

Have you secured your place at the upcoming Alliance Connect Roadshow: Building belonging in London yet? Taking place just 10 minutes' walk from King’s Cross station, this full-day in-person event is packed full of practical advice, information and tools to take back to your setting on how to embed inclusion in its widest sense into your everyday practice.

Alongside our excellent line-up of keynote speakers, all delegates will have the opportunity to choose two out of the four workshops below.

Spaces are limited in each workshop, so book now to avoid disappointment!

(Louise Campbell White, Alliance early years development officer)

What does typical language development look like for a child learning two or more languages? Do you know the difference between simultaneous and sequential language learning — and why it matters in practice? Are you confident about when to listen, model, scaffold and step in to support?

In this practical and engaging workshop, we’ll explore the stages of early language acquisition and how multilingualism shapes children’s learning. We’ll consider how to support your multilingual cohort without changing everything you already do.

Grounded in research and packed with practical ideas you can use straight away, this interactive session will strengthen your inclusive practice and build confidence.

(Alison Heseltine, Alliance early years development manager)

What do we mean when we talk about 'families'? In our modern society, families come in all shapes and sizes – so how can we ensure that our practice reflects, supports and celebrates a variety of family structures?

In this reflective workshop, we’ll consider the ways in which we can recognise and respond to the diversity of family structures to ensure that all children and families feel valued, respected and included in early years provision.

Packed with useful data and hands-on activities, you'll walk away from this workshop full of practical strategics to take back to your setting.

(Richard Knight, Alliance children's services manager)

Did you know that language, tone, praise, expectations and even room layout in early years settings can unintentionally reinforce gender norms? Subtle, everyday interactions shape children’s sense of gender long before they can articulate it – so what ‘gender messages’ is your environment currently sending?

This thoughtful and engaging workshop will be full of practical strategies and actions to take back to your setting, including example language swaps to replace gendered praise, simple environmental tweaks to rebalance gendered play zones and resources, observation tools to identify gender basis and much more.

Through a variety of engaging exercises, case studies and tasks, participants will leave with a deeper understanding of how small shifts by educators can meaningfully widen children’s sense of possibility.

(Ruth Richardson, Alliance early years development officer, and Tracey Hobbs, Alliance early years development manager)

How do we create early years environments that adapt to the child, rather than the other way around? What do we need to do to ensure that all staff understand what 'inclusion' means in its broadest sense, and that this is reflected in their practice?

In this practical workshop, you will explore real-life setting scenarios and reflect on how different children might experience your early years environment, and the steps you can take to ensure that all children, without exception, are considered in your day-to-day practice.

The session will also consider the experiences of staff, and how settings can take a truly holistic approach to inclusion: one where every single member of staff feels valued and listened to.

The workshop will include a range of practical activities that you can take back to your setting and use in staff meetings and training.

Book your place today at bit.ly/u5BuildingBelonging!