Introduction of the Experience-Based Route for Early Years Staff
On 3 March 2025 the Government will be introducing an experience-based route for early years staff. This route will allow suitable early years staff without an approved qualification to be included in the staff:child ratios at level 3 following a period of supervised practice.
This measure was first proposed in 2023 as part of the consultation on proposed changes to the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) statutory framework, and the Department for Education has now published its response to the technical consultation that was held in April 2024. This response can be found here: Experience-based route for early years practitioners - GOV.UK.
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Check an Early Years Qualification digital service launching in Spring
Early Years (EY) qualification requirements, particularly understanding whether a qualification is approved for working in staff:child ratios, can be tricky to understand. We expect this to save managers’ time and increase their confidence in having sufficient appropriately-qualified staff to meet demand resulting from the expansion of funded childcare entitlements by September 2025. The service has been tested with individuals and organisations from the sector during its pilot phase, and changes made in line with feedback received.
It will be made publicly available on GOV.UK later this Spring.
New Toilet Training Guidance for Early Years Educators
The Department for Education has published new toilet training guidance on the Help for Early Years Providers website. This will help educators understand how to support babies and young children with toilet training in early years settings.
The guidance includes information and resources on:
- When to start toilet training
- How to toilet train
- Common toilet training challenges
- Supporting children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities
- Working in partnership with parents and carers
You can read the guidance here: Help for early years providers : Toilet training
January 2025 sees the return of The Department for Education Early Education and Childcare Provider Regional Roadshows for group-based setting leaders and managers.
These roadshows are your opportunity to find out more about current and future policy, delivery and strategy, including the Best Start in Life pillar of the Opportunity Mission and the expansion of childcare to all eligible working parents of children over the age of 9 months, and to share your views, ideas, best practice and the challenges that settings face.
The dates for the 2025 roadshows set up so far are below.
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Date
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Location
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Venue
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23 January
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West Midlands - Register your attendance
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The Park Regis, Birmingham
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11 February
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London - Register your attendance
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Radisson Blu Edwardian Bloomsbury Street
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12 March
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East Midlands
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Leicester Tigers, Leicester
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25 March
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Yorkshire and Humber
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The Met Hotel, Leeds
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30 April
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South-east
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Leonardo Royal Hotel Brighton Waterfront
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21 May
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East of England
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Norwich City Football Club
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3 June
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South-west
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DoubleTree by Hilton, Bristol City centre
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8 July
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North-west
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The Midland, Manchester
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24 June
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North-east
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Copthorne Hotel, Newcastle
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You can register your interest for the regional roadshows via the register your interests form.
For queries, please contact EY.STAKEHOLDERS@EDUCATION.GOV.UK.
Survey for new career starters in Early Years
Have you, or one of your team, started a role working in an early years setting with children under 5 in the last nine months or so? Or have you recently applied for a role like this? The Department for Education want to hear about your job search and understand more about your views on jobs and careers in early education.
The Department has commissioned IFF Research to conduct this research and if you fit this description, they would really value hearing about your views and experiences
Please click on this link to complete a short survey: www.iffresearch.com/eyfi/la
Please kindly forward the link to anyone within your team who fits the criteria above
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The Do Something BIG campaign launched its latest burst of advertising on 28th December 2024. The campaign aims to improve the awareness, positive perception and consideration of a career in the early education and childcare sector and has so far driven approx. 38,000 visits to the campaign website each week.
DfE would be grateful for your continued support in helping to promote the Do Something BIG recruitment campaign. You can download our newly updated communications toolkit which contains new information and helpful resources such as brand new editable assets to help you communicate the campaign messages and amplify your own recruitment activity.
If you have any questions, please contact earlyyears.careers@education.gov.uk
Do you know of any early years educators who go above and beyond?
The Do Something Big campaign team is looking for individuals of all ages, life experience and backgrounds to take part in filming and/or media opportunities to showcase that anyone, from any walk of life, can work in the sector and bring something unique and valuable to the role.
If you are aware of anyone who might be willing to share their journey. We’d love to hear from you to see how we can share their story as part of our campaign. You can reach us via email: earlyyears.careers@education.gov.uk.
Please see our campaign website to get a flavour of what the campaign is all about: Do something big - Early Years Careers.
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Young people in the workforce: showcasing why they have chosen early years and how they enjoy shaping the next generation of children.
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Returners to the workplace after a break: Parents or carers re-entering the workforce or those transitioning back after an extended career pause.
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Career changers: Professionals from other industries who have moved jobs and found a passion in early years care and education.
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SEND specialists: Staff working with children with special educational needs and disabilities.
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Have interesting backstories: any other interesting stories of the amazing staff you have e.g. those who overcame challenges to join the sector.
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People who bring unique skills to their roles: such as musicians who lead singing or music sessions.
If you have any staff, you think would be keen to get involved, please contact ‘earlyyears.careers@education.gov.uk’ and we can let you know next steps.
‘How To Love Your Job’ new four-part early years series with Channel 4
The Do Something Big campaign team is delighted to share the first episode of our new four-part series with Channel 4, hosted by Anna Williamson. #HowToLoveYourJob follows four individuals searching for a more meaningful career, spending a day discovering the joy of working in early years. In Episode 1, Carla, a former prison officer, visits a forest school nursery and embarks on a journey to rediscover herself and embrace the great outdoors! You can watch the episode in full on Channel 4’s YouTube channel.
The Timewise Childcare Pioneers project 2024 explored how proactive flexible working cultures could improve staff wellbeing and retention and attract a more diverse pool of candidates.
Timewise created a guide for nursery managers to support with implementing flexible working in an EY setting: Timewise-A-Guide-for-Nursery-Managers.pdf
https://timewise.co.uk/article/building-the-early-years-and-childcare-workforce-of-the-future/
A key initiative of DfE’s sustainability and climate change strategy for education is ‘sustainability leadership and climate action plans’.
The strategy states: “By 2025, all education settings will have nominated a sustainability lead and put in place a climate action plan”. This includes early years settings, schools, multi-academy trusts, colleges, and universities.
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/sustainability-leadership-and-climate-action-plans-in-education
Early Years Sustainable Hub
Early Years Sustainable Hub. The website has practical suggestions to support your thinking about the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Clicking on each goal will give you an activity and a story book to start thinking about that particular goal. The aim of the Early Years Sustainable website is to share practical resources and support to help you design your Climate Action Plan.
Early Years Professionals Hub
Further information and ideas for Early Years Sustainability can be found on the Early Years professional Hub website- Loose parts and Sustainability tab
Families Information | Loose Parts
A new post, “Everything we are doing in education to tackle climate change” has just been published on the The Education Hub blog.
Our Climate and Sustainability Strategy is preparing schools for the climate issues we face, encouraging positive environmental behaviours and creating a better environment for children’s futures.
Read the new post: https://educationhub.blog.gov.uk/2025/01/everything-we-are-doing-in-education-to-tackle-climate-change-here-is-what-you-need-to-know/
Ofsted sets out proposals for fairer education inspections and new, more detailed report cards
Improving the way Ofsted inspects education - GOV.UK
Ofsted has launched a major consultation, seeking the views of parents, carers, professionals and learners, on a new approach to inspecting and reporting on education providers, from the autumn.
The consultation sets out a series of proposals that aim to serve the interests of the parents and children Ofsted works for, while strengthening the trust and cooperation of professionals working in the services it inspects and regulates.
Proposals for a new inspection model include:
- Introducing the Ofsted report card, giving parents detailed information about standards across more areas of practice in their child’s school, early years, or further education provider.
- Replacing the ‘single word judgement’ with a new 5-point grading scale for each evaluation area, including a new top ‘exemplary’ grade to help raise standards.
- Returning to schools with identified weaknesses, to check timely action is being taken to raise standards.
- Increasing focus on support for disadvantaged and vulnerable children and learners , including those with SEND.
- More emphasis on providers’ circumstances and local context.
- New toolkits to tailor inspections to the phase and type of provider.
https://www.smartsurvey.co.uk/s/ofsted2025/
Expanding a registered setting into new premises
New Guidance for providers of childcare on domestic and non-domestic premises who want to expand their registered setting into new premises.
The guidance explains when you may be eligible to expand your registered setting and when you need to apply to register a new, separate setting.
You may be able to apply for an expansion if you are expanding your setting into new premises next to, or close to, your registered setting, and you intend to manage them as one setting.
gov.uk/guidance/expanding-a-registered-setting-into-new-premises
Webinar Recording – new Flexibilities for Childminders and Childcare on Domestic Premises
Hear directly from Department for Education and Ofsted policy leads about the latest changes in the early years sector. They explain how the new flexibilities can benefit your provision and give guidance for new applicants on registering as a new provider type (childminder without domestic premises).
Watch the webinar recording here - New flexibilities for childminders and childcare on domestic premises providers | Ofsted webinar - YouTube
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The Importance of Positive Interactions on Baby Brain Development
Discover the crucial role positive interactions play in a baby's brain development, with insights from leading experts at the NSPCC.
Watch now: The Importance of Positive Interactions
Responding to Babies' Cries – A Guide for Early Years Educators
Learn how to recognise the causes of distress and soothe babies effectively. Alex Robinson (Early Years Policy Advisor, DfE) is joined by Melanie Farman (NSPCC Development Manager) and Natasha Harrison (NSPCC Early Years Development Support Officer) to share their expert advice.
Watch now: Responding to Babies' Cries
Early Years Alliance are working with HMRC to spread the word about the HMRC app, a quick and easy way to manage your finances and personal tax.
You can use this secure, free-to-download app to:
- claim and manage Child Benefit payments, including checking when you've received payments, reviewing your proof of entitlement and updating bank details
- view or download your income and employment history from the past five years, and use tools like the tax calculator to estimate take-home pay
- remind yourself of their National Insurance number, and save it to your phone wallet
- check your tax code, find out if you're due any tax back from HMRC and claim a refund if you're owed one
- update HMRC on a change of address or other personal details
How to access the HMRC app
Download the free app today by:
- Searching ‘HMRC app’ in the App Store or Google Play Store and downloading the free app.
- Following the instructions on screen to complete set up – you will be asked to sign in. If you don't already have an ID and password, this can be created on the same sign-in page.
- Once this is all set up, signing into the app can be even faster with a PIN, fingerprint or facial recognition, allowing you to have all your personal tax information at your fingertips.
This new resource for educators considers learning environments in schools and early years settings today. It's packed with practical advice for educators and leaders. Find out how to:
- Develop a Froebelian environment which offers children diverse open-ended resources and rich learning experiences
- Create a calm, warm and supportive play and learning environment for young children
- Nurture relationships in early years settings and develop a sense of community around every child.
Free to download
https://www.froebel.org.uk/training-and-resources/pamphlets
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Local School Nature Grants supported by players of the People’s Postcode Lottery.
Open to schools and early years settings in England, Scotland and Wales, this outdoor learning grant fund has four elements — an outdoor learning training course for your staff, a school grounds climate survey, a Climate Curriculum Kit (valued at £150) and £500 of outdoor equipment chosen from a catalogue of over 100 items.
Individual childminders are not eligible to apply. If you have previously been awarded a Local School Nature Grant, you cannot apply again.
Dates
The Local School Nature Grants programme is open to applications from 23 January to 4 April, 2025. All applicants will receive a decision by 2 May, 2025.
Local School Nature Grants - Learning through Landscapes
Early years sports fund
Applications are OPEN for the 24/25 academic year
The £1 million early years sports fund has been created by Super Star Sport UK to provide funding enough to ensure every single child who attends an early years setting, in England, has the opportunity to take part in a sports and activity session within their childcare setting. Following the inactivity children may have experienced through multiple national lockdowns during the Covid-19 pandemic our aim and absolute passion is to involve as many children in sport as possible. With this vision the £1 million early years sports fund was born.
You apply using our online form to which if successful you will receive a fully funded sports and activity lesson at your setting. The early years sports fund (EYSF) will commit to ensuring 100% of the costs involved are covered which will ensure the children at your setting receive a 45 minute sports and activity lesson at no expense to you, your setting or the children's guardians, fully funded by the EYSF.
https://www.earlyyearssportsfund.co.uk/
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