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Foundation Years April Bulletin | |
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Attend the School-based Nursery programme Phase 3 technical webinar | |
DfE recently launched Phase 3 of the School-based Nursery (SBN) programme, which invites local authorities to develop funding proposals to deliver SBNs between 2027 and 2030, helping more families access early years provision. To support stakeholders throughout the process, DfE is hosting a technical Phase 3 webinar on Tuesday 12th May 10am – 11.30am. This webinar is aimed at those who will lead and support SBN project delivery, which could be a local authority, school, MAT or other responsible body. It will provide guidance on technical standards, planning permission and consents, and delivering sustainable, value-for-money projects. You can register for the webinar via the Teams link: School-based Nursery programme Phase 3 technical webinar. Organisations are asked to send a maximum of two attendees. For registration issues, contact ey.schoolnurseries@education.gov.uk. You can read more about the phase 3 capital grant. | |
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Nuffield Early Learning Intervention programme | |
We’re pleased that the Nuffield Early Learning Intervention (NELI) programme continues to be free for all state-funded schools to support reception-aged children who need extra help with their speech and language development. With funding for the programme confirmed until AY28/29, subject to further spending rounds, we encourage schools to build this programme into their future school improvement plans. NELI is delivered over a 20-week period to build children’s vocabulary, listening and storytelling skills through targeted small group and individual sessions and has been shown to make significant impact with those taking part making 4 months of additional progress on average, in oral language skills. This increases to 7 months for children on free school meals. For further information and how to register visit https://www.teachneli.org/. | |
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New support to strengthen reception year quality | |
The Department for Education is introducing new support to help improve reception year quality and outcomes for children. This includes launching Reception Networks, a school-led programme offering opportunities to share effective practice, access evidence-informed approaches, and strengthen collaboration across schools and early years partners. The department has also published new early years foundation stage (EYFS) profile assessment support, including training materials, guidance and resources to support accurate and consistent assessment, and build practitioner confidence. In addition, the “Compare your good level of development” report is available on View Your Education Data. This provides insight into EYFS profile outcomes, helping schools, trusts and local authorities to understand performance in context and support improvement discussions. Together, these offers are designed to complement existing early years support and strengthen practice across the system. | |
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Starting school is an exciting milestone. To help make the transition into Reception as smooth and positive as possible we encourage you to share the following resources from Starting Reception with parents and carers:
Starting Reception is a free, practical online resource designed to support parents and carers in preparing their child for school. It offers simple activities, helpful advice and clear guidance on the key skills and routines that help children feel confident and ready for their first day. Starting Reception have also provided guides for Potty Training and Children’s Toothbrushing. Children being able to use the toilet independently and having healthy routines such as brushing their teeth is an important part of getting ready for starting school.
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Ten local areas will soon benefit from an additional Early Years Pupil Premium funding boost of £363 per child – on top of the unprecedented 45% uplift in 2025 and further 15% this year – for early years settings to improve the quality of education, raise attainment, and support development of children from more deprived backgrounds.
From September, providers in Brighton and Hove, Durham, Islington, Leeds, Luton, Nottinghamshire, Rochdale, Rotherham, Torbay and Sandwell will all be able to access the additional EYPP funding, through the new test and learn programme designed to make sure the government’s unprecedented uplifts are delivering for children and families on the ground. The programme, running in another ten local areas to be announced next year, will assess the different ways providers are making the most of the increased funding through staff training, resources or activities and experiences to improve awareness, take-up and effective use of the funding. | |
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Changes to early years inspection windows | |
From April 2026, we will start to inspect early education and childcare providers more frequently. The change to a 4-year inspection window is part of the Department for Education and Ofsted’s shared commitment to provide parents with more up-to-date information and reassurance about the quality and safety of their child’s early education and care. Each provider on the Early Years Register will be inspected at least once by March 2030 and then again with a 4-year period, replacing the current 6-year window. If we have concerns about a provider, inspectors will of course visit more frequently. The inspection of newly registered providers will also happen more quickly. From April, we will usually inspect a new provider within 18 months of registration. The new inspection windows will be phased in gradually. Providers who have already been inspected under the previous arrangements will gradually transition to the new 4-year window before 2030. Find out more about the changes and read our updated FAQs blog here: | |
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New Early Years Pupil Premium Planning Tool helps you plan your spending | |
With the uplift of the Early Years Pupil Premium (EYPP) earlier this month, how can you make the most of this funding?
The Education Endowment Foundation (EEF) have published a new four-step planning tool to help you make the best spending choices.
This planning tool introduces key findings from high-quality research to help you reduce the learning gap between children from lower-income backgrounds and others.
It will help you prioritise, plan, and reflect on what’s working so you see the maximum impact from EYPP funds.
View and download the tool on the EEF website: https://educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk/early-years/pupil-premium/resources-tools | |
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Foundation Years is funded by the Department for Education and brought to you by Begin Bright. |
Our mailing address is: foundationyears@beginbright.com | | | |
