We’re Hiring – Digital Communications Officer 📣 Key details: • Freelance, 2 days (16 hrs) per week • Remote (UK‑based) • £250/day, 1‑year contract with potential extension Full role info ➜ bloomsburynurseryschool.co.uk/key-info#join_our_team Closing date: Mon 13 April, 5pm 1/2

We welcome the Government’s £900m investment into Best Start Family Hubs.👏 Our chief executive, Jane Harris, said: “Giving every child the best start in life is a vital mission." Click the link to read more. ⬇️ speechandlanguage.org.uk/about-us/new...

✅ New from the EEF: free tool to help early years educators scaffold learning more effectively. Scaffolding gives children the “just right” level of challenge: not too much, not too little. 2‑page PDF with steps for teams to use everyday here: d2tic4wvo1iusb.cloudfront.net/production/c... #edusky

Develop your practice by signing up to the Froebel Trust Online Course! 🤩 Starting this September, we’re offering educators across the UK the chance to join our interactive course. Across the sessions, we’ll cover six themes which are central to a Froebelian approach to early childhood education. 🌿

The EEF Exchange is also open to educators working in early years (including childminders)! It offers a low-pressure way to: - reflect on your work and explain your thinking - hear from other educators - build confidence in engaging with and talking about educational research Find out more 👇

Introducing our Baby Room Network 👶 A dedicated space for #BabyRoom practitioners to deepen their knowledge, strengthen their practice, and connect with others across the sector. Our first two sessions will explore the nutritional needs of babies and under‑2s: www.eventbrite.com/cc/baby-room...

January Networking at HEART ❄️🤝🌳💚 January might be chilly, but we’ve got plenty of networking opportunities to keep you warm! As we step into 2026, we're kicking off the year with a full programme of meetings designed to inspire, support, and strengthen your practice... 🧵

Merry Christmas from HEART 🎄✨ Thank you for all you do to keep children at the heart of your practice throughout the year 💚 As we approach the end of 2025, we express our heartfelt appreciation for the incredible dedication, curiosity, and care you bring to the early years sector. 1/2

✨ Case Study Spotlight ✨ How do children move from reciting numbers to truly understanding them? Our latest case study, “How Many Altogether?”, shows how #CountingCollections & #MarkMaking supported 4‑yr‑old Evie’s number sense. 👉 www.strongerpracticehubs.org.uk/hubs/wm/hear... #EarlyYearsMaths

🎄 Day 17 of our Christmas countdown 🎄 Today we’re opening the door to recruiting and supporting Warwickshire’s childminders 👶✨ For more information, visit: www.warwickshire.gov.uk/advent-calen... #WarwickshireTogether

The first time ever sharing ALL our webinars for free! 🎁 Our gift to passionate early years practitioners this Christmas. Find out more >> https://loom.ly/AyM7dTQ #earlyyearspractitioners #talestoolkit #eyfs #ece #earlychildhoodeducators

Wow! When an experienced teacher writes a summary of our work (without any input from us) and it is so spot on we know we are getting it right. Thank you to Claire Stanley from Goodway Nursery School and @midlandssph.bsky.social. Concept Cat is now one of @theeef.bsky.social's promising programmes!

CREC Learning Circle (the last one of the year!) Thursday 4th Dec- Hybrid 4.30pm-5.30pm. This month we welcome Eleanor Milligan UEA - Telling the Story of Research: Using Storybooks to Support Children’s Understanding, Consent, and Ongoing Assent buff.ly/ykHWTHD #CREC #LearningCircle

📣 New blog alert! Want to get the most from Pupil Premium? Check out this deep dive on our updated guide, from diagnosing needs to delivering changes that stick. Read here:

🤝 November Networking at HEART 🌳💚 Connect with peers and strengthen your practice at one of our upcoming #network meetings. All events are free and tailored for #EarlyYears professionals. Browse and book now: www.strongerpracticehubs.org.uk/hubs/wm/hear...

🚨 Invitation to tender! The EEF is funding a review of how early years educators support children’s language and communication. We’d love to hear from research teams with experience in using mixed-methods or qualitative approaches. Find out more 👉 tinyurl.com/62a4xdsn

🧮 Want to boost early maths in your setting? Join the #MathsChampions programme - 12 months of expert training, tools & resources to help early years practitioners build confidence and boost children’s maths from the start! 🔗 Find out more: www.strongerpracticehubs.org.uk/hubs/wm/hear...

Molly Devlin (Director of Early Years) and Vickee Twort (Executive Primary Head at Ark Victoria Academy) explore why boosting attendance in the early years is critical - and share four strategies that are already making a measurable impact. 💭 Read their @theeef.bsky.social blog: tinyurl.com/373asuce

📋💬 DfE Early Years Workforce Survey How do you check #EarlyYears #qualifications? What works well? What could be better? This short survey (5 mins) is your chance to share honest feedback that will help shape future support for our sector. 🔗 dferesearch.fra1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_...

📣 West Midlands early years professionals - don’t miss the #OfstedBigConversation on Thu 7 Nov, 10:00–12:00 🗣️ Open dialogue, sector updates, shared learning 🌍 Join in person or online 🎟️ www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/west-midla... Let’s shape the future together! #EarlyYears #WestMidlands #SectorVoices

🗣️ Do you work in the early years? We want to hear from YOU! Take a quick 10-min survey on Early Years Pupil Premium funding to help shape future support. 💷 £50 for an optional follow-up interview! 🔗 Join here: www.iffresearch.com/...

🎉 West Mids Early Years Professionals—come and join the HEART #NurtureNetwork 🤝 🌱 Session 1: Transition & Learning 📅 Thu 25 Sept | 🕙 10am–12pm or 🌙 6–8pm Let’s explore how transitions shape development—and how you can support them with care. 👉 www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/nurture-ne... 1/2

It's #NationalInclusionWeek! Make your classroom more inclusive: learn how to spot and support children with #DLD in our upcoming webinar👇 https://speechandlanguage.org.uk/educators-and-professionals/dld-educational-support/developmental-language-disorder-awareness-day-webinar/

Let your practice GROW this summer 🌱🌻 Join Growing Practice—a national series of free webinars from Stronger Practice Hubs across the UK. 🤝 Open to all #EarlyYearsEducators 🎓 Practical, evidence-informed sessions 🔗 Book now 👉 www.strongerpracticehubs.org.uk/hubs/wm/hear... #EarlyYears #CPD

🎉 Early Years Stronger Practice Hubs Are Making a Real Difference! An independent evaluation has found that the Early Years Stronger Practice Hubs programme, which launched in 2022, is boosting outcomes across the country—especially in more deprived areas. 🧵

The @theeef.bsky.social evaluation report of our Concept Cat approach from RAND Europe is out now. TLDR: Concept Cat helped Early Years children to learn conceptual vocabulary and maths. Read the full report here: educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk/news/new-eef...

Supporting Self-Regulation in the Early Years 🧠💖🙂 📅 Wed 13 Aug | 🕙 10–11am or 6–7pm Interactive session for #EarlyYears professionals. Learn practical tools to support emotions, relationships, and independence 🚀✨ BOOK NOW 👉 www.eventbrite.com/e/supporting... #EYFS #EarlyYearsCPD

Positive early experiences contribute to better happier childhood teenage years & improved life chances as disabled adults. @cdctweets have a new guide & training to support early years providers & practitioners tinyurl.com/4fymd7xu

Early support changes everything. We're working with @theeef.bsky.social to trial our Early Talk Boost programme in early years settings. Help children struggling with talking & understanding words thrive. Learn more & sign up: speechandlanguage.org.uk/.../early-ta...

✨NEW✨ Stronger Practice Insights: Working with Children under Two A comprehensive collection of materials curated from Hubs nationwide, complemented by links to the #EYFS framework, further research, and online resources. 📥 Download free via our website! #EarlyYears #UnderTwos

📢 Early years practitioners—your voice matters! The DfE is reviewing space requirements in childcare settings. Help shape the future, including outdoor spaces. 🗓️ Deadline: 11 July 2025 📝 Respond now: bit.ly/407oImO #EarlyYears #EYFSConsultation #HaveYourSay

🌍 Ready to take climate action in your #EarlyYears setting? Join Emma Baines and the West Midlands Climate Ambassadors Hub for a 2-hour online session—network, plan, and leave with key steps for sustainability 🌱 📅 Don’t miss out—start your Climate Action Plan today Sign up: bit.ly/4l4s4zk

Congratulations to Alison Hanson of Ally's House Childcare (Leamington Spa), on her 'West Midlands Childminder of the Year' award at the Coram PACEY Regional Childminder Awards 2025 🏆 Alison is a fantastic childminder and firm friend of the HEART Midlands Early Years SPH 🌳💚 @corampacey.bsky.social

📣 Calling all educators! We’re looking for passionate people like you to share your insights and experiences as part of our community of educators, the EEF Exchange. Help make sure our work stays relevant and grounded in the real world.  Apply: ow.ly/UtL450VCmn5

📢 Early Years Professionals – Have Your Say! LGA Rising Needs in Early Years Provider Survey 2025: Share your insights on how children's needs are evolving in early education. 🕒 10 mins 📅 Deadline: Wed 14 May 🔒 Anonymous & confidential 🔗 smartsurvey.co.uk/s/EarlyYearsNeedsProfessionalsSurvey/

📢✨ Good News! ✨📢 The Early Years Stronger Practice Hubs programme has been extended until March 2026 🙌 We are excited to continue this vital work across the West Midlands region! Join our mailing list to keep up-to-date: eepurl.com/ja8so6

Today, we’ve added two new approaches to our Early Years Evidence Store: ✍️Interactive writing, and, 🧼Self care. In this blog, @juliangrenier.bsky.social, explores how educators can support the development of interactive writing in their setting. ⏬ ⏬ 1/3

“This approach can help children to develop their expressive language, encouraging them to think aloud and rehearse what they want to say.” Read: https://eef.li/SMxb4a 2/3

You can explore the two new approaches and a host of other evidence-informed engaging content in our Early Years Evidence Store: https://tinyurl.com/yex6repu 3/3

This is good news! Stronger Practice Hubs are based in every region of England and work with early years settings, schools and childminders. They are designed to build evidence-informed practice in the early years, working with @theeef.bsky.social Find out more: www.strongerpracticehubs.org.uk