Leadership and Management training

Business Bites Training - 4 courses

Business Bites 1 - Planning for Success

This Business Bites course is the first of a set of four training videos designed to be accessed in your own time. 

Please note: To get the most out of the four Business Bites courses it is advised that you access them in order, starting with Business Bites 1 - Planning for Success.

This training is a video of approx. 30 mins in duration and will cover:

• Understanding the need for a plan
• Introducing the Business Model Canvas (BMC)
• The steps to creating your plan
• Involving the whole team in the process

You will be encouraged to think about:

• Looking back - celebrating reflecting and learning
• Being in the present - observing, monitoring, learning
• Looking forward - looking after customers, looking after the business, planning and growing

At the end of the video, you will be required to complete a short quiz to assess your learning and to provide feedback via an evaluation form. A certificate will then be issued.

Training provider: We Can Do Business

Target audience: Childminders, Early years setting managers, Out of school settings

Cost: £ Fully funded

Click here to book using code BB01A and a link to the video and any supporting resources will be emailed to you.

Business Bites 2 - Customer-Focused Marketing

This Business Bites course is the second of a set of four training videos designed to be accessed in your own time. 

Please note: To get the most out of the four Business Bites courses it is advised that you access them in order, starting with Business Bites 1 - Planning for Success.

This training is a video of approx. 30 mins in duration and will cover:

• What is Customer-Focused Marketing and why is it important?
• What does Customer-Focused Marketing look like? - Three key elements
• Employee advocates and activating your team
• Dealing with customer concerns and measuring customer satisfaction
• What does excellent customer service look like?
• The importance of customer stories

At the end of the video, you will be required to complete a short quiz to assess your learning and to provide feedback via an evaluation form. A certificate will then be issued.

Training provider: We Can Do Business

Target audience: Childminders, Early years setting managers, Out of school settings

Cost: £ Fully funded

Click here to book using code BB02A and a link to the video and any supporting resources will be emailed to you.

Business Bites 3 - How to promote your business

This Business Bites course is the third of a set of four training videos designed to be accessed in your own time. 

Please note: To get the most out of the four Business Bites courses it is advised that you access them in order, starting with Business Bites 1 - Planning for Success.

This training is a video of approx. 30 mins in duration and will cover:

• Business promotion online
• The importance of a website to a successful and sustainable business
• Why social media?
• Setting up your profile and planning your content
• Building and growing your community on social media
• What are brand assets and why are they important?

At the end of the video, you will be required to complete a short quiz to assess your learning and to provide feedback via an evaluation form. A certificate will then be issued.

Training provider: We Can Do Business

Target audience: Childminders, Early years setting managers, Out of school settings

Cost: £ Fully funded

Click here to book using code BB03A and a link to the video and any supporting resources will be emailed to you.

Business Bites 4 - Budget. What budget?

This Business Bites course is the fourth of a set of four training videos designed to be accessed in your own time. 

Please note: To get the most out of the four Business Bites courses it is advised that you access them in order, starting with Business Bites 1 - Planning for Success.

This training is a video of approx. 30 mins in duration and will cover:

• What is a budget and how is it different from cash flow?
• Why we don't budget and why we should
• Your budget in more detail - the steps to good budgeting
• Balancing the books and knowing your breakeven
• Credit control - healthy cash flow and reserves
• Making finances part of everyday conversations

At the end of the video, you will be required to complete a short quiz to assess your learning and to provide feedback via an evaluation form. A certificate will then be issued.

Training provider: We Can Do Business

Target audience: Childminders, early years setting managers, and out of school settings

Cost: £ Fully funded

Click here to book using code BB04A and a link to the video and any supporting resources will be emailed to you.

Early Years Funding and Portal Sessions

The Early Years Finance Team offer fully funded online sessions to support providers to claim funding and complete their data collection requirements. Sessions are suitable for those new to claiming or anyone that needs an update.

Provider Portal Overview

A group session to explain and demonstrate the modules available within the portal. You will cover:

• Part 2 Data Collection
  • Data Collection Form
  • Staff Module
  • Sufficiency Module
• Funding Documentation and use of calculators
• Funding Eligibility checks
• Funding Module
  • How to submit estimates
  • How to submit actuals

Training provider: Early Years Finance

Target audience: Childminders and early years group settings

Cost: £ Fully funded

Click here to book, using the above codes

Bespoke Training

If you need help with any other areas of the Provider Portal or need support to claim early years funding such as SEND, Disability Access Fund, EY Pupil Premium etc., you can request a bespoke training session with the Early Years Finance Team. Please email [email protected]

Leaders, Managers and Childminders Termly Briefings

We host online briefing sessions each term covering early years national and local updates. The format also includes a questions and answers section; all questions must be submitted beforehand.

If you are successful in gaining a place on a session you will be sent a confirmation email.

At that point you can submit any questions by emailing [email protected]

Questions must be submitted 48 hours before the start time of your allocated session.

Please only submit questions if you have been allocated a place.

Training provider: Early Years Learning and Childcare

Target audience: Childminders, and early years group setting leaders and managers

Cost: £ Fully funded                                         

Click here to book, using the above codes

Making the Most of your Data

The new Ofsted inspection framework effective from November 2025 contains important changes that you need to know about!

One of the changes is the planning call - Ofsted wants to hear more about how well you know your local area, including the children and families you work with and their specific needs.

What Ofsted will ask about

During the planning call, the inspector will want to know:

• What's changed in your setting since the last inspection
• Any recent challenges or pressures in your community and how you've responded
• What your current priorities are and what actions you've taken
• How you've checked whether your actions are making a difference

How Norfolk County Council (NCC) can help

NCC can provide you with useful local data - including things like:

• Childhood obesity rates
• Dental health stats
• 2 year entitlement take up
• Good Level of Development (GLD) figures
• And more!

We're offering dedicated sessions for you to attend in-person to:

• Look at your data alongside other local providers
• Get support in understanding what it all means
• Reflect on what your families and children need most
• Think about whether your curriculum needs to shift in response

These sessions are a great chance to take a step back and really focus on your setting's priorities - with time and space to plan your next steps. Staff from the Early Years Learning and Childcare team will be in attendance and refreshments will be provided.

Please note: You only need to attend a session once. Following attendance you will be given access to a website on which reports will be updated frequently.

Training provider: Early Years Learning and Childcare

Target audience: Childminders, early years setting leaders and managers

Cost: £ Fully funded                                         

Click here to book, using the above codes

Practical Implementation of Ofsted's Education Inspection Framework (EIF)

This course was previously delivered as 'Are you ready for your early years Ofsted inspection?'. It has been rewritten and retitled following the updated EIF.

Course Aims: This interactive session will help early years leaders to:

• Understand the latest EIF changes and their impact on practice.
• Develop strategies to embed inspection requirements into daily routines.
• Create using EEF planning tools inspection readiness with focus on continuous improvement.
• Prepare staff, resources, and documentation to meet new expectations confidently.
• Apply monitoring and reflective tools to sustain improvements and respond to feedback effectively.

Why Attend? 

By the end of this session, participants will gain practical insights, collaborative tools, and confidence to implement Ofsted's updated framework in a way that supports high-quality provision and positive inspection outcomes.

Pre-Training Requirement: It is essential that you watch the Ofsted video relevant to your setting prior to attending the training:

• Ofsted education inspection framework: nurseries, pre-schools, other registered early years settings

• Ofsted education inspection framework: childminders

Training provider: Early Years Learning and Childcare

Target audience: Childminders, early years setting managers

Cost: £ Fully funded

Click here to book, using the above codes

Roles and Responsibilities of the Early Years Committee

This in-person course will look at the roles and responsibilities of the early years committee, including clarification of different individual roles. It is strongly recommended that all new committee members attend.

It is anticipated that delegates will bring copies of their Governance documents to the session, i.e. Constitution, Memorandum of Articles etc.

By the end of the training, committee members will be able to:

• Highlight the characteristics of an effective committee.
• Understand the key roles and responsibilities of the early years committee.
• Be familiar with the Governance requirements of their own setting.
• Understand the statutory Ofsted requirements.
• Understand the implications of charitable status, including the role of trustees.
• Understand the committee's responsibility in ensuring that the setting meets key requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage Welfare Requirements.
• Begin to understand the committee's role in monitoring childcare provision, especially safeguarding.

Training provider: Early Years Learning and Childcare

Target audience: Early years committee members

Cost: £ Fully funded

Click here to book, using the above code