Essex County Council

Fast track your career in Early Years 🚘 The ACL Essex team are here to help you find the best route into your chosen career, so you’re ready to start making a difference to children’s lives today! The Poppins bursary offers development opportunities and training for those currently working or looking to enter the early years sector. And, courses are funded by the Poppins Early Years Bursary, meaning they could be free. To learn more about our offer, visit: https://lnkd.in/exrYbjAU

Want to really make a difference to the lives of children and families? #StepUpToSocialWork is a hugely rewarding degree programme and could be your next career. Step Up To Social Work is a 14-month, full-time programme. It is designed for people who want to become a social worker but do not have a degree in social work. Successful applicants train through a combination of academic study and hands on social work experience in a local authority. Find out more on how to get involved visit: https://lnkd.in/e5BzN2Zp

Our Essex Early Years team are looking forward to this years Early Years Conference 2025 at the New Hall School in Chelmsford on 10 May 2025. This year's theme, ‘The Power of Play’, dives deep into the essential roles adults and the environment play in your curriculum. Why attend? Immerse yourself in the stunning surroundings of New Hall School, both indoors and out! Engage in dynamic inside and outside workshops designed to empower you as early years educators. Connect with fellow educators, share ideas, and build lasting professional relationships. Discover innovative resources and tools to enhance your teaching practice. The day will have featured speakers Ben Kingston-Hughes from Inspired Children, Jo Phillips, an expert outdoor play consultant, Essex County Council specialists and special guest HMI from Ofsted, discussing "The Best Start in Life Research" and its impact on your curriculum. The team aim to support you in creating rich, supportive, and dynamic learning experiences that nurture children's development through play. Don't miss this opportunity to be a part of something extraordinary! For pricing and information, and to book your place, visit: https://lnkd.in/eHP94xjJ

Power Your Business with Solar Together! ☀️ Small businesses, it's time to take control of your energy costs! Join the Solar Together group-buying initiative to get high-quality solar panels, battery storage, and EV charging points at competitive prices. Generate your own clean energy and store unused power for later use 🔋 Register today for free and receive a personal recommendation with no obligation to proceed. Register today, at: https://lnkd.in/eQwhzDxY #SolarTogetherEssex

Devolution could bring many opportunities to Greater Essex, including improved local services, better transport links, and more tailored economic growth strategies. Decisions for Greater Essex could be made closer to home, impacting you and your community. Discover what devolution could mean for Greater Essex, visit: https://lnkd.in/eFRTGzys #GreaterEssexDevolution

Have you nominated for the Essex Teaching Awards 2025 yet? The Essex Teaching Awards gives the opportunity to recognise and celebrate the inspirational work of early years and childcare practitioners, teachers and school staff within Essex. There's lots of categories to choose from: Impact of digital innovation 💻 This award celebrates those who lead the way in using digital technology in education. They inspire colleagues, students, and the school community with their forward-thinking and adaptability. They actively seek out new technologies and practices to improve teaching and learning. Nominees can be individuals or teams. School partnership 🤝 This award celebrates a group of schools /colleges/early years settings/childminders that have collaborated on a project/piece of work that has: Had a positive impact on students Displayed innovation and creativity Demonstrated strong leadership and effective teamwork within the collaboration Ensured long-term sustainability of the collaboration Community involvement Promotes inclusivity and diversity within the collaboration Clear, measurable outcomes and achievements resulting from the collaboration. Further education team of the year 🌟 This award celebrates Further Education (FE) teams that work together professionally and set a great example for others. These teams achieve excellent results and continuously improve. An outstanding team truly makes a difference in the futures of its learners. To submit a nomination, visit: https://lnkd.in/eGt7YVfi Thank you for your support in showcasing the incredible work of our educators. #PeopleMakeUs

This Neurodiverse Celebration Week ♾️ We wanted to give a special shout out to all our ND colleagues and recognise just some of the ways we support and work to normalise all our differences to be a truly inclusive employer 🤝 Did you know that 15-20% of the UK population is neurodivergent? 🧐 Embracing neurodiversity isn’t just about inclusion—it’s about recognising and celebrating the unique strengths each person brings 💫 Our incredible volunteers in the ND working groups (within our Women’s Network and our Differently Adept Employee Network) help create a more inclusive and supportive workplace—where every voice is heard, valued, and empowered to thrive ☺️ One way we’re fostering this is through body doubling spaces, helping staff stay focused and complete a range of tasks—from daily admin to presentations, education assignments, and more. Sometimes, just working alongside others can make all the difference! 👩🏼💻 So, if you're apart of the ECC team already or you have recently joined, and want to find out more about the networks, head to our intranet, and if you're thinking of joining, know that you will be very welcome and in good company 🙂

The Essex Year of Opportunity aims to empower people of all ages to improve their skills, careers, and employability. This will be achieved by improving access to high-quality education, training, and employment, building on best practices, and scaling up current projects 🚀 We will also make targeted investments to close the current gaps between employment and education, enabling children, young people, and adults to fulfil their potential and discover the best path for them. Around 200 people attended a special event celebrating the Essex Year of Numbers and the launch of the Essex Year of Opportunity. Oli de Botton, Chief Executive Officer of The Careers & Enterprise Company gave a keynote speech emphasising the benefits that collaboration between education and businesses can have for young people. By working together, young people can gain vital skills and experiences, schools and colleges can access new ways of thinking, and employers can support their future workforce. #EssexYearOfOpportunity

The UK government is holding a consultation to seek views on a proposal to form a Mayoral Combined County Authority for Greater Essex - the area represented by Essex County Council, Southend-on-Sea City Council, and Thurrock Council.  To have your say, visit: https://lnkd.in/e7ip4GGc The consultation will run until Sunday 13 April 2025.

Extraordinary Essex includes Educational Psychologists. Educational Psychologists support the learning, development and wellbeing of children and young people in school settings. Karen, a headteacher at Kings Road Primary School said “Educational psychologists are so valuable to us in school. "They bring expertise into the school, which even the most experienced teachers don’t have. They give us the opportunity to think differently about a child or a group of children”. To find out more about Extraordinary Essex, visit: https://lnkd.in/eSzWN-7V To keep up to date with all things happening across Essex, sign up to our Your Essex newsletter here: https://lnkd.in/exfDh6gQ #PeopleMakeUs