Early years weekly bulletin
A weekly roundup of information that may be of interest to you and help you in your role in your early years setting.
Weekly Bulletins
Early Years Quality Improvement Team's Weekly Bulletin
22 October 2026
Keep in touch
Email: earlyyearscentre@lancashire.gov.uk
Telephone: 01772 539058
Web site: Early years support and training - Lancashire County Council
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/LancsEarlyYears/ and http://www.facebook.com/groups/lancsearlyyears/
Complete this form to advertise your job vacancies for free: Recruiting and managing staff - Lancashire County Council
Your sector representatives
Please contact your PVI representatives on the Early Years Consultative Group, Rafael Schiel rafael@giantleapchildcare.co.uk or Sharon Fenton sharon@risingstarslancaster.co.uk if you have any comments or questions that you would like them to take forward to the County Council on your behalf.
Are you a new manager at your nursery setting?
Congratulations on your new role! Please let us know by completing this quick form: New PVI Nursery Manager
This will ensure that the member of the team supporting your setting knows who you are and can support you.
Something to do this week...
Supporting children with allergies
Did you know that between 5 and 8 percent of children in the UK have a food allergy?
Children may have allergies to food and non-food substances, and it is essential that robust procedures are in place to ensure parents and carers share any known allergies or medical needs. This information is typically collected as part of the child's registration documentation. Ensure that all relevant staff are made aware of any allergy information and understand their responsibilities in supporting the child's safety. Consider how you will regularly review and update this information and establish a system for parents to notify you promptly if a child develops an allergy or other health need after starting at the setting.
The 14 allergens are: celery, cereals containing gluten (such as barley and oats), crustaceans (such as prawns, crabs and lobsters), eggs, fish, lupin, milk, molluscs (such as mussels and oysters), mustard, peanuts, sesame, soybeans, sulphur dioxide and sulphites (at a concentration of more than ten parts per million) and tree nuts (such as almonds, hazelnuts, walnuts, brazil nuts, cashews, pecans, pistachios and macadamia nuts).
The Food Standards Agency website has all the information that you need regarding allergens and your responsibilities. The website includes free training and templates. Allergen guidance for food businesses | Food Standards Agency
Those preparing or serving food will need to be vigilant to ensure there is no cross contamination including when cleaning food preparation areas and when storing food. This check list on the website is very useful to help you consider if you have the appropriate systems in place.
The Food Allergy Awareness Training for Childcare Practitioners is online recorded training (4.5hours) and can be purchased for £17. It is ideal for all childcare practitioners, including childminders.
The training includes:
Latest allergic Ingredient law and updates and EYFS context
Common mistakes when working with allergenic ingredients
Defining food allergies, food intolerances, and Coeliac Disease
14 food allergies named in legislation and the dangers of hidden ingredients
How to design allergy-aware recipes and ingredient factsheets for staff and parents
How to make your premises allergy ready - including suppliers, delivery and cooking
Identifying allergenic attacks, emergency First Aid and EpiPen use on young children.
To purchase, please use the form below and you will be sent a link to the training to access for 2 weeks. Course Booking Form - Early Years Professional Development
Adults must be aware of what might happen if a child has an allergic rection and the action they must take. Paediatric First Aid Training contains training on how to help a child suffering from anaphylactic shock or other allergic reaction. If you have a child attending who has been prescribed an adrenaline auto injector pen (e.g. epi pen) then staff should undertake specialist training for this individual child.
Reflect on your practice:
How do you gather information about allergies when children first start?
How do you ensure that these records are kept up to date?
Are you knowledgeable about the allergens contained in food?
Can you have a quick reminder of how to deal with anaphylactic shock or other allergic reactions so that you are confident if it arises as an emergency?
Useful Resources:
Food allergies in babies and young children – NHS
Food allergy – NHS
Allergen guidance for food businesses - Food Standards Agency
Training reminders – November 2026
An introduction to safeguarding
All - A pre-recorded virtual session that can be booked for the 1st or 15th of the month. The pre-recorded webinar and resources are available for two weeks from the chosen date.
Environment Workshop: the immersive enabling environment journey
PVI Nurseries and Childminders - Face to face training Monday 2nd from 9.30am - 12 noon Early Years Professional Development Centre, Accrington
Paediatric First Aid (must complete online element at least 1 week prior)
All - Click link to check available dates
PVI Nurseries and Childminders - Face to face training Tuesday 10th from 9.30am - 12 noon Early Years Professional Development Centre, Accrington
PVI Nurseries and Childminders - Live, Virtual training - Tuesday 10th from 6.30pm - 8.30pm
Curriculum - knowing doing and remembering more
PVI Nurseries and Childminders - Face to face training Wednesday 11th from 9.30am - 12 noon Early Years Professional Development Centre, Accrington
Designated Safeguarding Lead Training
All - Live, Virtual training - Thursday 12th from 6.30pm - 8.30pm - LIMITED PLACES
Leadership and Management - getting it right in the early years
PVI Nurseries - Face to face training Thursday 26th from 9.30am - 4pm Early Years Professional Development Centre, Accrington
Don't let measles crash the party: Your role in keeping children healthy
Vaccination is the most important thing we can do to protect our children. But a growing number of children in Lancashire are missing key vaccines, putting their health, development and life at risk. And often, it is our most disadvantaged children who unfairly face the greatest risk.
NHS England reports that 1 in 6 children start primary school missing protection against measles. But many children who miss vaccines do so because of missed appointments, language barriers, challenges around travel or because parents/carers do not have access to the right information. To help get the message directly to families, please share the attached poster with parents at your setting.
We know conversations around vaccines can be daunting- where do you even start?!
We all play a role in keeping children healthy. As part of the NHS, our service is here to offer you help and advice on the best ways to make sure children are healthy and up to date with their vaccines. It’s never too late to vaccinate.
Contact Elliot and Sara by emailing vcl.improvingimmsuptake@nhs.net to talk about how we can help you support parents with vaccines.
CBeebies Parenting new YouTube channel has launched!
CBeebies Parenting has launched new resources for local authorities to share with parents, offering honest conversations, shared experiences and trusted advice. Its brand-new YouTube channel includes the documentary series ‘Parenting Unscripted’, with content also available on BBC iPlayer.
The series features five well-known parents – Radio 1 DJ Charlie Hedges, Traitors star Leanne Quigley, rapper Krept, Made In Chelsea star Ollie Locke and Strictly’s Dani Dyer – sharing their experiences of parenthood and the challenges and emotions they have faced. The series also has an accompanying Parenting Download podcast offering expert advice.
Baby Week Lancashire 2026 14th to 20th November
This year Lancashire will be taking part in Baby Week through a partnership between Public Health, Libraries, and Family Hubs. Baby Week is a national campaign that celebrates the importance of pregnancy, infancy, and early childhood, highlighting the services, activities, and information available to help children get the best start in life.
This year's theme, "Chat, Play, Read with Me. Together We Build the Best Start," celebrates the important role that talking, reading, and playing together can have in a child's early development.
Throughout the week, libraries and Family Hubs across Lancashire will be hosting a range of free activities for families with babies and young children aged 0 to 5 years. Activities will provide opportunities for families to chat, play, read and learn together, while finding out about the support available locally throughout the year.
We would be grateful if you could help us spread the word to families with children aged 5 and under by sharing information about Baby Week through your networks, services and communication channels.
As part of Baby Week we are also encouraging families to discover their local library and register their child as a library member. Library membership is free and gives children access to books, stories, activities and resources that can support early language, literacy and learning.
By promoting Baby Week, you can help:
Raise awareness of free activities and support available for families with young children.
Encourage parents and carers to spend time chatting, playing and reading with their children.
Increase access to local services and opportunities that support the best start in life.
Help more children become library members and develop a love of reading.
Share information, resources or advice relevant to babies, young children and their families.
Support Lancashire's Baby Week theme 'Chat, Play, Read with Me: Together We Build the Best Start'.
Highlight support that is available locally throughout the year, not just during Baby Week.
Please share this information with families, colleagues and community networks and encourage families to take part in Baby Week activities across Lancashire.
Lancashire Early Years Stronger Practice Hub
Please find the first newsletter from our new Growing Together, Lancashire and Beyond Early Years Stronger Practice Hub here: Welcome to Growing Together, Lancashire and Beyond Early Years Stronger Practice Hub October Newsletter
The newsletter offers an introduction to the new Hub, the team and the programmes available to support ongoing professional development opportunities on offer.
To Join our mailing list, for upcoming CPD, events, network meetings, resources, early years updates and opportunities to share practice. Follow this link: Sign up - Early Years Stronger Practice Hubs | Ambition Institute
Lancashire SEND Reform Plan approved
I am pleased to let you know that the Department for Education (DfE) has approved Lancashire's three-year SEND Reform Plan. This is an important milestone for the local area partnership and reflects the significant contribution of partners, practitioners, children, young people and families who have helped shape the plan.
The plan sets out how the local area partnership will work across education, health and care to improve support and outcomes for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities.
What the Department for Education said
The DfE recognised:
a clear and ambitious vision, with realistic and measurable goals;
a strong focus on inclusion, early identification and better outcomes;
an honest understanding of current strengths, challenges and areas for development;
a clear and well-sequenced roadmap for the next three years; and
a strong emphasis on collaboration, co-production and multidisciplinary working.
What this means
Approval confirms that the plan met the required threshold and provides a foundation for delivery. It is an important milestone, but it is not a full endorsement of the current SEND system or evidence that the required improvements have yet been achieved.
The DfE has also recognised that we are at an early stage of our improvement journey and that further work is needed to strengthen collective ownership, governance, partnership working and delivery. Progress will continue to be monitored through quarterly reviews, data returns and existing intervention arrangements as we implement the plan.
What happens next
The partnership will now move from planning to delivery. Priorities include earlier support, stronger inclusion in mainstream settings, better access to specialist help, more suitable local provision and improved partnership working. Children, young people, parents, carers, schools, settings and partners will continue to help shape the work.
The plan covers three years. It does not make an immediate change to an individual child or young person’s current support or statutory rights.
A copy of the SEND Reform Plan is attached for your information, and we encourage you to take the time to read it.
Delivering meaningful change will require continued collaboration across education, health, care and wider partners, and we are grateful for the commitment and expertise that colleagues and stakeholders continue to bring to this work.
Thank you for your continued support and commitment to improving outcomes for children and young people with SEND. We look forward to working together to turn the ambitions in the plan into real and lasting improvements for children, young people and families across Lancashire.
Paul Turner - Director of Education and Inclusion
Educational Psychology Service short survey
Dear Early Years Providers and Childminders,
The Educational Psychology Service is committed to ensuring that the support we provide meets the needs of children, families, and the professionals who work with them. To help us better understand current practice around Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) within early years settings, we are inviting you to complete a short survey (that will take no more than 5 minutes to complete).
The survey will help us gain a clearer understanding of:
Current SEND practices within your setting
The challenges and barriers you may be experiencing
The types of support, training, and resources that would be most beneficial to you
Your feedback is extremely important to us and will help shape how the Educational Psychology Service develops its offer to better meet the needs of early years providers and childminders across the area. We have also attached a Currie Matrix exploring ‘The Role of the EP’, which provides an overview of our broader skill set and may help you identify other areas where we could support you.
We would be very grateful if you could take a few minutes to complete the survey by Friday 30 October at 6 pm.
Early Years SEND and Inclusion Questionnaire – Fill in form
Thank you in advance for your time and valuable contribution. We greatly appreciate your support and look forward to hearing your views.
Please find attached a flyer showcasing how educational psychologists support your setting.
Inclusion Sway
The latest SEND and Inclusion Bulletin is now available - click here to access key updates, guidance, and resources:
SEND & Inclusion Bulletin (schools and settings) 20 Oct 2026
Prepare for winter: sign up for cold weather briefings
Cold weather can have a serious impact on health, particularly for older people, young children, pregnant women, and those with existing health conditions. Even relatively mild temperatures can increase the risk of respiratory illness, heart attacks, and strokes. To help you stay informed and prepared, you can join one of our Cold Weather Briefings.
These short online sessions will provide practical advice, key winter preparedness messages, and the latest information to help you, your team, and your service prepare for seasonal challenges and support vulnerable people in your community.
Whether you're looking for a refresher or the latest seasonal updates, book your place today and help make sure you're Winter Ready!
Early Years Quality Improvement Team's Weekly Bulletin
15 October 2026
Keep in touch
Email: earlyyearscentre@lancashire.gov.uk
Telephone: 01772 539058
Web site: Early years support and training - Lancashire County Council
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/LancsEarlyYears/ and http://www.facebook.com/groups/lancsearlyyears/
Complete this form to advertise your job vacancies for free: Recruiting and managing staff - Lancashire County Council
Your sector representatives
Please contact your PVI representatives on the Early Years Consultative Group, Rafael Schiel rafael@giantleapchildcare.co.uk or Sharon Fenton sharon@risingstarslancaster.co.uk if you have any comments or questions that you would like them to take forward to the County Council on your behalf.
Are you a new manager at your nursery setting?
Congratulations on your new role! Please let us know by completing this quick form: New PVI Nursery Manager
This will ensure that the member of the team supporting your setting knows who you are and can support you.
Something to do this week...
Review the security of your premises
There are a great variety of premises used for childcare; including childminders in domestic homes, small nurseries or out of school clubs in community centres and schools and larger settings in their own buildings.
Whatever your set up, the Early Years Statutory Framework is clear about providers responsibilities around the security of their premises:
children do not leave the premises unsupervised
they take all reasonable steps to prevent unauthorised persons entering the premises and have an agreed procedure for checking the identity of visitors
they consider what additional measures are necessary when children stay overnight The
Childcare Register also states:
make sure that no child can leave the premises, and no one can enter the premises, without someone who is providing childcare being aware
Reflect on your practice:
Do parents and carers understand your systems when dropping off and collecting their child and don't compromise security e.g. not holding the door open for others?
Childminders - do family members support you by closing doors and gates etc?
Group care - are staff deployed to support the security of the premises e.g. are they able to open the door to parents and monitor gates in outside areas?
Do risk assessments identify doors, gates and boundaries as things that need to be checked regularly?
Shared premises - do you ensure that other users of the premises cannot enter the part of the premises where children are being cared for?
Are fire exits clear of obstacles and open easily from inside?
Are visitors supervised and never left alone with children?
Website - spotlight on PSED
Looking for guidance, information or inspiration around supporting children's Personal Social and Emotional Development?
Visit the PSED section of our website for training, publications, free tools, guides and more!
www.lancashire.gov.uk/early-years/early-yearssupport-and-training/areas-of-learning-and-development/
Experts at hand launch – very important!
Please use this link to join the Experts at Hand launch. Experts at Hand launch | Meeting-Join | Microsoft Teams
Wednesday 21st October 16:00 to 16:45
We will explain how Lancashire could utilise £9.1 million to support schools and settings.
This initial meeting is an opportunity for us to explain what Experts at Hand is and isn't, and how we are going to consult on it.
In November there will be district stakeholder meetings where you will all have a chance to input and we will capture your thoughts. In December there will be a district strategic group to decide on the priorities based on the feedback/need and hopefully by January we will be up and running with support for schools.
We cannot send out a teams link as there will be too many people on the call, so please share this link with your SENCO, SLT responsible for SEND and all attend where possible.
Share your Healthy Heroes stories!
Is your setting one of the many nurseries or childminders across Lancashire already using Lancashire's Early Years Healthy Heroes resource pack?
We would love to hear how you're bringing Healthy Heroes to life!
Whether you've seen children trying new foods, getting more active, improving their bedtime routines, building confidence, or simply having fun while learning about healthy habits, we want to hear your stories. Please share your success stories, pictures, favourite activities, and positive experiences with us to help showcase the difference Healthy Heroes is making across Lancashire!
Your feedback helps us celebrate the amazing work happening across our communities and inspires others to become Healthy Heroes too! #HealthyHeroes
Email your feedback, stories and photographs to: healthimprovement@lanashire.gov.uk
Not a Healthy Heroes setting yet? There is still time to join the growing number of settings to support children's health and wellbeing through fun and engaging activities start building healthy habits for life!
To find out more about bringing the resource to your Early Years setting visit the following link: https://www4.apps.lancashire.gov.uk/w/webpage/sitesearch?keywords=healthy+heroes
Lancashire SEND Reform Plan approved
I am pleased to let you know that the Department for Education (DfE) has approved Lancashire's three-year SEND Reform Plan. This is an important milestone for the local area partnership and reflects the significant contribution of partners, practitioners, children, young people and families who have helped shape the plan.
The plan sets out how the local area partnership will work across education, health and care to improve support and outcomes for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities.
What the Department for Education said
The DfE recognised:
a clear and ambitious vision, with realistic and measurable goals;
a strong focus on inclusion, early identification and better outcomes;
an honest understanding of current strengths, challenges and areas for development;
a clear and well-sequenced roadmap for the next three years; and
a strong emphasis on collaboration, co-production and multidisciplinary working.
What this means
Approval confirms that the plan met the required threshold and provides a foundation for delivery. It is an important milestone, but it is not a full endorsement of the current SEND system or evidence that the required improvements have yet been achieved.
The DfE has also recognised that we are at an early stage of our improvement journey and that further work is needed to strengthen collective ownership, governance, partnership working and delivery. Progress will continue to be monitored through quarterly reviews, data returns and existing intervention arrangements as we implement the plan.
What happens next
The partnership will now move from planning to delivery. Priorities include earlier support, stronger inclusion in mainstream settings, better access to specialist help, more suitable local provision and improved partnership working. Children, young people, parents, carers, schools, settings and partners will continue to help shape the work.
The plan covers three years. It does not make an immediate change to an individual child or young person’s current support or statutory rights. A copy of the SEND Reform Plan is attached for your information, and we encourage you to take the time to read it.
Delivering meaningful change will require continued collaboration across education, health, care and wider partners, and we are grateful for the commitment and expertise that colleagues and stakeholders continue to bring to this work.
Thank you for your continued support and commitment to improving outcomes for children and young people with SEND. We look forward to working together to turn the ambitions in the plan into real and lasting improvements for children, young people and families across Lancashire.
Paul Turner
Director of Education and Inclusion
Vaccinations
Vaccinations play an important role in protecting children from serious infectious diseases and help to keep our communities healthy.
As trusted professionals, early years practitioners are often well placed to signpost families to reliable information and encourage them to discuss any questions or concerns with their health visitor or GP practice.
Further information can be found here: NHS vaccinations and when to have them - NHS
Bids for SEND capital projects
Bid for up to £50K for environment adaptations. Open to early years, primary, secondary and post16.
We are pleased to invite expressions of interest for both the Local Authority SEND Capital Inclusion Fund, expansions to special schools and the development of SEND Inclusion Bases.
These opportunities form part of Lancashire's ongoing commitment to increasing inclusion and supporting the sufficiency of specialist provision across the county.
The application window will open on 14 September 2026 and close on 30 October 2026. Applications will then be subject to a detailed review and scoring process by a multi-disciplinary panel comprising representatives from relevant services and directorates. Successful applicants will be notified of the outcome before the end of the autumn term and prior to the Christmas break.
Whilst we will seek to support as many high-quality applications as possible within the resources available, all submissions will be assessed against a clearly defined set of criteria. Only those applications that satisfactorily meet the required criteria and demonstrate a strong strategic fit will be recommended for approval.
Applications that are not successful will receive feedback within the outcome notification summary to help applicants understand the reasons for the decision. Given the robust assessment process and the involvement of a cross-directorate moderation panel, the feedback provided should offer sufficient explanation of the outcome. As a result, further challenges, appeals or requests for reconsideration following the issue of the outcome notification will not ordinarily be considered.
The aim of this process is to ensure that all applications are assessed fairly, transparently and consistently against the agreed criteria, enabling investment to be directed towards those proposals that will deliver the greatest benefit in meeting Lancashire's SEND sufficiency priorities.
Expression of Interest (EOI) - Expansion of Existing Special Schools – Fill in form
Expression of Interest (EOI) - Specialist Base in a Mainstream School or Setting – Fill in form
Male Carer survey - please share with parents
As part of our commitment to continuously improving our Early Help and Family Hub offer, we are launching a consultation to better understand the experiences of fathers and male carers who access our services.
We know that fathers, stepfathers, grandfathers, partners, foster carers, kinship carers and other significant male adults play a vital role in children's lives. However, nationally and locally, services have often found it challenging to fully engage fathers and ensure they feel welcomed, included and represented.
We want to hear directly from fathers and male carers about:
what we currently do well
any barriers they experience when accessing services
whether they feel included in conversations and decision-making
how we can improve our communication, activities and support offer
what a more father-friendly service would look like.
The feedback gathered will help shape future service development and ensure our offer is welcoming, accessible and relevant to all families.
I would be grateful if all colleagues could actively support this consultation by seeking opportunities to speak with fathers and male carers you encounter through:
Family Hub activities
Group work programmes
Outreach activity
One-to-one interventions
Drop-in sessions
Community events
Partner agency contacts.
Please encourage them to complete the survey and have their voice heard. The consultation takes approximately 5 minutes to complete and every response will help us better understand how we can strengthen our approach to engaging fathers and male carers.
This consultation will run from 1st October to 31st October 2026. Please click here to access the consultation.
Allergy Safety in Wraparound Childcare
From September 2026, new allergy safety requirements under Benedict's Law require schools to strengthen their approach to managing allergies and anaphylaxis. A published allergy policy should be in place, providing allergy awareness training for all staff, maintaining Individual Healthcare Plans (IHPs) for pupils with diagnosed allergies, and ensure spare adrenaline autoinjectors (AAIs) are available on site. Allergy safety in schools - Statutory guidance
The Department for Education's Allergy Safety in Schools guidance also applies to wraparound childcare. This means that before- and afterschool provision, including that delivered by external providers, should follow the school's allergy procedures and ensure staff are trained to recognise and respond to allergic reactions. Providers should collect and maintain up-to-date information on children's dietary requirements, allergies and intolerances, ensuring this information is accessible to staff at all times. Delivering school-age childcare provision: non-statutory guidance for schools and trusts
Foundation Years Newsflash: new information sharing duty for early years providers
A new statutory information sharing duty came into force on 30 September 2026. It applies to early years settings and strengthens information sharing between organisations to safeguard children and promote their welfare.
The duty requires relevant information about a child, or others connected to them, to be shared where it may help another relevant organisation assess needs, make decisions, provide support or take action. This supports prevention and early help, enabling practitioners to identify emerging needs and coordinate support before concerns escalate.
Information sharing is not limited to where a child is at immediate risk of harm or meets a statutory child protection threshold. Consent is not required when sharing information under the duty. Information must still be shared in line with data protection requirements.
Early years providers must follow the information sharing duty statutory guidance, and it should be read alongside the EYFS statutory framework and Working Together to Safeguard Children.
The Children and Family Wellbeing Service Survey
Help us hear from children, young people, parents and carers across Lancashire
The Children and Family Wellbeing Service launched a survey on 12 October to gather feedback from children, young people, parents, carers and our partners across Lancashire.
We want to hear from people whether they currently use Children and Family Wellbeing Service support or not. Understanding the experiences of families who haven't accessed services is just as important as hearing from those who have.
The survey will help Lancashire County Council better understand what is working well, where improvements could be made, awareness of available support, and any barriers that may prevent children, young people and families from accessing the help they need.
The findings will help shape the future development of services, including Family Hubs and the Best Start in Life programme, ensuring support continues to meet the needs of local families.
How settings can help
You play a vital role in helping us reach children, young people and their families.
We would be grateful if you could support the survey by:
completing the survey
sharing it with parents, carers and young people through your newsletters, websites and social media channels and encouraging families to take part, whether or not they have used the service
displaying our poster where parents and carers can see it
letting families know support is available at Family Hubs or by emailing CFW.information@lancashire.gov.uk for anyone who needs help completing the survey
Survey link: www.lancashire.gov.uk/family-survey/
Every response will help us better understand local needs and ensure services continue to respond to what matters most to Lancashire families.
Thank you for your support in helping us hear as many voices as possible. For more information, please contact CFW.information@lancashire.gov.uk
National Professional Qualifications
National Professional Qualification for Early Years Leadership
For leaders qualified to at least Level 3 with full and relevant qualification who are, or aspiring to be, managers of Private, Voluntary and Independent (PVI) nurseries, headteachers of school-based or maintained nurseries, or childminders with leadership responsibilities
The closing date for the autumn registration to this funded programme is the 1st of November.
Find out more: National Professional Qualifications | UCL Institute of Education
Ofsted and DfE Updates
Evaluation of Ofsted’s renewed approach to education inspection: summary of interim findings
A short summary of early findings from Ofsted’s independent evaluation of the implementation of the renewed education and ITE inspection frameworks. First published: 9 October 2026
Independent research finds Ofsted’s new-look inspections are more collaborative and respectful
A year after new-look inspections began, most education providers feel generally positive about their experience under Ofsted’s renewed education inspection framework (EIF), according to independent research published today. First published: 9 October 2026
Early Years Quality Improvement Team's Weekly Bulletin
8 October 2026
Keep in touch
Email: earlyyearscentre@lancashire.gov.uk
Telephone: 01772 539058
Web site: Early years support and training - Lancashire County Council
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/LancsEarlyYears/ and http://www.facebook.com/groups/lancsearlyyears/
Complete this form to advertise your job vacancies for free: Recruiting and managing staff - Lancashire County Council
Your sector representatives
Please contact your PVI representatives on the Early Years Consultative Group, Rafael Schiel rafael@giantleapchildcare.co.uk or Sharon Fenton sharon@risingstarslancaster.co.uk if you have any comments or questions that you would like them to take forward to the County Council on your behalf.
Are you a new manager at your nursery setting?
Congratulations on your new role! Please let us know by completing this quick form: New PVI Nursery Manager
This will ensure that the member of the team supporting your setting knows who you are and can support you.
Something to do this week...
Safer sleep checkup: Professionals-guide.pdf
Check the temperature
Between 16°C and 20°C
Ensure children do not become overheated
Review the environment
Clean, safe and calm
Risks minimised
Check your equipment
Inspect cots, mats, mattresses and bedding regularly
Review your policies
Check your procedures reflect current guidance
Does everyone understand the importance of safer sleep
Work in partnership with parents and carers
Include safer sleep guidance in your parental information
Discuss sleep routines with parents and carers
Frequently asked questions:
Room temperature; we have recently had a lot of hot weather. How do the regulations allow for this?
The recommended room temperature for babies is 16-20°C. During periods of extreme weather, providers should take all reasonable steps to keep rooms cool and well ventilated. Where temperatures outside this range are unavoidable, steps should be taken to minimise the risk of overheating.
Can a child have a favourite toy or comforter?
Comforters and soft toys should not remain in the sleep space of babies under 12 months once asleep. Dummies can continue to be used in line with parents' wishes and safer sleep guidance.
If a parent/carer feels strongly about where and how their child is put to sleep can we get parents to sign a 'waiver'?
The Children Act 2006 does not allow any settings to deviate from the Welfare Requirements of the EYFS. Settings must follow all the requirements, therefore a waiver does not exempt a setting. If a parent asks settings to use a buggy or use a toy for those under 12 months, we must not deviate from our legal requirements.
Reflect on your practice:
Is your sleep environment calm, safe and checked for hazards?
Is our equipment checked regularly?
How do you share safer sleep information with families?
Useful resources:
Lullaby trust Home | The Lullaby Trust
NHS Baby safer sleep advice - Best Start in Life - NHS
Lancashire Safeguarding children and young people partnership Lancashire Safeguarding Partnership - Safer Sleep
Did you know that if you have questions about safer sleep, the Lullaby Trust have a Baby safety helpline: Tel: 0808 802 6869
Dates for your diary:
Best start in life district conferences
These brand-new district conferences will be held annually. These are live virtual meetings that are for all early years settings working in each specific district. This includes childminders, PVI nurseries, maintained and section 27 nurseries and reception classes. These sessions will provide you with important information from the Children, Family and Wellbeing Service and the Education Improvement Service.
What is the purpose of the conferences?
To give every child in Lancashire a Best Start in Life
To share Lancashire’s Education Strategy
To share the profiles of your district
To share what you can expect from central teams to support you to support your children
To discuss what, as early years educators, we can do collectively and independently to make a difference
These brand-new district conferences will be held annually. These are live virtual meetings that are for all early years settings working in each specific district. This includes childminders, PVI nurseries, maintained and section 27 nurseries and reception classes. These sessions will provide you with important information from the Children, Family and Wellbeing Service and the Education Improvement Service.
For more details, please see your 'Digital Early years Quality Improvement Toolkit for leaders' for members and 'Digital Early Years Handbook for Leaders' for non-members sent to you by email at the beginning of September.
Burnley - 14th October 2026 - 9.30am - 11am
Chorley - 15th October 2026 - 9.30am - 11am
Fylde - 16th October 2026 - 9.30am - 11am
Hyndburn - 20th October 2026 - 9.30am - 11am
Lancaster - 21st October 2026 - 9.30am - 11am
Pendle - 22nd October 2026 - 9.30am - 11am
Preston - 23rd October 2026 - 9.30am - 11am
Ribble Valley - 14th October 2026 - 1.30pm - 3pm
Rossendale - 15th October 2026 - 1.30pm - 3pm
South Ribble - 20th October 2026 - 1.30pm - 3pm
West Lancs - 21st October 2026 - 1.30pm - 3pm
Wyre - 22nd October 2026 - 1.30pm - 3pm
Lancashire County Council Publications: Music Cards
Cost £6.00
This set of eight handy A5 booklets, on card, are designed to share some awareness of underlying musical concepts which will support staff understanding of musical development alongside some practical examples. The series looks at some of the elements of music and provides simple practical suggestions including songs, rhymes and games to support children's understanding.
You can use these cards as an individual or in small groups.
The cards include an introduction overview card then each card explores a different musical element.
Beat- the steady pulse of the music
Rhythm- the pattern of the notes
Melody- the selection of notes that make the tune
Tempo- the speed at which the music moves
Duration- the length of the note, long or short
Pitch- how high or low the note is
Dynamics- the loudness or softness of the music
To purchase these cards please follow this link: Publications - Lancashire County Council
Growing together – Lancashire and beyond, Early Years Stronger Practice Hub
Laura and Sue are pleased to share the first delivery plan for Growing Together, Lancashire and Beyond Early Years Stronger Practice Hub.
They will continue to listen to the early years workforce in refining and developing their offer in response to identified needs and priorities. Your feedback will help ensure support is relevant, accessible and complements existing provision.
Youth Jobs Grant: get £3k to recruit a young person
The grant provides businesses of all sizes across Great Britain with a £3,000 payment when they recruit a young person aged 18 – 24, who have been unemployed for six months or more.
Since Covid, entry level or first-step career roles for young people have been in steady decline. The Youth Jobs Grant aims to address this by encouraging and supporting employers to invest in young people, to build the talent pipeline your business will benefit from in the weeks, months and years to come.
Each young person you recruit via the grant will generate a payment of £3,000, paid in two instalments. The first payment being £1,800 after six weeks of employment, with the remaining £1.200 at week eighteen.
Vacancies filled via the grant will need to be for at least 25 hours per week. Your local Jobcentre will source and match suitable applicants for your role[s] and arrange a tailored recruitment process to match the needs and expectations of your business.
The Youth Jobs Grant (YJG) may be layered with additional payments for eligible apprenticeships (including the hiring payment for non-levy employers, additional payments for young apprentices, and additional payments for foundation apprenticeships).
An employer can enrol a vacancy on to the Youth Jobs Grant and receive the grant payment for job roles filled as apprenticeships.
The grant application process is very simple and takes around 20 minutes to complete.
To take part and benefit from the Youth Jobs Grant, please click on the following link… Youth Jobs Grant - GOV-UK Find a grant
Attached is also an information sheet relating to the grant. However, should you wish to discuss the Youth Jobs Grant in more detail, to explore whether this is something your business can benefit from, please email: prestonjobcentre.labourmarket@dwp.gov.uk and one of the team will be in touch.
Children and Family Wellbeing Service launch a feedback survey
On 12 October, the Children and Family Wellbeing Service will launch a survey to gather feedback about children and family wellbeing services across Lancashire. it is an important opportunity to hear from parents, carers, children and young people, whether they currently use services or not, as well as from partners.
They want to better understand people's experiences, awareness and perceptions of the services, as well as any barriers that may prevent families from accessing the support they need.
The feedback received will help to:
understand what is working well across the services
identify areas where improvements could be made
highlight any unmet needs within communities
understand awareness, accessibility and any barriers to accessing services
inform future service planning and development
This work will also support the continued development of the offer through the Best Start for Life programme, helping ensure services remain responsive to the needs of local children, young people and families.
You can complete the survey here: CFW Service Customer Satisfaction Survey Final -Oct 2026
LSBU Newsletter September 2026
Lancashire Safeguarding is a multi-agency partnership established to ensure safeguarding measures are met, vulnerable children and adults across Lancashire are protected from harm & abuse a… September 2026- Lancashire Safeguarding Partnership Newsletter
GloWeek 19th to 25th October 2026
From 19-25 October 2026, the Child Brain Injury Trust is running GloWeek, its annual road safety awareness campaign encouraging children, families and communities to Be Bright, Be Seen.
As the days become shorter and darker, the campaign highlights the importance of helping children stay visible by wearing bright or reflective clothing and using lights when out and about. It also raises awareness of childhood acquired brain injury and the impact accidents can have on children and families.
A range of free resources, including activity packs, posters and educational materials, are available to support schools, families and community groups in sharing these important safety messages.
To find out more and access the resources, visit the GloWeek campaign website
Inclusion Sway
SEND & Inclusion Bulletin
SEND & Inclusion Bulletin (schools and settings) 6 Oct 2026
Please share this link with the SEND / Inclusion Lead in your setting.
In this edition:
A message from Sapphire Murray, Head of Service – Inclusion
National SEND Award Winner – Penwortham Primary School's National Achievement
Section 19 Requests: Guidance on e-form Completion
Bids Invited for SEND Capital Projects
Lancashire SEND Local Offer: a resource for schools
DLD Awareness Day, 16 Oct 2026
Gloweek – a free road safety resource
Specialist Bases Allocations
Break Time Summer Holiday Survey
SEND Roadshows update
Professional Development Opportunities
Several other updates and reminders
For accessibility options
Click on the link to open the sway
Click on the three dots (top-right)
Select 'Accessibility view'
Baby Week Lancashire
14th to 20th November 2026
This year Lancashire will be taking part in Baby Week through a partnership between Public Health, Libraries, and Family Hubs. Baby Week is a national campaign that celebrates the importance of pregnancy, infancy, and early childhood, highlighting the services, activities, and information available to help children get the best start in life.
This year's theme, "Chat, Play, Read with Me. Together We Build the Best Start," celebrates the important role that talking, reading, and playing together can have in a child's early development.
Throughout the week, libraries and Family Hubs across Lancashire will be hosting a range of free activities for families with babies and young children aged 0 to 5 years. Activities will provide opportunities for families to chat, play, read and learn together, while finding out about the support available locally throughout the year.
As part of Baby Week we are also encouraging families to discover their local library and register their child as a library member. Library membership is free and gives children access to books, stories, activities and resources that can support early language, literacy and learning.
By promoting Baby Week, you can help:
Raise awareness of free activities and support available for families with young children.
Encourage parents and carers to spend time chatting, playing and reading with their children.
Increase access to local services and opportunities that support the best start in life.
Help more children become library members and develop a love of reading.
Share information, resources or advice relevant to babies, young children and their families.
Support Lancashire's Baby Week theme 'Chat, Play, Read with Me: Together We Build the Best Start'.
Highlight support that is available locally throughout the year, not just during Baby Week.
Childminders – ask an inspector
We are pleased to invite you to an Ofsted Information Session for childminders, delivered by Patricia Graham, Ofsted Early Years Senior Officer, North-West Region. This session will provide an opportunity to hear about current inspection arrangements, themes and trends within the early years sector.
The session will be held online via Microsoft Teams on
Wednesday, 14.10.26 at 18:30 - 20:00
To ensure the session is as relevant and beneficial as possible, we welcome your questions - please send questions in advance using the booking form.
Booking link - Ofsted information session for Childminders – Fill out form
Early Years Quality Improvement Team's Weekly Bulletin
1 October 2026
Keep in touch
Email: earlyyearscentre@lancashire.gov.uk
Telephone: 01772 539058
Web site: Early years support and training - Lancashire County Council
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/LancsEarlyYears/ and http://www.facebook.com/groups/lancsearlyyears/
Complete this form to advertise your job vacancies for free: Recruiting and managing staff - Lancashire County Council
Your sector representatives
Please contact your PVI representatives on the Early Years Consultative Group, Rafael Schiel rafael@giantleapchildcare.co.uk or Sharon Fenton sharon@risingstarslancaster.co.uk if you have any comments or questions that you would like them to take forward to the County Council on your behalf.
Are you a new manager at your nursery setting?
Congratulations on your new role! Please let us know by completing this quick form: New PVI Nursery Manager
This will ensure that the member of the team supporting your setting knows who you are and can support you.
Something to do this week...
Reflect on screen use
The updated Early Years Statutory Framework now includes a specific requirement to Practitioners must have regard to the following guidance on children’s screen use in early years settings: Help for early years providers: Screen use.
Take some time to read this comprehensive guidance and consider how you can ensure children's screen use in your setting is "…carefully planned and clearly linked to intended learning aims."
Share with parents and carers the Best Start in Life Guidance: Baby and toddler screen time guidance - Best Start in Life
Reflect on your practice:
Is the screen use necessary? Are there other methods or resources you could use instead?
What is the clear educational rationale for using a screen?
How does it extend and enhance learning, rather than replace the educator’s role?
How can you ensure children are interacting in screen use and not passively using or watching it? How will you discuss the content with children?
Is the content designed for educational purposes and appropriate for early years children?
How can you introduce movement and physical activity?
Are there any potential safeguarding risks around the device or content you’re thinking of using?
Website focus - Lead Practitioners
Why not visit our website to find out about more about Lancashire Lead Practitioner scheme and how they can support your setting. Giving you the opportunity to have discussions and receive support from lead practitioners, who are working in a similar context. www.lancashire.gov.uk/early-years/early-yearssupport-and-training/leading-practice-in-lancashire/
Bids for SEND capital projects
Private, Voluntary and Independent Nurseries can submit expressions of interest for this capital funding.
We are pleased to invite expressions of interest for both the Local Authority SEND Capital Inclusion Fund, expansions to special schools and the development of SEND Inclusion Bases. These opportunities form part of Lancashire's ongoing commitment to increasing inclusion and supporting the sufficiency of specialist provision across the county.
The application window will open on 14 September 2026 and close on 30 October 2026. Applications will then be subject to a detailed review and scoring process by a multi-disciplinary panel comprising representatives from relevant services and directorates. Successful applicants will be notified of the outcome before the end of the autumn term and prior to the Christmas break.
Whilst we will seek to support as many high-quality applications as possible within the resources available, all submissions will be assessed against a clearly defined set of criteria. Only those applications that satisfactorily meet the required criteria and demonstrate a strong strategic fit will be recommended for approval.
Applications that are not successful will receive feedback within the outcome notification summary to help applicants understand the reasons for the decision. Given the robust assessment process and the involvement of a cross-directorate moderation panel, the feedback provided should offer sufficient explanation of the outcome. As a result, further challenges, appeals or requests for reconsideration following the issue of the outcome notification will not ordinarily be considered.
The aim of this process is to ensure that all applications are assessed fairly, transparently and consistently against the agreed criteria, enabling investment to be directed towards those proposals that will deliver the greatest benefit in meeting Lancashire's SEND sufficiency priorities.
Expression of Interest (EOI) - Expansion of Existing Special Schools – Fill in form
Expression of Interest (EOI) - Specialist Base in a Mainstream School or Setting – Fill in form
Lancashire SEND Local Offer
Lancashire SEND Local Offer: helping families get the right support from the start
The Lancashire SEND Local Offer brings together information about education, health, social care and community services for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) aged 0 to 25. It provides a single place to find information, advice and support available across Lancashire.
The Local Offer includes:
information about local SEND services and support
guidance on Education, Health and Care (EHC) plans
a searchable SEND Directory of services, activities and support
information for families at every stage of their child's SEND journey
Supporting children and families sooner
The early years are a crucial time for identifying needs and putting support in place. By using the Local Offer, practitioners can confidently signpost families to relevant services, advice and resources, helping children access support earlier. Early intervention can reduce delays, prevent confusion, improve family experiences and contribute to better outcomes for children and young people.
Professional responsibility
Under the Children and Families Act 2014, professionals have a duty to help families access accurate and up-to-date SEND information. Familiarity with the Local Offer helps ensure families receive clear information about the support available to them and how to access it. We encourage all early years practitioners to explore the Local Offer and use it as a trusted source of information when supporting children and families.
Find out more
The Local offer includes the Local Offer website, the Lancashire Service Finder SEND Directory, the Local Offer Facebook page and FIND newsletter for families (sent to families who join the FIND database). If you have suggestions for improving the Local Offer, please email LancashireLocalOffer@lancashire.gov.uk
Lancashire Safeguarding Partnership September newsletter
In this months newsletter, you'll find:
Rapid Review & CSPR Training
DA & CYP Practitioner Forums
'Me Learning' User Guide
Updated Resources
Upcoming Campaigns including Safeguarding Adults Week
Voluntary Sector spotlight
CDOP Update
National Guidance and Updates
Useful Links
September 2026- Lancashire Safeguarding Partnership Newsletter
Domestic Abuse and CYP Domestic Abuse practitioner's forums
Please share with front line practitioners. This is not for manager level colleagues
Dear colleagues,
Join us for our Domestic Abuse and CYP Domestic Abuse Practitioners forums.
This forum provides a safe and supportive space for frontline practitioners who work with children and young people affected by domestic abuse. It offers an opportunity to discuss challenges, seek advice, and share good practice with colleagues from across Lancashire.
Each session will feature four breakout rooms, facilitated by professionals from a range of domestic abuse services. Facilitators will present an anonymised case study relevant to their area of expertise, followed by a discussion session where participants can raise questions, explore their own cases, share experiences, and reflect on the case study presented.
Please note that this is not a referral forum. Its purpose is to provide professional support, guidance, and peer discussion to help practitioners strengthen the support they offer to children, young people, and adults affected by domestic abuse.
CYP DA Practitioner Forum
Tuesday 29th September 2026 12.30pm: https://events.teams.microsoft.com/event/1b0d8b78-340a4b71-bbce-45c5edc0a7ce@9f683e26-d8b9-4609-9ec4e1a36e4bb4d2?source=copyLinkLegacyShareEventDialog
Tuesday 15th December 2026 12.30pm: https://events.teams.microsoft.com/event/b503b00e-b72e41c1-84d8-106ed38cec51@9f683e26-d8b9-4609-9ec4e1a36e4bb4d2?source=copyLinkLegacyShareLinkDialog
Tuesday 9th March 2027 12.30pm: https://events.teams.microsoft.com/event/48cba8a1-03254eee-b2a7-53a0043dad8d@9f683e26-d8b9-4609-9ec4e1a36e4bb4d2?source=copyLinkLegacyShareLinkDialog
DA Practitioner Forum
Tuesday 6th October 2026 12.30pm: https://events.teams.microsoft.com/event/86903543-58374098-b6e9-110978e4a2b0@9f683e26-d8b9-4609-9ec4e1a36e4bb4d2?source=copyLinkLegacyShareEventDialog
Tuesday 1st December 2026 12.30pm: https://events.teams.microsoft.com/event/82f3625b-9e9b4d1c-b0e6-6b40855057e7@9f683e26-d8b9-4609-9ec4e1a36e4bb4d2?source=copyLinkLegacyShareLinkDialog
Tuesday 9th February 2027 12.30pm: https://events.teams.microsoft.com/event/e8268e47-05914eed-bddf-0d568165da74@9f683e26-d8b9-4609-9ec4e1a36e4bb4d2?source=copyLinkLegacyShareLinkDialog
If you have any questions or cases you would like to discuss at the next forum, you can submit them to lsbu@lancashire.gov.uk. These will be forwarded on to the Chairs of each forum.
Early Years Sustainability Conference
Early Years Sustainability Conference: Small Hands, Protecting the Planet!
Join us for the Early Years Sustainability Conference 2026: Small Hands, Protecting the Planet!, an inspiring day focused on empowering young children to become changemakers for a sustainable future. Featuring keynote speaker Dr Diane Boyd, a nationally recognised expert in Early Childhood Education for Sustainability, alongside an exclusive Eco-Town Tour of Lancashire Renewables and practical workshops led by Lancashire education specialists, this conference will provide innovative ideas, expert guidance and real-world strategies to help embed sustainability across your Early Years provision. Whether you are an Early Years leader, teacher, practitioner or childminder, discover how meaningful sustainability education can nurture curiosity, responsibility and a lifelong commitment to caring for our planet.
Find out more and secure your place.
Support with critical incidents
Colleagues within the early years sector are able to access the same support as Lancashire schools following critical incidents.
Critical Incidents
Phone: out of hours emergency duty team; Lancashire County Council Emergency Duty Team for out-of-hours social care and safeguarding emergencies: 0300 123 6722
The death of a child, member of staff or other significant member of the settings community can have a profound impact on children, staff and families. Such events are often emotionally demanding for leaders, who may be required to lead and support others whilst managing their own response to the situation.
The support and guidance will be tailored to the exact situation that the setting is facing; and will draw on a vast range of resources and other teams as appropriate.
Support for staff in setting:
Supervision: the setting would be advised to review the current Supervision arrangements in place for all staff; and consider if this needs increasing in frequency
Recovery from trauma is individual and varies in pace and style. Psychological advice is that only if someone is not recovering at a typical rate using their own support systems would a therapy such as counselling be considered. Anyone who is not recovering within a typical time you may then want to look at a stress risk assessment in work and an Occupational Health referral.
leaders will know which staff may be more vulnerable due to previous trauma
Settings should look at the offer of training and support from Lancashire Emotional Health in Schools and Colleges (LEHS) available on the website wp.lancs.ac.uk/lehsc/
You may also find the wellbeing toolkit for leaders helpful to refer to Wellbeing Toolkit - Lancashire County Council
Growing Together, Lancashire and Beyond, Stronger Practice Hub
I am pleased to share an exciting opportunity to join our Early Years Stronger Practice Hub (EYSPH) as an Early Years Learning Lead (EYLL).
PSED Lead (2 days per week or 76 days per year): Lead initiatives which support practitioners to foster children’s emotional wellbeing, social skills and resilience within Early Years settings.
Maths Lead (3 days per week or 114 days per year): Champion mathematical learning and development, supporting practitioners to embed numeracy and spatial reasoning in everyday practice.
Communication and Language Lead (4 days per week or 152 days per year): Promote language-rich environments, develop practitioner knowledge and support communication development for all children.
We are currently recruiting experienced early years professionals to support our work across Lancashire, Blackpool, Blackburn with Darwen, Cumberland, and Westmorland and Furness.
EYLLs will play an important role in supporting Growing Together, Lancashire and beyond Early Years Stronger Practice Hub to:
share evidence-informed early years practice;
support settings to develop and strengthen their practice within PSED, Early Maths and Early Communication and Language; • Provide bespoke support to settings;
Deliver subject specific stronger practice CPD.
We would be grateful if you could share the attached EYLL opportunity with your networks and within your local authorities in as many forms as possible., particularly with early years settings and schools and early years professionals who may have the experience, expertise and passion to contribute to this work.
We are keen to hear from practitioners and leaders who are committed to improving early years practice and supporting colleagues across the sector and we would love a range of experts from all of our localities.
Further information about the role, eligibility requirements and how to apply can be found within each Expression of Interest form and within the application advert.
Thank you very much for helping us to promote this opportunity and for supporting the development of strong early years practice across our region.
Kindest regards
Susan Conron Growing, Together, Lancashire and Beyond, Stronger Practice Hub Lead
Foundation Years – new SEND training for all early years practitioners
In January, the Department for Education announced a £200 million investment in SEND and inclusion training to upskill educators across early years, schools and post-16 settings.
Last week, the first phase of a new national training offer for early years was launched with a new online training package now freely available to all early years practitioners.
Funded by the Department for Education and developed and delivered by Dingley’s Promise, this training is designed for all early years educators working with children aged 0-4 years to strengthen inclusive practice and better identify and support children with SEND.
The training offers learning across three purposely designed courses, providing practical information, strategies and reflective tools to improve inclusive practice across all early years settings.
These courses centre on three key themes of:
Foundations of Inclusive Practice;
Embedding Inclusive Practice; and
Parent Partnership.
The training has been purposely designed to be accessed in a flexible way, to allow learners to work through and return to the training at times that are suitable for them. Courses are suitable for educators of all levels and in all types of provision including childminders and contain practical strategies, tools and resources that can be applied directly to everyday practice.
All courses are freely accessible at Early Years CPD Training - Dingley's Promise.
The second phase of the new Early Years CPD programme will launch in autumn 2027, offering further online learning as well as in-depth webinars and a new local support offer, to further develop the knowledge and skills needed to put inclusive practice into action.
Prevent Duty new guidance for DSLs
Removed previously published documents, replacing these with
'The Prevent Duty: practical guidance for designated safeguarding leads',
'Channel meetings: practical guidance for designated safeguarding leads'
'Safeguarding learners susceptible to radicalisation: next-step checklists'.
The Prevent duty: safeguarding learners susceptible to radicalisation - GOV.UK
Develop a climate action plan with free DfE support
The heatwaves of the summer were another reminder of climate change. We’re encouraging every nursery in England to have a climate action plan.
A holistic plan can help nurseries prepare for extreme weather and reduce costs, while supporting children’s wellbeing and the environment.
Free support is available through DfE commissioned programmes – the National Education Nature Park, Sustainability Support for Education, and Climate Ambassadors – all working with Let’s Go Zero Climate Action Advisors.
Find out more here.
Help shape EEF's future research priorities
The Education Endowment Foundation (EEF) is seeking views from people working in, with, and alongside education settings to help inform their research priorities. The consultation is open to colleagues across early years, schools and 16-19 education.
The EEF wants to hear about the challenges, pressures and unanswered questions facing the early years sector, and what evidence, resources or support could help address them.
This consultation is an opportunity to share insights and experiences that can help strengthen the EEF's understanding of early years priorities. Responses will be considered alongside evidence reviews, policy analysis and other sources of learning as the EEF develops its future research programme.
To have your say, complete the survey here: EEF Research Agenda: Sector Consultation by the 9th October 2026.
DfE and Ofsted updates
Big Listen action monitoring reports - Added April and June monitoring reports; these report on our commitments made in the Big Listen consultation and response to Dame Christine Gilbert’s independent learning review.
Paying your annual fee: what you need to know - Blog post from Jayne Coward, Deputy Director for Early Years Regulatory Policy and Practice, on paying registration and annual fees.
Early years inspection: toolkit, operating guide and information - All updated; see the 'Summary of changes' for full details.
Early years and childcare: Ofsted's enforcement policy - Updated to clarify the actions taken when requirements are not being met – when we serve a welfare requirements notice (WRN) and take enforcement action, and when we set actions.
Report a serious childcare incident - Updated to reflect changes to the early years foundation stage (EYFS) framework on 1 September 2026. Providers must now inform Ofsted of allegations of harm (rather than serious harm) by anyone living, working or looking after children on the premises.
Updates to requirements - This month, the Department for Education updated the requirements for those registered on the General Childcare Register. They now prevent banned dog breeds (to which section 1 of the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 applies, including the XL Bully type) being kept or present in childcare settings. We have amended several pages of guidance in line with this:
Applying to waive disqualification: early years and childcare providers - Updated to clarify that where the applicant is a company, the disqualification applies to the company and not the individual directors.
Childminders: report new people in the setting - Clarified that childminder assistants must not begin working at a setting until they have been confirmed to be suitable by either Ofsted or their agency.
Update on Bright Horizons regulatory action - Since September last year, Ofsted has been carrying out an extensive programme of regulatory activity across nurseries in the Bright Horizons group; this is the latest update on that work.
Early years and childcare: Ofsted’s enforcement policy - Updated to clarify the actions taken when requirements are not being met – when we serve a welfare requirements notice (WRN) and take enforcement action, and when we set actions.