POD-CACHE

(00:00) Introduction - Welcome to POD-CACHE, the portable professional development podcast from CACHE Alumni

(00:48) Jenny Phillips - An introduction to Jenny

(02:52) They say never to work with children or animals... Jenny's dream job

(04:52)A love of animals - Bringing animals into the classroom

(05:28) George the Cat - The teaching power of animals

(06:46) Making the unpredictable understandable - The process behind introducing children to animals and animal therapy.

(11:18) We are nature - Jenny's relationship with animals, professional curiosity and the theory behind farm and animal therapy.

(12:57) The micropig experience - Working with teacup pigs and other animals to help children to develop relationships, provide therapeutic intervention in hospitals and experience the 'humanity' of animals.

(16:32) Purring chickens - The physiological impact of animal interactions on mental and emotional health

(17:40) Who says you can't cuddle a snake? - Book recommendations from Jenny and signposting to other resources supporting farm therapy

(19:00) CACHE Alumni signposting

(19:16) Risk assessing animal interactions - Finding the way through controlled exploration

(22:05) Never work with children or animals - Exploring Jenny's passion for animals and education

(24:55) Jenny's advice on finding (or inventing) your own career path through academic research and study

(27:32) Find your passion and unlock your real potential - Mixing and matching career paths to make a perfect career.

(30:00) Overcoming objections and articulating ideas - Jenny explains how she draws her own boundaries and factors in health and safety and costings to her planning

(34:27) 'No' is not the end. It's a starting point for conversation - Practising professional conversations to construct an argument or business case

(37:24) Jenny's dreams for the future

'Don't let anyone tell you that you can't… you might get there a bit slower, but you'll get where you need to be' - Jenny Phillips is a highly qualified early years and education professional with lots of experience of working with animals to provide the best possible care and support.

Join Dawn as she talks to Jenny about the way that animal and human care intersects, Jenny's passion for care farming and shaping her own career to fulfil her dreams.

Want more? Find articles about animals in education and care setting written by Jenny Phillips in CACHE Alumni's quarterly member magazine, Aluminate, or listen to another episode of POD-CACHE with Dr Helen Bilton, Professor of Outdoor Learning and Play.

If you enjoyed this podcast, please share it with your colleagues and remember to like, subscribe and leave us a review.

Visit cachealumni.org.uk to join 24,000 members from across care, health, early years and education. Membership starts at free, and you'll gain access to our member magazine, events, resources and a member discount and benefits scheme.

00:00 Introduction - Welcome to POD-CACHE, the portable professional development podcast from CACHE Alumni

00:50 Alix Robertson - Alix introduces herself and the Centre for Education and Youth

01:18 Sarah introduces herself and Big Education

02:08 Meet PEPA - What is the Primary Extended Project Award?

04:30 Project-based learning

05:24 Choosing a project - Collaboration, theme setting and helping children to find their interests

06:53 Flexibility by design - Creating opportunities to signpost to learning that excites and engages little learners

08:22 Looking beyond the curriculum and making links with life - The role of the expert

11:27 It's not all about the project outcome - Finding links back to the curriculum, evidencing soft skills and career pathways

14:32 Research, teaching and assessment - Friendly but rigorous

15:00 It's OK not to be good at things, but to enjoy them anyway

15:52 Accessible by design - The PEPA is for everyone

16:42 Empowering young people - the value of guiding your own learning, shaping your own skill-set and owning your own future

18:35 CACHE Alumni

18:52 Non-linear learning and trying new things - Feeling safe in exploration

20:34 PEPA is a commitment - Successfully embedding the PEPA into schools

23:08 Support materials and delivery support for streamlining implementation

24:24 How did the PEPA project begin? Teachers coming together to solve challenges and jump into opportunities to benefit primary students

27:20 The benefits of the EYFS in holistic education - Enabling enquiry and project based learning throughout education

31:00 Find out more about PEPA, get in touch and get involved in the project

32:47 Thank you and signposting

The Primary Extended Project Award (PEPA), developed byThe Centre for Education and Youth (CfEY) and multi-academy trust Big Education, will give pupils the chance to be more creative and take control of their own learning.

Created with support from the educational charity and leader in technical and vocational learning NCFE through itsAssessment Innovation Fund, the PEPA aims to address specific problems in the ways primary pupils are currently assessed.

Join Dawn as she talks to Alix Robertson and Sarah Seleznyov from the PEPA Project and find out more about how they've been able to challenge the overemphasis on summative assessment that’s linked to school performance measures.

CfEY and Big Education are now looking to prototype elements of the PEPA programme with a small number of year six pupils ahead of a large-scale impact pilot.You can discover more about the pilot project and read the final report here.

If you enjoyed this podcast, please share it with your colleagues and remember to like, subscribe and leave us a review.

Visit cachealumni.org.uk to join 24,000 members from across care, health, early years and education. Membership starts at free, and you'll gain access to our member magazine, events, resources and a member discount and benefits scheme.

00:00 Welcome to CACHE Alumni - What can you expect in this episode of POD-CACHE?

00:40 Jawad Bhatti introduction - Who is Jawad and what is the Spark story?

03:40 The impact of the pandemic on loneliness, routine and mental health

05:30 Mental Health support online and through talking to others

07:23 Mental Health in the workplace - Jawad's experiences at work

10:20 Why do people drop out of mental health support?

12:10 How does Spark measure the improvements in mental health in the workplace?

13:15 What tools are helpful for mental health understanding and support?

15:00 What is the Spark app now? Tools for individuals and organisations

19:30 What's in a name? - Spark is a 'little click' that helps us change things

21:20 POD-CACHE Ad break

21:32 Building good habits - How a journal can help us to understand ourselves and make lasting changes

24:00 Your journal as a record - reflecting on our progress and remembering better days

26:42 Sparking ideas - Journalling prompts, blank pages and the benefits of guided journals

30:17 Changing lanes - Jawad talks about changing careers, sectors and becoming a member of CACHE Alumni from a background in data science

33:41 Mental Health First Aid - the challenges of following up on mental health support as an organisation

35:00 Providing support with mental health before there's a problem

38:10 Knowing which interventions make the most impact to facilitate organisational change around mental and emotional health

39:25 Journalling as a tool to support groups who might not traditionally engage with mental health support

43:49 Finding help in crisis or if you're feeling low

44:00 Signposting and invite to Spark

45:40 Thanks for listening - cachealumni.org.uk

Jawad Bhatti is a senior data professional on a personal mission to help improve mental health and has launched an app to support organisations to reduce presenteeism & absenteeism and improve health & wellbeing through data-driven insights

After launching a Facebook group to support easier mental health discussions, Jawad started a YouTube channel to help get men to talk about their mental health and launched an interactive mobile journalling tool called Spark.

How to download the app - https://sparkyourhealth.co.uk/#download

Spark's LinkedIn page - https://www.linkedin.com/company/sparkyourhealth/ Spark's Facebook page - https://www.facebook.com/sparkyourmentalhealth/ Spark's Xpage - https://twitter.com/sparkyour_mh

Listen as Jawad talks to Dawn about reflection, journalling and using data to drive change. If you can, join us for our Reflect and Recharge event on 30 November 2023, where Annie Pendrey will be supporting us to start our own reflective journals as part of our amazing line-up of speakers.

Until next time, take care!

00:00 Welcome to POD-CACHE, the portable professional development podcast from CACHE Alumni

00:23 Coming up in this episode - thinking outside of the box with Annie Pendrey

00:43 Annie's career so far. From Early Years Teaching Assistant to training, writing and research

02:43 Creativity and changing careers - How Annie found her path

03:50 Three books in two years - Reflection and reflective spaces in Early Years Education

07:46 What makes reflection important to Annie? The power of reflection in supporting engagement and attainment. Reflection helps us to be better and feel better.

09:13 We all have different gifts and experiences. How to improve, develop and progress.

10:01 Japanese philosophy - Learning to celebrate your perfectly imperfect self, slow down and understand your reason for being.

11:24 Standards, values and actions - Understanding what we need to succeed outside of set metrics.

12:55 Get started with reflective practice; How to make time to listen to yourself.

15:56 How to start your own reflective journal and overall journey

19:00 It might not be words - you might want to draw something. How talking to yourself can help you to be your own coach and stop you from feeling stuck.

20:08 CACHE-Back promotion

20:25 Building the habit of reflection - Observations and reflections aren't always the same thing. How not to lose yourself in other people's feedback.

23:48 Starting again with reflective practices after negative experiences. Owning your own journey and understanding your gifts.

26:40 Overcoming fear and asking for feedback from others. The value of other people's insight and opinions of your work.

30:33 Continual feedback - gratitude and building a culture of feedback and reflection

32:00 There is no 'just' in Early Years - Owning your own power and accepting compliments and positive feedback

35:00 Finding spaces that children can really be part of. The need for research in Early Years roles.

36:21 Prompts and support for journaling and ongoing reflection

37:00 Thanks for listening

Annie Pendrey started her career as an NNEB working across Early Years and the Primary sector before becoming a lecturer and Professional Development Manager. Today, Annie is freelance, an External Examiner for Open University, an author and on her way to becoming Doctor Pendrey.

Annie has written several academic journals, has publications within books and writes regularly for educational columns alongside her own book publications which include, The Little Book of Reflective Practice and Reflection and Reflective Spaces in the Early Years.

Annie has created her own online platform and hashtag #Reflect Connect, a weekly space over on Twitter where you can connect with others in a quiet reflective thread.

Listen as Annie talks to Dawn about reflection, self-confidence and reflective spaces in the Early Years and, if you can, join us for our Reflect and Recharge event on 30 November 2023, where Annie will be supporting us to start our own reflective journals as part of our amazing line-up of speakers.

Until next time, take care!

POD-CACHE is back with a new season! In our first episode we meet with Amy Baird from the Discovery Museum in Newcastle. Amy talks us through her early years sessions called 'Tiny Sparks', organised for families with 3-5 year old children, themed around STEM subjects. We delve into how linking objects from the museum's different collections with stories and play, help children learn and develop their fine and gross motor skills and prompt thinking about careers. Amy also walks us through her plans for future sessions and her goal towards making them more accessible working together with a number of community partners.

Want to skip ahead?

(0:00-1:42) Introduction to Amy from the Discovery Museum, Newcastle

(1:42-3:50) Planning for varied groups and formal/informal sessions

(3:50-5:45) What is the Discovery Museum?

(5:45-8:20) Museums as a place of learning

(8:20-9:52) Early years sessions - Tiny Sparks

(9:52-13:55) Maximising learning in a 1 hour session

(13:55-18:27) Engaging returning families and accessible sessions

(18:27-18:40) Break

(18:40-20:37) Choosing session topics & skill development

(20:37-23:30) Amy's journey into her role

(23:30-24:55) Development between collections at the museum

(24:55-26:00) Learning through play

(26:00-27:30) STEM's importance in the sessions

(27:30-29:43) Planning for the next academic year

(29:43-33:04) Following children's transitions between different life chapters

(33:04-35:24) How nursery/school groups can get involved

(35:24-36:33) Final notes and goodbye

Links:

Discovery Museum: https://discoverymuseum.org.uk/

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This episode was brought to you by CACHE Alumni, a free, award-winning membership platform for practitioners from across care, health and early years education. By signing up with us, you gain access to various CPD resources, including our member magazine Aluminate, latest news from the sector, careers advice, a range of special offers and discounts and more.

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You can find our podcast on other platforms, including PodBean, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, Google Podcasts, YouTube, and more.

As we conclude season 4, we bring you an incredible story which showcases the power of education and mentorship. Join us as Janet King assumes the role of interviewer to speak with Andreas Kalli, who shares his journey from substance addiction to completing a Psychology degree with a first class honours. We also find out how having a mentor supported Andreas through this process, and learn how his lived experiences are helping him make a difference for others in challenging circumstances. 

Want to skip ahead?

(0:00-3:00) Introduction to Andreas 

(3:00-3:59) Starting university

(3:59-5:43) Starting from scratch. You don't know what you don't know.

(5:43-7:37) Getting a mentor to support with work

(7:37-9:10) Expanding mentorship to personal life - how personal issues impact work

(9:10-11:27) Learning from feedback and working as a team

(11:27-12:28) Becoming a mentor

(12:28-13:55) A new sense of self-worth - putting skills into practice

(13:55-14:07) POD-CACHE Ad break

(14:07-15:40) Using lived experiences to make a difference

(15:40-18:08) Combining learning with lived experience

(18:08-19:57) The wider impact of working with people who need support

(19:57-21:25) What’s next – applying learning and mentorship to the future

(21:25-21:45) POD-CACHE, CACHE Alumni and close

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This episode was brought to you by CACHE Alumni, a free, award-winning membership platform for practitioners from across care, health and early years education. By signing up with us, you gain access to various CPD resources, including our member magazine Aluminate, latest news from the sector, careers advice, a range of special offers and discounts and more. 

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You can find our podcast on numerous different platforms, including PodBean, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, Google Podcasts, YouTube, and more. 

In this week's episode, we welcome back Lucy Lewin, Founder of 85-Place Day Nursery and The Profitable Nursery Academy. Lucy shares with us the value of adopting a strength-based approach in early years settings and embracing one's natural abilities. We also discuss the importance of fostering a work culture of psychological safety, open communication and one that encourages a collaborative mindset, seeking solutions together. Lucy highlights how leaders and managers can effectively engage with their staff, celebrating the uniqueness of each individual, as well as how they can build trust and partnership with the children's families. 

Want to skip ahead?

(0:00-2:50) Introduction to Lucy and a strength-based approach

(2:50-7:05) How to facilitate a strength-based approach in your setting

(7:05-15:40) How to encourage staff to open up about what makes them uncomfortable

(15:40-20:10) How to work with people who don't yet understand how you work 

(20:10-25:33) Finding courage to be direct as a leader during performance feedback

(25:33-28:00) Transitioning into a leader that isn't afraid of difficult discussions and the importance of journalling

(28:00-28:13) Ad break 

(28:13-32:10) Being open, honest and vulnerable, without sharing the burden of leadership

(32:10-37:00) Being honest with children's families and the importance of partnerships

(37:07-39:26) Seeing behind the filtered/perfect versions of people's work and success

(39:26-42:42) How Lucy keeps herself motivated through all the challenges

(42:42-45:50) Adapting your leadership in recognition that everyone's unique

(45:50-48:40) Striving for 50% of your day to be made up of the tasks you love & ensuring the right people are doing the right job

(48:40-50:03) Lucy's book on empowering yourself to lead through the lens of strengths 

(50:03-50:59) Final notes and goodbye

Links

Lucy's previous POD-CACHE episode: https://podcache.podbean.com/e/s3e04/ 

The Profitable Nursery Academy: https://theprofitablenurseryacademy.com/ 

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This episode was brought to you by CACHE Alumni, a free, award-winning membership platform for practitioners from across care, health and early years education. By signing up with us, you gain access to various CPD resources, including our member magazine Aluminate, latest news from the sector, careers advice, a range of special offers and discounts and more. 

---------------------

You can find our podcast on numerous different platforms, including PodBean, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, Google Podcasts, YouTube, and more. 

In this week's episode, we welcome back Lucy Lewin, Founder of 85-Place Day Nursery and The Profitable Nursery Academy. Lucy shares with us the value of adopting a strength-based approach in early years settings and embracing one's natural abilities. We also discuss the importance of fostering a work culture of psychological safety, open communication and one that encourages a collaborative mindset, seeking solutions together. Lucy highlights how leaders and managers can effectively engage with their staff, celebrating the uniqueness of each individual, as well as how they can build trust and partnership with the children's families. 

Want to skip ahead?

(0:00-2:50) Introduction to Lucy and a strength-based approach

(2:50-7:05) How to facilitate a strength-based approach in your setting

(7:05-15:40) How to encourage staff to open up about what makes them uncomfortable

(15:40-20:10) How to work with people who don't yet understand how you work 

(20:10-25:33) Finding courage to be direct as a leader during performance feedback

(25:33-28:00) Transitioning into a leader that isn't afraid of difficult discussions and the importance of journalling

(28:00-28:13) Ad break 

(28:13-32:10) Being open, honest and vulnerable, without sharing the burden of leadership

(32:10-37:00) Being honest with children's families and the importance of partnerships

(37:07-39:26) Seeing behind the filtered/perfect versions of people's work and success

(39:26-42:42) How Lucy keeps herself motivated through all the challenges

(42:42-45:50) Adapting your leadership in recognition that everyone's unique

(45:50-48:40) Striving for 50% of your day to be made up of the tasks you love & ensuring the right people are doing the right job

(48:40-50:03) Lucy's book on empowering yourself to lead through the lens of strengths 

(50:03-50:59) Final notes and goodbye

Links

Lucy's previous POD-CACHE episode: https://podcache.podbean.com/e/s3e04/ 

The Profitable Nursery Academy: https://theprofitablenurseryacademy.com/ 

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This episode was brought to you by CACHE Alumni, a free, award-winning membership platform for practitioners from across care, health and early years education. By signing up with us, you gain access to various CPD resources, including our member magazine Aluminate, latest news from the sector, careers advice, a range of special offers and discounts and more. 

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You can find our podcast on numerous different platforms, including PodBean, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, Google Podcasts, YouTube, and more. 

In this episode, we're thrilled to welcome back Jake Forecast for a third time, as he provides us with an exciting update on his career journey from student teacher to now nursery manager. Throughout our conversation, Jake highlights the significance of continuous learning and shares how he balances learning alongside work. Moreover, we touch upon reflection and seeing the bigger picture in your work, as well as the importance of coaching and mentorship. We also cover Jake's transition back to early years and how the sector's collaboration and team work makes it such a special environment to work in.

To check out Jake's full journey starting from his first episode, you can listen to episode 1 here and episode 2 here. 

Want to skip ahead?

(0:00-1:43) Introduction to Jake and his career journey

(1:43-3:15) Starting a new job in nursery management

(3:15-5:15) Preparing for the change in role with a supported transition

(5:15-7:52) Never stop learning - keeping your enthusiasm for education as a busy educator

(7:52-11:39) Tips for reflection - avoiding negativity

(11:39-14:15) Gap assessments, mentoring and coaching - tools for self understanding

(14:15-14:36) CACHE Alumni signposting

(14:36-17:41) Coming home - moving back to Early Years from Primary Education

(17:41-20:35) Collaboration and instant support - well-being in nursery teams

(20:35-23:24) Passion, determination and the things that drive success in Early Years

(23:24-27:57) Making the most of team skills and interests for progression planning

(27:57-30:00) The importance of community and working collaboratively

(30:00-32:19) Jake's career journey so far...

(32:19-33:42) What a difference a few years makes - listen to Jake's previous POD-CACHE interviews to see his progress from Level 3 to where he is now. 

(33:42-34:54) Thank you to Jake, last words of wisdom and signposting

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Links:

First episode with Jake:

https://podcache.podbean.com/e/dawn-interviews-jake-forecast-student-teacher-and-nursery-nurse/ 

Second episode with Jake:

https://podcache.podbean.com/e/s3e08/ 

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This episode was brought to you by CACHE Alumni, a free, award-winning membership platform for practitioners from across care, health and early years education. By signing up with us, you gain access to various CPD resources, including our member magazine Aluminate, latest news from the sector, careers advice, a range of special offers and discounts and more. 

---------------------

You can find our podcast on numerous different platforms, including PodBean, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, Google Podcasts, YouTube, and more. 

In this episode, we're thrilled to welcome back Jake Forecast for a third time, as he provides us with an exciting update on his career journey from student teacher to now nursery manager. Throughout our conversation, Jake highlights the significance of continuous learning and shares how he balances learning alongside work. Moreover, we touch upon reflection and seeing the bigger picture in your work, as well as the importance of coaching and mentorship. We also cover Jake's transition back to early years and how the sector's collaboration and team work makes it such a special environment to work in.

To check out Jake's full journey starting from his first episode, you can listen to episode 1 here and episode 2 here. 

Want to skip ahead?

(0:00-1:43) Introduction to Jake and his career journey

(1:43-3:15) Starting a new job in nursery management

(3:15-5:15) Preparing for the change in role with a supported transition

(5:15-7:52) Never stop learning - keeping your enthusiasm for education as a busy educator

(7:52-11:39) Tips for reflection - avoiding negativity

(11:39-14:15) Gap assessments, mentoring and coaching - tools for self understanding

(14:15-14:36) CACHE Alumni signposting

(14:36-17:41) Coming home - moving back to Early Years from Primary Education

(17:41-20:35) Collaboration and instant support - well-being in nursery teams

(20:35-23:24) Passion, determination and the things that drive success in Early Years

(23:24-27:57) Making the most of team skills and interests for progression planning

(27:57-30:00) The importance of community and working collaboratively

(30:00-32:19) Jake's career journey so far...

(32:19-33:42) What a difference a few years makes - listen to Jake's previous POD-CACHE interviews to see his progress from Level 3 to where he is now. 

(33:42-34:54) Thank you to Jake, last words of wisdom and signposting

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Links:

First episode with Jake:

https://podcache.podbean.com/e/dawn-interviews-jake-forecast-student-teacher-and-nursery-nurse/ 

Second episode with Jake:

https://podcache.podbean.com/e/s3e08/ 

---------------------

This episode was brought to you by CACHE Alumni, a free, award-winning membership platform for practitioners from across care, health and early years education. By signing up with us, you gain access to various CPD resources, including our member magazine Aluminate, latest news from the sector, careers advice, a range of special offers and discounts and more. 

---------------------

You can find our podcast on numerous different platforms, including PodBean, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, Google Podcasts, YouTube, and more.