Barnsley Early Start and Family Services

The Early Years Consultants and Quality Improvement officers deliver support and guidance to the early year’s sector across the Barnsley borough. You can find out more about us below.

Early Years Consultants

We're experienced early years specialists who have extensive teaching or leadership backgrounds. We've a successful track record of improving quality and raising standards through providing advice, challenge, support and guidance to early years providers on all aspects of the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS).

Sam Tingle

Senior Early Years Consultant

Has 11 years experience working with a range of early years providers as senior consultant within two local authorities. Is responsible for working with a variety of settings in Dodworth, Silkstone, Keresforth and Barugh Green. Leads the team of Early Years Consultants, developing training, guidance materials and leading initiatives. Is also responsible for the statutory moderation process of the EYFS Profile within Barnsley.

Worked in primary education and has experience of teaching foundation stage and key stage 1. Opened, led and managed a private day care setting on the school site. Also has experience of mentoring newly qualified teachers for Sheffield Hallam University and has worked for Manchester Metropolitan University as an assessor for the early years professional status programme.

Lisa Bosson

Early Years Consultant

Has 12 years experience teaching the EYFS in schools. Worked as both a foundation stage 2 teacher and stage 1 teacher leading a team in a 40-place nursery. Was a foundation stage coordinator, part of the school’s senior leadership team and also worked closely with the Sure Start children’s centre on site.

Has worked in an early years improvement team for 7 years, supporting a range of settings during which gained early years professional status. Supported a range of schools and settings to obtain good and outstanding Ofsted judgements.

Has written guidance materials and delivered training on observation, assessment and planning, and tracking children’s progress, as well as courses including creating enabling environments and extending children’s thinking skills.

Richard Lazenby

Early Years Consultant

Has 13 years of teaching experience. Worked in a multi cultural inner city school and then as a teacher for children with statements for moderate learning difficulties. Has previously been a foundation stage coordinator, and manager of an early years improvement team.

Experience of working with a wide range of schools, settings and children’s centres to support them on their journey to a good or outstanding Ofsted judgement. Has delivered training on subjects including assessment and planning, sustained shared thinking, tracking children’s progress, provision for 2 year olds and the EYFS profile. Has early years professional status.

Tracy Pearson

Early Years Consultant

Has 15 years experience supporting early years teachers and practitioners, having previously taught early years and primary children for 16 years. Has been deputy and acting Head in a school with extended facilities including breakfast club, after-school club and toddler group. Has taught modules in early years for Huddersfield University and was an assessor and a mentor for early years professional students.

Responsible for working with leaders and EYFS staff in schools, settings and family hubs to review, refine and develop early years practice and provision. Leads professional development sessions for early years practitioners including moderation, assessment, continuity and transition, understanding the world and early reading.

Sara Turner

Early Years Consultant

Has 12 years teaching experience within schools for key stage 2, 1 and within the EYFS. Led the foundation team and supported the local community whilst teaching foundation stage 1. Has delivered quality improvements in a range of areas including developing enriching continuous provision, outdoor learning environments and positive indoor provision.

Has experience of being the school lead for mathematics within a multi academy trust, and developed the teaching and learning within the primary setting. Within schools, has been the education visits coordinator - overseeing planned and monitored learning outside the classroom.

We support provision for children from birth to age five, including their transition into Year 1. We've a universal offer which is open to all early education providers in Barnsley, including maintained schools, academies, independent schools, pre-schools and nurseries.

Our services providers can access

All providers can access:

Schools and academies can also access:

  • Early Years Consultants annual school conference
  • EYFS profile (EYFSP) moderation visits, support and training
  • EYFSP data sense check prior to submission
  • quality assurance of the EYFSP data upon submission

Childcare settings can also access:

  • a named Early Years Consultant
  • tailored support in response to settings individual needs

Quality Improvement Officers

We have a variety of experience in early years and childcare with a broad range of expertise and backgrounds. We have over 100 years of childcare experience in childminding and out of school practice, as well as in day care and children’s centre settings. We have a proven track record of improving outcomes for children across the borough through a broad range of support strategies and tools tailored to meet the needs of individual settings.

Caroline Campbell

Childcare Quality Improvement Officer

Has been a childcare quality improvement officer since 2009, supporting childminders and childcare settings to meet the safeguarding and welfare requirements. Has vast experience of developing and delivering training including team building, safeguarding, EYFS, British values, and outdoor training as a qualified outdoor first aider and forest school practitioner.  

Has a background in adult education, teaching and assessing early years levels 1, 2 and 3 to adult learners for Leeds City College and through PACEY. Was one of the first childminders to achieve Early Years Professional Status, with 12 years experience as a childminder and experience of Ofsted inspector training.

Runs a short break forest school service providing sessions for disabled children, encouraging and providing effective outdoor experiences whilst meeting the needs of children within the EYFS.

Jill Duffin

Childcare Quality Improvement Officer

Has worked as a development and quality improvement officer for over 15 years. Has supported all different types of childcare providers across Barnsley meet their statutory requirements and with the early years quality improvement agenda.

Has developed and delivered courses including child development, birth to three support, EYFS, leadership support, cultural diversity, behaviour management, child protection and safeguarding, special educational needs, administering medications and the childminder pre-registration course.

Experience of being an Ofsted-registered childminder including being on the National Childminding Association's quality first accredited network, delivering nursery education for 3 and 4 year olds prior to the EYFS. Also has experience of caring for children on the sponsored network from social care, including supporting children with complex medical needs.

Maria Hamby

Childcare Quality Improvement Officer

Has 9 years experience working as a childminder in the Barnsley area and achieved an outstanding grade from Ofsted at an inspection in 2015.

Has worked in the current position since October 2015, providing support and guidance to settings and childminders in continuous quality improvement to obtain good and outstanding Ofsted grades. Delivered this support a number of ways including one to one, training and hosting, as well as developing and facilitating the early years forums for childminders and nursery settings.

Has experience of leading projects including the Sue Overton Applied Practice project, and developed Barnsley’s approach and delivered safeguarding courses to a variety of settings and childminders.

Kathy Fletcher

Childcare Quality Improvement Officer

Has been in the current role since 2003 and has 23 years experience in childcare. Has provided support and guidance to childcare settings across the borough, in their journey to improve outcomes for children. Facilitates, develops and delivers training, forums and conferences with team members, making use of tools such as ECERS audits to encourage better outcomes.

With a background in business and finance, leads on business support for childcare settings including developing the business toolkit, and also developed the funding process for the Sure Start out of school grant.

Has experience of supporting settings with funding applications, reviewing occupancy and finance as the monitoring officer, and acted as the grant monitoring officer for the Big Lottery Fund. Has experience of leading and facilitating projects such as the Treasure Box facility and the Early Years and Family Services website and social media pages.

We provide support and guidance to childminders and early years settings (excluding schools) on registration, starting up, business matters and all areas of the EYFS.

Our services providers can access

All providers have access to:

Targeted support is also available to those becoming childminders or setting up a childcare setting, and to  those that are considered being due an Ofsted inspection, have an Ofsted grading of ‘requires improvement’, ‘inadequate’ or ‘not met’, or have specifically requested support with an area of need.

Targeted support includes:                                   

  • site visits
  • active and tailored support to meet the needs of the setting

Contact the Quality Improvement Team online

Contact the Early Years Consultants online