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Education & Early Years Student Conference: The professional Education and Early Years Educator

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Generation 2 Additional Guidance for Assignment 1.1

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Generation 2 Additional Guidance for Assignment 1.1

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EYE Assessor Additional Guidance Document

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Teaching Assistant (TA) Forum: Raising awareness of Fetal Alcohol Syndrome

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The Lullaby Trust is a charity dedicated to keeping babies safe and grieving families supported. We give families a safer start to life…

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Safer Sleeping Practices for Early Years Educators - foundation years

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Safer Sleeping Practices for Early Years Educators - foundation years

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Foundation Years - Latest news, policy and resources for early years professionals

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Safer Sleeping Practices for Early Years Educators - Foundation Years

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This vodcast explores a series of best practice questions with Alex Robinson (Early Years Policy Advisor - Department for Education) and Ellen Lithgow (Public Health Engagement Manager - The Lullaby Trust), discussing safer sleeping practices for Early Years educators to follow to keep babies and children safe in their settings. Find out information about

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EYE Safe sleep requirement in the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) statutory framework

Early years providers are required to meet the safer sleep requirements set out in the EYFS statutory framework, which currently links to the NHS safer sleep guidance. To make the existing requirements to follow the NHS guidance clearer, we will update the wording in the EYFS framework so that more detail on safer sleep is set out directly within the framework itself. We intend to introduce this for September 2026, subject to the parliamentary and legislative process.

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Sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) is rare, but it does still happen. Find out what you can do to reduce the risk.

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National Year of Reading: Early Years Settings webinar on the gift of early reading in practice

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SEND consultation supporting information. 

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SEND consultation supporting information. 

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Every child achieving and thriving and SEND consultation supporting information

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A series of documents setting out the key information and proposed reforms in the schools white paper and SEND consultation document for parents and those working in the sector.

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Reforms to the schools and SEND systems in England to ensure that every child can achieve and thrive.

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Since we published the renewed inspection framework on 9 September 2025, we've put on lots of online and face-to-face engagement with early years settings to answer your questions. We're publishing the most frequently asked questions below, so you can see all the answers in one place.

We'll regularly update this as we continue to inspect with our renewed approach, so do bookmark it and check back in future.

If you want to watch any of our webinars, you can find them on our YouTube playlist.

We update our early years YouTube playlists regularly:

1. When will my setting be inspected?

Currently, we inspect early years settings at least once in a 6-year window. However, from the new financial year (April 2026) we will receive funding to move to a 4-year inspection window. This was announced in the Department for Education's ' Giving every child the best start in life ' strategy. As part of this, we'll move to inspect newly registered settings within 18 months, rather than 30 months.

We're still working out what this will look like in practice and will update this blog with more information as soon as we can.

2. Who can take on the role of nominee and what do they do?

The nominee is a new, optional role in early years inspections. A nominee is someone working within your setting who acts as a link between the setting's staff and the inspector during an inspection. The nominee needs to be someone who knows the day-to-day running of the setting well. We explain more about the role of the nominee in our inspection guidance.

The nominee is not the same as the 'nominated individual' for registered early years settings.

You don't have to have a nominee; there is no disadvantage for you and your setting if you choose not to.

If you decide you would like a nominee, you can watch our nominee training video, which explains more about the role.

3. What happens on the planning call?

The planning call is important to help the inspector to:

understand your setting's unique context

gain an overview of your curriculum

explore your views on your setting's strengths and priorities for improvement

understand your approach to inclusion

discuss the arrangements for the inspection with you

The planning call lasts around 30 minutes and happens after your initial notification call, and before the inspector arrives at your setting. Before the call takes place, you'll have received an email to give you time to look at any guidance you need about inspection and to gather the information we need to help us understand the context of your setting.

The planning call will normally take place by video call, unless technology does not allow for this or you would prefer it to be by telephone call.

The inspector will explain the inspection process and the toolkit that guides evaluation and grading. They will also tell you where you can access the latest inspection documents. If the inspection is taking place because of a risk assessment, concern or complaint, the inspector will explain this. This, alongside all the other information about the context of your setting, will help to inform areas of inspection focus, which inspectors will agree with you.

Our early years inspection information explains how we notify you of an inspection and what information we'll need for the planning call. Our early years inspection operating guide for inspectors sets out what inspectors need to do when it comes to the planning call.

4. How do shared observations work?

We are no longer carrying out learning walks during early years inspections. Instead, inspectors gather most evidence through shared observations with leaders who know the children and setting best. This means that you can be alongside inspectors for as much as you can, or want to be.

If you're a leader working in ratio and you can't spend much time with the inspector, don't worry. You won't be at a disadvantage. Inspectors will be flexible and work around when you're available.

As part of shared observations, inspectors have ongoing discussions with you and your practitioners and will talk to parents. They'll want to speak with the practitioner designated to take the lead responsibility for safeguarding and talk with the special educational needs coordinator (SENCo), where appropriate. If you're a childminder, this is just you.

During shared observations, inspectors:​

track the experiences of a case sample of child(ren) relative to the size of your setting

focus on the outcomes and experiences of children, especially those who are disadvantaged, have special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), are known (or previously known) to children's social care, or who leaders have identified as being particularly vulnerable

observe children at play and in their daily routines

observe the interactions between practitioners and children

5. How will you evaluate my setting if no early years children are present?

If your setting has no early years children on roll and/or present on the planned day of inspection, we'll try to reschedule it. Inspectors want to see the impact of the provision on children that attend. ​

​If you don't know when you'll have early years children on roll again or if you're expecting to have children on roll on a specific date that is more than one month after the notification call, we'll carry out a 'no children on roll' inspection.

In these inspections, inspectors only grade the 'leadership and governance' evaluation area (you can find this in the early years inspection toolkit). This will determine whether your setting is meeting the requirements of the early years foundation stage (EYFS) and the Childcare Register (if applicable). They'll only be able to grade it as 'expected standard', 'needs attention' or 'urgent improvement' in this type of inspection. We'll then follow up with another inspection when children are on roll, and when that happens will depend on the grade.

6. How will you inspect before- and after-school settings and holiday provision?

If you're registered on the Early Years Register but only provide care exclusively for children at the beginning and end of the school day or in holiday periods, you only need to meet the safeguarding and welfare requirements of the EYFS. Therefore, inspectors do not grade the 'curriculum and teaching' or 'achievement' evaluation areas during your inspection.

This is the same for before- and after-school settings and holiday provision with children younger than Reception age. If you have one of these settings, you must have regard to, but do not have to meet, the learning and development requirements of the EYFS.

Inspectors do evaluate your safeguarding and welfare arrangements. They will confirm that your setting meets the requirements of the Early Years Register. If your setting is also on the compulsory or voluntary part of the Childcare Register, inspectors will also check it meets these requirements.

Inspectors may want to discuss:

key persons' knowledge of each individual child

how leaders decide on activities and routines to support children

how leaders collect and consider children's views

how well children keep themselves safe and healthy

the quality of support for children with SEND

how children are included in the setting's community

You can find out more in our webinar for out-of-school settings.

7. What do you mean by 'barriers to learning and/or wellbeing' and how do you define 'disadvantaged'?

Inspectors want to understand your setting's context, including your children, their needs and the specific families and community you serve.

Our inspections focus on the most vulnerable children, such as those who are socio-economically disadvantaged (as defined in our glossary of education inspection terminology), those with SEND and those who are known (or previously known) to children's social care. Inspectors focus on these children through various inspection activities and also use case sampling to gather first-hand evidence of their experiences. We want to find out how you're helping children overcome barriers they may face to their learning and/or wellbeing.

When we talk about barriers to learning and/or wellbeing, this means any factors that may make it difficult for a child to achieve as well as they should, and develop positive wellbeing.

Barriers can be caused by a child's individual circumstances, such as their health, development or emotional needs, or by external factors, including family, community or wider social conditions. They can include protected characteristics. There may also be barriers that children face that are specific to your setting's context. These may need tailored approaches to reduce their impact on learning and/or wellbeing.

8. How does case sampling of children work?

To help us select children for a case sample, inspectors will ask you to provide a list of children who:

are disadvantaged (including those who receive the early years pupil premium)

have SEND

are known (or previously known) to children's social care

face other barriers to their learning and/or wellbeing

Even if there aren't currently any children on roll who fall into these categories, you'll still need to show that you have systems in place to identify and support children who have these needs.

Our early years inspection operating guide for inspectors explains more about case sampling.

9. How do inspections work for co-childminders and childminders without domestic premises?

If you're a co-childminder, we'll normally inspect you together. In some circumstances, we may inspect you separately, especially if you work at different times of the week or from different premises.

Inspectors determine which childminder the parents contract with, who claims funding for the children, and which of you is the key person for which children.

If you're only assisting with the care of children who are the responsibility of another childminder, inspectors will consider you as an assistant for the purposes of the inspection.

You have a shared responsibility to safeguard children, as set out in the EYFS. If you share policies, procedures and resources with your co-childminder(s), inspectors will explore how each of you reflects on your practice and improves what you do, separately and collectively.

It's not possible to operate as a childminder and a childcare on domestic premises setting on the same premises at the same time. Therefore, if you provide or assist with care for children as a childcare on domestic setting and also hold a childminding registration, we'll need to inspect both registrations separately. Inspectors will determine when, where and how settings and childminders operate under which registration.

10. Is 'expected standard' a high standard?

Yes, 'expected standard' is a high standard. If your setting gets graded 'expected standard', it's meeting all the requirements of the EYFS for high‑quality provision. This means that children are healthy, safe, learning well and developing the knowledge and skills they need to start school. We've colour-coded 'expected standard' as green in our toolkit to visually indicate that you're on track and there are no concerns.

It's important to remember that inspectors are looking for a 'secure fit', not a 'best fit' for each grade. This means that each standard within each grade must be met before it can be given.

So, to get an 'expected standard' grade, you'll need to meet all the standards in that column. You'll see words such as 'typically' and 'generally' because the 'expected standard' is not about perfection. For example, you might have an area of learning that you're developing well but it doesn't yet quite meet the same standards as others consistently. So, if that was the case, the inspector may still grade your setting as having a secure fit with the 'expected standard'. To get a 'strong standard', then all standards for 'expected' would need to be met first.

11. Is 'exceptional' the new 'outstanding'?

There is no read-across from the previous grading system, so 'exceptional' is not the new 'outstanding'. It is also important to say that the 'expected standard' or 'strong standard' do not equate to the old 'good' grade.

'Exceptional' will be rare. When considering this grade, inspectors will consider whether your setting's specific practice could support system-wide improvement. 'Exceptional' means practice so unique that it should be showcased: among the very best nationally.

12. Is 'needs attention' the new 'requires improvement'?

As with question 11, the 'needs attention' grade is not equivalent to 'requires improvement'.

Inspectors are likely to grade an evaluation area as 'needs attention' when the 'expected standard' of the particular evaluation area is not met because inconsistencies in practice have a negative impact on children in general, or on a particular group.

The 'needs attention' grade is not a 'fail'. It's about early identification and setting clear actions on how to meet the requirements of the EYFS, before they become bigger problems that need 'urgent improvement'.

13. What are you doing to explain the new grade system to parents?

We've published a video, ' New Ofsted report cards and grades: a guide for parents ', which explains the changes for parents.

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Early years inspections: frequently asked questions

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Since we published the renewed inspection framework on 9 September 2025, we've put on lots of online and face-to-face engagement with early years settings to answer your questions. We're publishing the most frequently asked questions below, so you can see all the

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Benedict's Law - Benedict Blythe Foundation

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Benedict's Law, or the School Allergy Safety Bill, is legislation that makes schools safe for the 680,000 pupils in England with an allergy. The campaign asks for every school to have: Spare allergy pens Allergy trained staff School allergy policy This is important because research carried out in 2024 found 70% schools didn't have these measures in place - and there is no current requirement for schools to provide these, even for pupils at high risk.

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A guide for parents, but gives a great overview.

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New Ofsted report cards and grades: a guide for parents

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Early years settings | National Year of Reading 2026

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Support early language, confidence and connection through stories and songs – with practical ideas and resources for early years practitioners.

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Effectiveness of an environmental nutrition and physical activity intervention in early childhood education and care settings

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Effectiveness of an environmental nutrition and physical activity intervention in early childhood education and care settings

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This on-demand recording discusses best practice for SO3 for Early Years Educator. Hear from a moderator as they share key insights and guidance to support assessors with Assignment 2.2 for Generation 1.

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This on-demand recording discusses best practice for SO2 for Early Years Educator. Hear from a moderator as they share key insights and guidance to support assessors with Assignment 2.2 for Generation 1.

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This on-demand recording discusses best practice for SO1 for Early Years Educator. Hear from a moderator as they share key insights and guidance to support assessors with Assignment 2.2 for Generation 1.

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Early reading is a foundation for learning

Hearing stories, songs and rhymes from infancy strengthens vital brain pathways, builds vocabulary and helps children develop the communication skills they rely on for life. These early literacy experiences lay the groundwork for future learning.

Stories support beyond the moment

Sharing books and stories helps children make sense of emotions, explore new ideas and build secure relationships with the adults around them. When they are part of everyday life, children grow in confidence, become more curious and develop emotional resilience.

Supporting you and your setting

The National Year of Reading will help you make stories part of everyday life in your setting. You'll find simple ideas, playful activities and ready-to-use tools to help you spark children's curiosity.

Reaching beyond your setting

By helping families feel confident reading at home - in whatever way works for them - you'll keep that early momentum going. The campaign will give you resources to share with parents and carers, so together you can give every child the strongest possible start.

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Early years settings | National Year of Reading 2026

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Support early language, confidence and connection through stories and songs - with practical ideas and resources for early years practitioners.

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NCFE continues to actively respond to a cyber security incident.

Due to the incident, the BPN page is not accessible at this time. I will be in touch with all members in the New Year with next steps.

For urgent queries, (for example, about live assessments) there is a form you can complete to get in touch with us via the link above.

Best regards and thanks for your patience.

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Last week we let you know about the cyber security incident that NCFE is managing, and the impact it is having on results release for Functional Skills qualifications. We are getting in touch today with an update.

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Online Safety Advice for Early Years Settings

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Online safety is especially important in early years as these children won’t ever know a world without technology, so good strategies must be embedded from a young age. We consider how to do this in early years settings.

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Potty training guide competencies - section 4 (4h)

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Potty training guide competencies - section 4 (4h)

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The Potty Training Guide - Starting Reception

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Potty training is an important milestone in your child’s development. We understand that all children develop at their own pace, but research shows it’s best for your child’s bowel and bladder health to stop using nappies, including reusable nappies, pull ups and training pants, between 18 and 30 months.

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Nutrition guide EYE SO3 and competencies - section 4. 

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Nutrition guide EYE SO3 and competencies - section 4. 

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Combining The EYFS With The SEND Code of Practice | Famly

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SEND expert Rebecca Fisk helps us understand how the EYFS can be linked to the SEND Code of Practice

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Video Conferencing, Web Conferencing, Webinars, Screen Sharing

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Zoom is the leader in modern enterprise video communications, with an easy, reliable cloud platform for video and audio conferencing, chat, and webinars across mobile, desktop, and room systems. Zoom Rooms is the original software-based conference room solution used around the world in board, conference, huddle, and training rooms, as well as executive offices and classrooms. Founded in 2011, Zoom helps businesses and organizations bring their teams together in a frictionless environment to get more done. Zoom is a publicly traded company headquartered in San Jose, CA.

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Ofsted toolkit - EYE competencies 5.7/5f

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Ofsted toolkit - EYE competencies 5.7/5f

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Get involved in the review of Birth To 5 Matters! 

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Get involved in the review of Birth To 5 Matters! 

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Birth To 5 Matters – Guidance by the sector, for the sector

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Staff resource: Understanding Martyn’s Law: What It Means for Education Settings

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Staff resource: Understanding Martyn’s Law: What It Means for Education Settings

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The Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Act 2025, commonly referred to as Martyn's Law, received Royal Assent on 3 April 2025. This legislation introduces new requirements for those responsible for certain premises and events to consider and implement proportionate security measures to protect the public from terrorism.
What Does This Mean for the Education Sector?
While the Act is not yet in force, the Government has signalled a minimum 24-month implementation period. This is intended to give organisations, including education settings, sufficient time to understand their obligations and prepare accordingly.

The Department for Education has published information explaining how the Act will affect schools, colleges, and other education providers. Statutory guidance will be published ahead of commencement, designed to be clear, accessible, and practical.
Upcoming Webinars
To support the sector, Home Office and DfE are hosting a series of webinars to provide:

An overview of the Act and its relevance to education

Information on next steps

An opportunity for Q&A (where feasible)

Webinar Dates (via Microsoft Teams):
Join the meeting now Meeting ID: 351 354 353 939 4 Passcode: dA9yy3nb

Join the meeting now Meeting ID: 326 701 784 960 7 Passcode: Rk27yv93

Join the meeting now Meeting ID: 318 653 548 939 2 Passcode: jE795e4D
Supporting Materials
We strongly encourage education professionals to review the following resources ahead of the webinars:

These materials are designed to aid understanding and support preparation during the implementation period.

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Understanding Martyn's Law: What It Means for Education Settings - Educate Against Hate

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The Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Act 2025, commonly referred to as Martyn's Law, received Royal Assent on 3 April 2025. This legislation introduces new requirements for those responsible for certain premises and events to consider and implement proportionate security measures to protect the public from terrorism. What Does This Mean for the Education Sector?

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Government acts to tackle rising childhood obesity epidemic

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Government acts to tackle rising childhood obesity epidemic

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Government acts to tackle rising childhood obesity epidemic

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The government will underline its commitment to get children heathier and more active following new figures revealing the scale of the childhood obesity problem.

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Education and Early Years Conference 2026

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Education and Early Years Conference 2026

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Find out more and book tickets to join us at our first NCFE led Education and Early Years conference in 2026!

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This full-day event is dedicated to celebrating, developing, and strengthening the delivery of the Education and Early Years T Level. Book your place to join colleagues from schools, colleges, higher education institutions, and employer partners to share best practice, explore innovation, and reflect on the opportunities and challenges in T Levels.

On the day, we'll be joined by speakers from NCFE and other organisations including Bright Horizons and Joseph Chamberlain Sixth Form College.

The agenda will be shared ahead of the event along with the workshops available, so you can sign up for these in advance.

Limited tickets available - book now to avoid disappointment! Two payment methods available: credit card or invoice.

Please not that you will be able to apply for remission funding (post-event): The Education and Training Foundation will reimburse up to £400 per attendee (maximum 3 attendees per T Level centre) to cover your ticket cost and additional expenses. Tickets must be paid at booking. Reimbursement is issued post-event once attendance is confirmed.
For more information on how to apply for funding, please log into or create your ETF Account - For more information about this funding and how your data will be shared, please see the relevant documents: TLPD remission funding and expenses policy TLPD privacy notice Industry Insights - Information - Information and how to apply | Programmes

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ncfe building brighter futures: education and early years conference

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ncfe building brighter futures: education and early years conference tickets

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ncfe building brighter futures: education and early years conference york

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ncfe building brighter futures: education and early years conference york tickets

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NCFE Building Brighter Futures: Education and Early Years Conference

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Eventbrite - NCFE presents NCFE Building Brighter Futures: Education and Early Years Conference - Wednesday, July 1, 2026 at Radisson Hotel York, York, England. Find event and ticket information.

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QR - please scan to leave us some feedback.

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QR - please scan to leave us some feedback.

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Siren Films: New Sustainability Film Release ✨

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Siren Films: New Sustainability Film Release ✨

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Free to watch now 👀
To celebrate Recycle Week we are releasing a new film about Sustainability in the Early Years.

Find out how The Grove Nursery harness children's curiosity

Engage with parents and share their knowledge and culture

Make the most of the things around them, bugs, bees, plants and trees.

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Siren Films - Child Development Video-Based Training

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Award winning Early Childhood Clip Library to support learning and professional development across the early education sector.

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Generation 2 Resources & Support – Please Read First

We know many of you are eager to access full Generation 2 resources and we want to reassure you that these are imminent. They’re currently going through final internal checks to ensure quality and alignment. In the meantime, please find key links below to support you:

Today’s Slides: Attached

Resources:

Generation 2 Qual Page

Events Page

Generation 2 YouTube Playlist

Consultation Call Booking Link

Join our Community of Best Practice

📌 Reminder: This session is focused on answering your questions about teaching, delivery

Feedback for todays sessions: Curriculum Support Event

Please use the chat to post any questions — we’re here to support you.

— NCFE T Level Team

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Video to go alongside the Child safety: small hazards, big harm guidance.

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Guidance: Child safety: small hazards, big harm

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Guidance: Child safety: small hazards, big harm

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Child safety: small hazards, big harm

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OPSS is leading a fresh campaign to raise awareness among parents and carers about the potential dangers to children from swallowing small objects.

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Bilingual babies: Your questions answered by a speech and language therapist

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Bilingual babies: Your questions answered by a speech and language therapist

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Michelle

Hi, I'm Michelle,I'm a child language researcher and I'm here today to talk to you as a speech and language therapist about bilingualism, which encompasses around half the world. So how has growing up in a bilingual household shaped you?

Monal

I speak Gujarati, Hindi, and English, but my experience growing up is that I wasn't actually exposed to Gujarati until I was about 6 or 7. It's the misconception that you stick to the language that children are going to be taught in and if an additional language is added, then it's actually putting the child at a disadvantage. But recent research actually shows that there's a positive effect on brain functionw hen you have more than one language.

Michelle

Are there any other advantages that you would talk about?

Monal

It opens up the world for them. It teaches them a new culture.It's about the music, the folklore, the festivals, the traditions. It brings colour to the life of a child that has more than one language.

Michelle

But what about when children are going to nursery or school and they aren't speaking their home language or English - should parents be worried about that?

Monal

The thing with the way children learn language is, once a foundation language has been anchored they absolutely have no problems learning other languages. Often, there is a time where they do start nursery when they might go through what we call a silent period but it's absolutely nothing to worry about, that's very common. What they're doing is they're observing and they're learning and they're watching to see how their peers are interacting with another language and this period only lasts for a few weeks or a few months.

Michelle

So have I got it right - growing up in a multilingual or a bilingual household isn't going to increase the chance that your child has a speech or language issue?

Monal

Absolutely not. There's no way that having an additional language has an effect on your language development.

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A speech therapist's advice on how to raise a bilingual baby

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Should you speak more than one language in the house? Do bilingual babies talk later? Speech and language therapist Monal Gajjar talks about bringing up children in bilingual households.

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Centre for Early Years: You Tube Playlist

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Centre for Early Years: You Tube Playlist

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YouTube playlist to support child development

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The Centre for Early Childhood Explainer Series

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This series of animated films unpacks the brain science and explains key concepts behind the way nurturing interactions support the social and emotional deve...

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EYFS Resources.

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Literacy Shed Plus - Teaching Resources Made Easy

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Free Resources What's New Early Years Age 3-5 Age 5-7 Age 7-9 Age 9-11 Age 11-14 Writing Shed Reading Shed Non Fiction Poetry Shed The News Shed History Shed Christmas Resources More Resources Exemplar Resources

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Resources that can be used in stand alone literacy lessons

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Welcome to The Literacy Shed - the home of visual literacy. Here at Literacy Shed we aim to provide teachers with high quality films and animations that can be used in the primary classroom to enhance the teaching of reading and writing. All of the films on the site we think are suitable for primary aged children although some films may not be suitable for younger children. We urge that teachers watch any films before showing them to children.

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A website for teachers filled with ideas for literacy teaching using visual resources such as film, animation, photographs and picture books.

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The government's strategy for improving child development.

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The government's strategy for improving child development.

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Giving every child the best start in life

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The government’s strategy for improving child development and meeting the ambition that 75% of 5-year-olds in England have a good level of development by 2028.

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Statutory guidance for schools and colleges on safeguarding children and safer recruitment.

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Statutory guidance for schools and colleges on safeguarding children and safer recruitment.

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Statutory guidance for schools and colleges on safeguarding children and safer recruitment.

Details

This guidance applies to all schools and colleges and is for:

headteachers, teachers and staff

governing bodies, proprietors and management committees

It sets out the legal duties you must follow to safeguard and promote the welfare of children and young people under the age of 18 in schools and colleges.

All school and college staff should read part 1 of this guidance. Part 1 of the guidance is also available as a standalone document.

Statutory guidance sets out what schools must do to comply with the law.

Where the guidance states schools and colleges should do something, you should follow this unless you have a good reason not to.

'Regulated activity in relation to children: scope' describes work that a barred person must not do. We have also published guidance on disqualification under the Childcare Act 2006.

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Statutory guidance for schools and colleges on safeguarding children and safer recruitment.

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Self Care Summer Advice for Education Staff

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Self Care Summer Advice for Education Staff

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Schools and colleges can be challenging environments to work in at times, and during term time, your focus will be on your pupils and your to-do list. That's why the summer break can be the best time to develop good self-care habits, so that when term starts again, you may have techniques you can turn to in stressful times.

We have teamed up with Education Support to produce a guidance booklet and poster to help you have your own self-care summer.

The guidance covers three key areas, with tips shared for each area.

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Self-care summer: advice for education staff

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Self-care may not be the easiest thing for education staff to practise.

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Education and Early Years T Level Generation 2: Training, Support and CPD

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Share your videos with friends, family, and the world

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Education and Early Years T Level Generation 1: Training, Support and CPD

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Share your videos with friends, family, and the world

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This might be useful to print out for your classrooms.

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Early Years Foundation Stage nutrition guidance 

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Early Years Foundation Stage nutrition guidance 

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Guidance for group and school-based providers and childminders in England

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The Food Standards Agency have issued some useful resources in the form of two posters which can be displayed in your setting where food is prepared and served to children, as a helpful reminder of how to minimise the risk of choking.

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Foundation Years - Latest news, policy and resources for early years professionals

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Food safety advice on choking hazards in settings - Foundation Years

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Tragically, a child dies in the UK every month from choking and hundreds more require hospital treatment. It can happen quickly and it can happen to anyone. The Food Standards Agency have issued some useful resources in the form of two posters which can be displayed in your setting where food is prepared and served

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Activity inspiration for all ages

Fun activities and things to do with your child to help with their communication skills.

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Fun things to do with your child to help with their communication skills. Almost any daily activity is a chance to talk, bond and have fun with your child.

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Article around raising bilingual children.

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Get tips on raising a bilingual baby, even if you and your partner don’t speak a second language.

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Free online learning resources - great for sharing ideas with parents.

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Early Years Alliance is the trading name of the Pre-school Learning Alliance. Registered as a limited company in England and Wales (no. 4539003) Registered as an educational charity with charity number 1096526 Authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority VAT Registration Number: GB 830 472 251

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Find out more about each area of learning, including activities you can do and guidance on meeting the needs of all children in your setting.

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Help for early years providers : Areas of learning

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Find out more about each area of learning, including activities you can do and guidance on meeting the needs of all children in your setting.

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Welcome to Allergy School Allergy School offers free, practical resources to help teachers create inclusive and safe environments for children with food allergies. Our resources empower educators to protect every child and foster confidence and understanding among pupils, ensuring those with food allergies feel supported. Sign up free of charge to access our films, lesson […]

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Here, you can catch up on discussions you’ve missed or revisit key insights shared within the BPN community.

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Welcome to the Masterclass Session sandbox. Here, you can catch up on sessions you’ve missed or revisit key insights from our Assessor Masterclass events.

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We welcome the sharing of resources and links in this Padlet; however, please note that any content shared by participants, other than those provided by NCFE colleagues, is not moderated or endorsed by NCFE. Users should exercise discretion and independently verify the accuracy and appropriateness of external content. Please also note that there must be no sharing of or discussion around any live assessment materials or content.

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Are bright colours to blame for over stimulation?

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Four evidence informed strategies to promote high quality interactions with young children

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Four evidence informed strategies to promote high quality interactions with young children

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Supporting children to become better communicators is one of the most powerful things we do as early years educators. Oral language skills are fundamental to children's learning, thinking and emotional wellbeing. Children who can communicate well can make friends, play, resolve conflicts and tell us how they are feeling.

The evidence tells us that we should prioritise the development of children's communication and language through socially-meaningful interactions. Children thrive on conversation and discussion with people they have a strong relationship with, focused on things they want to talk about.

As James Law and his colleagues found, these types of interactions ​'optimise early development' (Law et al, 2017).

High quality interactions often look effortless, but they are not easy to do well. So, to support early years professionals, we have distilled the evidence into . This provides us with a simple and memorable set of specific, evidence-informed strategies which we can embed into everyday practice. We can use these strategies with every child, every day.

Sh: Share attention - be at the child's level. Pay close attention to what they are focused on.

R: Respond - follow the child's lead. Respond to their non-verbal and verbal communication. You could make a brief comment on what they can see, hear or feel.

E: Expand - repeat what the child says and build on it by adding more words to turn it into a sentence.

C: Conversation - have extended back and forth interactions. Give children time to listen, process and reply.

These strategies encourage us to become more responsive and attuned to children. They encourage children's active participation in meaningful, stimulating, and linguistically rich back and forth conversations.

Watch the video of ShREC in action below.

Read more about the ShREC approach here.

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supporting children to become better communicators is one of the most powerful things we do as early years educators. oral language skills are fundamental to children’s learning

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thinking and emotional wellbeing. children who can communicate well can make friends

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resolve conflicts and tell us how they are feeling.  the evidence tells us that we should prioritise the development of children’s communication and language through socially-meaningful interactions. children thrive on conversation and discussion with people they have a strong relationship with

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focused on things they want to talk about. as james law and his colleagues found

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these types of interactions ‘optimise early development’ (law et al

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2017).  high quality interactions often look effortless

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we have distilled the evidence into  t he  shrec  approach  . this provides us with a simple and memorable set of specific

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evidence-informed strategies which we can embed into everyday practice. we can use these strategies with every child

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every day.    sh: share attention  – be at the child’s level. pay close attention to what they are focused on.  r: respond  – follow the child’s lead. respond to their non-verbal and verbal communication. you could make a brief comment on what they can see

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hear or feel.  e:  expand  – repeat what the child says and build on it by adding more words to turn it into a sentence.  c: conversation  – have extended back and forth interactions. give children time to listen

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process and reply.  these strategies encourage us to become more responsive and attuned to children. they encourage children’s active participation in meaningful

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and linguistically rich back and forth conversations.  watch the video of shrec in action below.  read more about the shrec approach here .

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The ShREC approach - Four evidence informed strategies to promote...

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The EEF is an independent charity dedicated to breaking the link between family income and educational achievement.

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Education and Childcare Careers Toolkit | NCFE | NCFE

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Education and Childcare Careers Toolkit | NCFE

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Explore careers in Childcare and education with this dedicated careers toolkit from NCFE

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Hello Assessors! 👋

This Padlet is a dedicated space for Education & Early Years T Level Assessors to share resources, best practices, and key insights to support assessment and learning. Whether you have helpful links, documents, articles, or teaching strategies, this is the place to collaborate!

💡 How to use this Padlet:
✅ Use the links we have shared to access valuable resources 📚
✅ Share your own useful resources related to Education & Early Years T Level assessment
✅ Book onto upcoming events & training 🎟️
✅ Leave feedback and share ideas 💬
✅ Engage with posts—comment, like, and discuss!

🔔 Make sure to check back regularly for updates, new resources, and upcoming events. Let’s work together to enhance best practices and support each other in delivering high-quality assessments.

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Support for Professional Discussion Structured Observation Three EYE

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Support for Professional Discussion Structured Observation Two EYE

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Support for Professional Discussion Structured Observation One EYE

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Bitesize info to help with child development and theorists 

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Bitesize info to help with child development and theorists 

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Understanding Cognitive Development: Different Stages and Piaget’s Theory

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What is cognitive development? Expert Dr Samantha Durrant answers parents’ questions around this tricky subject, and how it affects babies, toddlers and preschoolers.

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Assessment in Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) relies heavily on observation of children as they work, learn and play. There are several different Early Years observation methods, which this handy guide will take you through step-by-step and explain why observations are important in Early Years.

Download FREE teacher-made resources covering 'Early Years Observation Methods'

What is Early Years Observation?

Children's progress is reviewed when they're between two and three years old by an early years practitioner or health visitor, and their class teacher will assess them at the end of the school year when they turn five years old. These assessments don't rely on examination in the same way as later school years. In Early Years, assessment focusses on classroom observation based on the Early Learning Goals, set out in the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) Statutory Framework. There's a variety of different Early Years observation methods that can be used by practitioners to assess how children are developingin the seven key areas, which are outlined below:

Personal, social and emotional development: Being able to form positive attachments and forge friendships, as well as regulate emotions and impulse control.

Communication and language: Listening and speaking skills.

Physical development: The refinement of both gross and fine motor skills.

Literacy: Involving an understanding of phonics, laying important groundwork for the commencement of reading and writing. Also, the development of story telling skills and comprehension of cause and effect.

Mathematics: Recognition of numerical value, number patterns, shape, subitising and measurement.

Understanding the world: Grasping the concept of communities, technology and the people in society and our roles.

Expressive Arts and Design:Creating with materials and being imaginative and expressive.

What Different Observation Methods for Early Years are there?

There are six different Early Years observation methods that can be used when recording children's development. These are:

Narrative Observations

Also called 'Long Observations', a narrative observation is an extended account of a period giving more specific details of a child's actions or speech during an activity, including specific quotes. These might take between 20 and 30 minutes, making them a longer activity and more likely focussing on a specific style of task, skill or Early Learning Goal. When evaluating an activity in early years, you could try these 'long observation' sheets to record your observations. They contain space to document the nature of the activity, what actions your early learners are taking, and what they are saying. They also prompt practitioners to gauge their observations in alignment with the characteristics of Effective Teaching and Learning, and the prime areas of learning, alongside any additional notes you may have.

Group Observations

This Early Years observation method is great for assessing more than one child at a time. It's also particularly useful when you're looking to observe social skills.

Looking at how children interact with each other is a brilliant way to see how their social skills are developing, and how they are matching up to several Early Learning Goals in areas of learning like Communication and Language Development and Personal, Social and Emotional Development.In a group setting, when evaluating an activity in early years, you might want to use our ' Leuven Scale observation sheet ' to document your findings. It contains a handy scale to record your sense of children's emotional well-being and involvement, gauging how engaged a child is in a particular task.

Snapshots

Snapshot observations are a more informal method, capturing a short insight or stand-out milestone. They're a quick picture of a demonstration of a new skill or important development, it's something that a practitioner sees as being interesting and noteworthy. For example, a snapshot moment might be a child helping their friend who has fallen over, or using a new word for them. This is especially popular in child-led learning, as evaluating an activity in early years using this approach lets children direct their own activities and play.

You can record this with a quick line, and little information. You might use sticky notes, or these handy templates below which give you space to quickly jot down the relevant Early Learning Goal and some small details about where and when this moment happened.

Photo Observations

At times, written observations aren't able to capture the moment fully - and a picture is worth a thousand words! Photo observations are a great way to capture a moment and track children's development. You can photograph moments of physical development, like an improvement in jumping or catching, or photograph children colouring or writing.Photographs can be particularly effective when evaluating an activity in early years, as they can be a useful snapshot to gain insight into the whole 'picture'. A photograph has the ability to capture group dynamics, facial expressions and body language which can then be reflected on after.

Plus, they can be lovely for getting parents, carers and guardians involved! Taking photos of landmark moments that happen when they aren't with their child is a great way to make them feel involved and keep them informed.

ELG Observations

ELG stands for Early Learning Goals. These are the milestones which children are assessed on over their development in Early Years Foundation Stage. There are different Early Learning Goals for each age and stage, and they serve as a guide for expected development of children as they are growing.

Basing observations specifically around these helps practitioners conclude aims to better support children where they need help, and provide a clear overview of each child's growing skills. This Early Years observation method works hand in hand with the curriculum, and is especially useful for feeding back to parents and carers at moments of review in EYFS.

There's a brilliant collection of Early Years Observation Templates here, which all have clear ways to link to relevant Early Learning Goals and help you in effectively evaluating activities in early years. Whatever your chosen Early Years observation method, this makes keeping track of each child's learning journey even easier.

Parental/Home-Based observations

Working with parents as you assess how children are developing is the best way to gain a holistic and accurate overview of their progress. Children may act differently in different environments and with different people around them. Asking parents and guardians to record observations of notable behaviours at home helps you tailor your support and gives a more well-rounded view of a child. After all, you're all working together with the same goal in mind of supporting your little ones as they develop.

How to Write an EYFS Observation

How you write an EYFS observation will depend on which of the different observation methods for Early Years you are using. There are some super handy hints and tips in this How to Write a Good EYFS Observation guide!

Whether you're writing a longer observation for a child's learning journal, a quick, short observation, or adding a quick note to a photograph, a good EYFS Observation should be descriptive, insightful and reflective.

The description doesn't need to be overly long, but it should be clear for the reader, so they can understand what is being observed. It'll make it easier for yourself when looking back on notes, and for any other practitioner or parent who reads your observation.

Your observation should be insightful, recognising progress over time or making note of where a child is particularly struggling, and how to be effective at evaluating activities in early years.

These insights should inform reflections, recognising what learning is being practised by a child in each instance. They should also help guide practitioners with what activities to encourage with each child to support their learning journey.

Early Years Observation Methods and Assessments

In Early Years Foundation Stage, practitioners will assess the collected observations made for each child at certain age landmarks. They will compare children's development seen through observations to the Early Learning Goals set in the EYFS Curriculum based on their age and what stage they are at. These assessments are based on the practitioners knowledge of the child as they will have spent some time interacting, observing and getting to know them.

To make their assessment, practitioners must make and support their final EYFS profile assessments from a collection of evidence. This means any material they have, knowledge of the child, recorded observations and incidents, as well as any additional sources they think are relevant. All these pieces together should support their assessment and give a clear picture of what each child is like.

Why Are Observations Important in Early Years?

Observations are important in evaluating activities in early years, as they help practitioners better understand children's learning. By watching, listening and interacting with children who are taking part in everyday activities, adults can build a clearer and more accurate picture of each child's development. It's especially useful when the activity is self-directed, without adult-led input. These Early Years observation methods help us understand what a child is capable of on their own. Practitioners and observers can get a good idea of what children know and how they apply that knowledge. It's one thing to know that a child can tell you the names of the colours, but watching them use that knowledge tells you how much they understand it.

Spontaneous observations and snapshots of everyday activities are very useful. They can apply to several areas of learning at once, and can give you a more natural idea of each child's learning journey. Time spent making planned and specific observations is a brilliant for honing in on one particular area. These are a way to fill in any of your knowledge gaps in children's more specialised skills. You can cater these to your specific needs and help to make even more informed and considered observations.

It's a natural way to keep track of children's development in their Early Learning Goals. At such a young age, children are developing and learning new skills constantly. With Early Years observation methods like these, you can make note of important moments of progression quickly and easily. It means that you can focus on enriching the children's learning environment and evaluating activities in early years productively. But you also get to pick up on these small changes over time. During EYFS, the picture you build from multiple observations will show a more complete development journey than one single assessment at the end of their school year.

Observation is important in Early Years as it helps you understand your children better for more than assessments. By getting to know your children, you can make a really strong connection. This gives you the chance to hone the way you are teaching and engaging them to make sure that each child is catered for and feels valued. Everyone learns in different ways, and young children all develop at different rates. When evaluating activities in early years, observing children gives practitioners the opportunity to make changes to provisions and enhancements in their setting.

Resources to Support These Early Years Observation Methods

There's no shortage of great resources here at Twinkl to support your EYFS children, as well as plenty to help you save both time and stress while you are completing EYFS observations and assessments.When evaluating activities in early years, these resources will help you make the most out of your learning experiences. Although not statutory, how they relate to the 7 prime areas of learning, and how they are in alignment with the characteristics of effective teaching and learning, is a great foundation to assess how your early learners are flourishing. All our resources are made by experienced practitioners, teachers and specialists, so you can be reassured that they've been created to save time and maximise potential.

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Early Years Observation Methods | Twinkl - Twinkl

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Evaluating activities in early years? Read our informative wiki on observational methods and how we can use them to help kiddos flourish | Twinkl Teach

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Thrive training will ensure you can support the social and emotional development of all the children and young people you work with in your setting.

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Exploring Mathematical Concepts With Young Children (It’s Not As Complicated As You Think!)

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When we think of maths, most of us go back to our memories of adding and subtracting, memorising number bonds, multiplications, divisions, and fractions, and some of us start to shiver a little. But that’s not what maths looks like in early years education. So, what is it.

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Early Words Matter | National Literacy Trust

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We are an independent charity working with schools and communities to give disadvantaged children the literacy skills to succeed in life.

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T Level consultation booking request | NCFE

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Book your first curriculum consultation with NCFE’s Provider Development Team.

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Please do look at our upcoming events via this link.

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T Level training events

You can register for our upcoming T Level events and training, and find previous training available on our T Level playlists:

Prepare to Assess events

The aim of these events is to develop your confidence and understanding of grading criteria when assessing your students' responses to the internally assessed, externally moderated assessments.

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You can register for our upcoming T Level events and training, and find previous training available on our T Level playlists: Prepare to Assess events The aim of these events is to develop your confidence and understanding of grading criteria when assessing your students' responses to the internally assessed, externally moderated assessments.

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NCFE Resources including support materials, teaching materials and example assessment

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NCFE Resources including support materials, teaching materials and example assessment

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T Level Technical Qualification in Education and Early Years (Level 3) (Delivered By NCFE) | NCFE

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New versions of the support materials have been uploaded to reflect the Institute of Apprenticeships and Technical Education/T Level branding updates.
About this qualification
The technical qualification (TQ) forms part of the new T Level study programme.

The purpose of the Level 3 technical qualification is to ensure students have the knowledge and skills needed to progress into skilled employment or higher level technical training relevant to the T Level.
UCAS points
The T Level study programme is eligible for UCAS points. Please check the UCAS website for more information.
Performance points
T Level and its components will be included in the T Level accountability measures. For more information, please see the Department for Education's website.
Who is it suitable for?
This qualification is suitable for post-16 students looking to develop both knowledge and practical skills in the education and early years sector.

This technical qualification will support students on to a range of progression routes including employment, higher education and higher apprenticeships.
What are the entry requirements?
This qualification is designed for post-16 students.

There are no specific prior skills/knowledge a student must have for this qualification. However, students may find it helpful if they have already studied at level 2.
Experience in the workplace
Industry placements are intended to provide students with the opportunity to develop the knowledge, skills and behaviours required for skilled employment in their chosen occupation which are less easily attainable by doing a qualification alone.
How is this qualification structured?
The technical qualification is split into 2 component parts:

Core component: the knowledge and underpinning concepts, theories and principles as well as core skills for the education and early years sector.

Occupational specialisms:

* Early Years Educator
* Assisting Teaching

Students will only complete one occupational specialism.

The occupational specialisms provide students with knowledge and skills required to enter employment or further study in the specific occupational area.
How is it assessed?
Core component:
* paper A written examination
* paper B written examination
* employer set project

In order to achieve a grade for core component, students must have results for both sub-components (the core (written) examination and the employer set project).

The combined results from these sub-components will be aggregated to form the overall core component grade (A*-E and U).

If students fail to reach the minimum standard across all sub-components, they will receive a U grade. No overall grade will be issued for the core component until both sub-components have been attempted.

Occupational specialism component:
* synoptic assignments

The student is also required to successfully achieve a distinction/merit/pass grade in one of the occupational specialism components. If the student fails to reach the specified level of attainment, they will receive a U grade.
What related qualifications can you progress to?
Students who achieve this qualification could progress to the following, depending on their chosen occupational specialism:
* employment
* higher education
* apprenticeship
Key dates
Please see the Key Dates Schedules below for a timeline of the key dates for this qualification.

T Level Technical Qualifications Key Dates Schedule 2022/2023 and 2023/2024
Useful Links
Regulations for the Conduct of External Assessment

Qualification Specific Instructions for Delivery (QSID)

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T Level Technical Qualification in Education and Early Years (Level 3) (Delivered By NCFE) | NCFE

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New versions of the support materials have been uploaded to reflect the Institute of Apprenticeships and Technical Education/T Level branding updates. About this qualification The technical qualification (TQ) forms part of the new T Level study programme.

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Assessors play a crucial role in ensuring learners meet the required standards in their qualifications. In this session, Janet King from NCFE explores the key responsibilities of an assessor.

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EYE exploring the role of the Assessor for Assignment 2 P1 competence criteria implemented from 2024

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Help shape best practice in education and early years! ✨ Complete our short form to request to join the NCFE Education & Early Years Best Practice Network and help us create a space where we can:

✅ Share expert insights
✅ Share practical resources
✅ Create a supportive, professional community

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Easily create surveys and polls to collect customer feedback, measure employee satisfaction, and organize team events.

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UPDATE: Where can I find the internal standardisation materials?  

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UPDATE: Where can I find the internal standardisation materials?  

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From October 2025, internal standardisation materials will be available to download directly from the NCFE website (under Support Materials for each qualification) – no longer via the NCFE Portal.

These resources are designed to:

Support teams in aligning assessment decisions

Provide guidance for internally assessed, externally moderated components

Reference NCFE Chief Examiner/Moderator Reports

Be used as part of your annual standardisation activities

👉 Please make sure all staff involved in delivery and assessment are aware and ready to use these materials.

You can read more via the link below:

https://www.ncfe.org.uk/technical-education/t-levels/provider-hub/latest-updates/

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“Observing children as they play and learn is the best way to get to know them”. Whatever your method and frequency of recording, observations allow you to really know each child".

Dr Julian Grenier

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How should we use the new observation checkpoints? - Julian Grenier | The Famly Interview