 We are so thrilled to announce that we have the go ahead for an Early Years Inclusion Centre (EYIC) in Portsmouth to be established.
We are looking for an existing mainstream provider to take on the delivery of the EYIC offer.
Please see the expression of interest form at the button below and consider whether your setting meets the criteria. Please also refer to what PCC and the Early Years Inclusion Team can offer in return for delivery of the EYIC and also the expectations for delivery of the EYIC offer.
The deadline for return of expressions of interest is Wednesday 8 October and they should be emailed to eyinclusion@portsmouthcc.gov.uk.
If you have any questions before you submit an expression of interest, please feel free to contact ella.harbut@portsmouthcc.gov.uk.
 Please click here to view details of our popular Level 2 and Level 3 accredited SEND training courses for 2025/26.
We have limited funded/part-funded places for the Level 2 course for Childminders and the Level 3 course which are available on a first come, first served basis.
Please browse the Portsmouth Traded Services website to view all our Early Years training and events for 2025/26 and to make your bookings or contact us by email at eyworkforce@portsmouthcc.gov.uk if you have any questions or any specific Early Years training requirements.
 On 10 July, Ofsted announced a sector engagement programme to help providers familiarise themselves with the upcoming changes to inspections under the renewed framework, which will begin in November. The engagement programme will launch in September and will include a mix of webinars and regional events taking place throughout the Autumn term.
Ofsted will host live webinars for different types of education providers, setting out the key changes to inspection. For early years, separate webinars will be available for childminders and group-based provision. There will also be webinars for out-of-school-clubs. Recordings of each webinar will be available on our YouTube channel afterwards. You can find full details of the schedule and how to register here.
 The DfE has published their first early years provider email which you can read here.
To sign up for future editions, to receive the latest announcements, information and news from the department on how they are reforming early years education and support childcare expansion, please sign up through this link.
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Will your child be walking to school independently?
It’s that time of year when many of us are thinking about the return to school. Perhaps this year will be the first your child is walking alone or with their friends. Or maybe your child is changing school and they have a new route to learn. It can be a nerve-wracking time. But, there are things you can do to help your child with the transition and keep them safe.
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Are your windows open? Is your balcony door locked?
Children can and, too often, do fall out of windows or from balconies and suffer serious injuries. Fortunately, it doesn’t take much to keep them safe.
Do you have a trampoline?
They’re great fun and fantastic for burning energy. But did you know that most trampoline accidents happen when there are two or more bouncers at the same time? And usually, it’s the little one that gets hurt. That’s why we suggest taking it in turns and avoiding adults and children jumping together.
Baby sleeping bags warning: Risk of suffocation, overheating and death
Baby sleeping bags with hoods, or those without arm openings, do not meet UK safety standards and are not permitted to be sold here. They can cause babies to suffocate, overheat or die. Yet far too many are available to buy online. In fact, a new investigation by Which? found many dangerous baby sleeping bags, similar or identical to products that have been officially recalled for suffocation risks, for sale online.
 DfE’s early years child development training is a free, online programme that has been designed by early years experts:
- Build and strengthen your child development knowledge
- Get practical advice for supporting children in your setting
- Test your knowledge and reflect on your practice
- Watch practical training videos
- Access modules in any order at any time
- Pause and restart the training to suit you
- Download a certificate after completing each module
There are 8 modules available covering key areas of child development, including child and brain development and the EYFS, personal, social and emotional development, communication and language, physical development, effective curriculum and assessment, and supporting individual differences and needs.
Sign up and register by visiting early years child development training. If you have an account, sign in and visit the My modules page to access the training.
 The Council for Disabled Children has published guidance and training to help early years practitioners, governors and trustees understand their responsibilities under the Equality Act 2010 in relation to disabled children.
These free resources, commissioned by the Department for Education, support inclusive practice and aim to improve outcomes for disabled children. The training is designed to help early years providers to meet their legal duties and create environments where every child can participate and thrive.
The training includes four short modules:
- Understanding your duties under the Equality Act
- Making reasonable adjustments
- Taking a whole-setting approach
 The Food Standards Agency (FSA) advises that children under the age of 7 should not drink ice slush drinks containing glycerol at all, and that children aged 7-10 should drink no more than one 350ml slush drink with glycerol a day – that is about the size of a fizzy drink can. This advice also applies to ready-to-drink slush ice drinks with glycerol in pouches, and home kits containing glycerol slush concentrates. Parents or carers should check with the vendor if their drinks contain glycerol.
 In July 2025, the Department for Education (DfE) published the Best Start in Life strategy where they committed to working with the sector to co-design and introduce a new professional register to put early years workers on a more professional footing and create clear paths for career progression, to drive up standards and professionalism among the workforce.
DfE is now inviting early years professionals to take part in a research study to help shape the future of the early years workforce register.
They would love to hear your thoughts and feedback on the idea of a workforce register in a 60-minute remote session:
When: 1 to 12 September and 29 September to 11 October
Format: Online session
Incentive: £40
Your insights will play a key role in shaping the future of the early years workforce.
Questions? Contact research.early-years-quals@education.gov.uk
 A new post, “Understanding outcome summaries” has just been published on the Ofsted: early years blog.
They want to make sure children have the best start in life. As part of this, we regulate early years providers to make sure they’re providing safe and secure environments for children to develop and learn in.
 As part of the governments new Best Start in Life strategy, on 1 September they launched a new Best Start in Life website. This improved support for families builds on the proud legacy of Sure Start and will help more children be ready to start school.
www.beststartinlife.gov.uk will officially replace the Childcare Choices website as the main source of information for early education and childcare support - offering a broader range of resources for families, including eligibility for childcare offers, information about free breakfast clubs and Best Start Family Hubs in their area and support on pregnancy through to starting school and beyond.
 Referrals for Home-Start's Big Hopes Big Future School Readiness Programme are now open for children due to start school in September 2026.
 Join another of Danielle's popular storytimes for children and childminders in the Portsmouth area. This month, the story time will be held at Beddow Library. Each session has an exciting hour of stories and activities on a theme, with all the resources provided. It's a wonderful chance for childminders to network and the children to make new friends!
 As part of the DfE funded flexible working programme, there will be a free webinar taking place focused on flexible working in an early years setting on 8 October at 10am. It will be delivered by one of the ambassador schools’ headteacher and a teacher in a large inner-city nursery. The webinar aims to explore staff retention in early years education and will draw on successful flexible working practices.
 To mark last week’s childcare expansion milestone, Prime Minister Keir Starmer has written to parents reaffirming his Plan for Change promise to give children the best possible start with 75% of five-year-olds reaching a good level of development by 2028.
You can read the Prime Minister’s letter to parents on the DfE’s Education Hub.
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