Early Years Service Bath & North East Somerset

🔒 Safeguarding is everyone's responsibility.

The Department for Education has published safeguarding information and advice on the Help for Early Years Providers website. This brings together practical guidance, EYFS requirements, and resources for early years educators.

Explore the guidance and strengthen your practice today: https://zurl.co/Y039O

☀️ This summer, Stronger Practice Hubs from across the UK have put together a joint summer programme. ☀️

Every session is fully funded and open to early years practitioners and childminders wherever you are in the country.

📅This weeks sessions are:

🔹18th August 6:45pm - 7:30pm: Yorkshire & Humber Together Early Years Stronger Practice Hub's - An Introduction to Schematic Play

🔹19th August 8:30am - 9:30am: St Edmund’s Early Years Stronger Practice Hub's - The Power of Pattern in Early Maths

🔹19th August 6:30pm - 7:30pm: London South Early Years Stronger Practice Hub's Food and Nutrition Network: Supporting Nutritional Needs of Children with Allergies and Intolerances in Early Years, with Catherine Jeans

🔹20th August 10am or 6pm: HEART Early Years Stronger Practice Hub's - What Does the EEF say about Self-Regulation

🔗Follow the link to download your brochure and book on today -https://eu1.hubs.ly/H0xkjkn0

How can everyday care routines become powerful teaching moments?

Our Mini INSET Session, From Routine to Relationship: The Power of Care, is a 1 hour staff meeting template that helps teams see nappy changes, mealtimes and other everyday care moments not as interruptions to teaching, but as meaningful opportunities to build relationships.

Inside, you'll find:

🔹 A carousel reflection activity exploring eight realistic caring moment scenarios
🔹 Video examples from St Pauls Nursery School showing respectful interactions in practice
🔹 Guidance from Birth to 5 Matters on working with children, not doing things to them
🔹 Follow up activities and supervision prompts to help embed the learning

Grounded in Birth to 5 Matters guidance, Carol Garboden Murray's work and EEF evidence-informed approaches, this resource supports teams to recognise every child's dignity, voice and autonomy within everyday routines.

Explore the full resource: https://eu1.hubs.ly/H0xCJ950

📢 Safer Sleep in Early Years Settings

Watch this Foundation Years Q&A vodcast from the Department for Education and Ofsted. The session covers the updated safer sleep wording due to be introduced to the EYFS from September 2026, including what the changes mean for providers and how they may be considered during inspections.

Watch here: https://zurl.co/rpj4I

We want to see early years professionals better supported and given all the tools and knowledge they need to keep children as safe as possible.

That’s why we’ve created a brand new area on our website, especially for early years professionals 👉 https://bit.ly/4pZDtUs

Every day, you work with care and dedication, often under pressure with limited resources. We hope this new early years hub will support you in your day-to-day work, guiding you on how to keep your settings as safe as possible.

Please share with your networks.

What does it take to build high-quality interactions with every child, every day?

Will Purcell is an Early Years Teacher at Archfield House Nursery in Bristol. He works with 1 & 2 year olds and has been working in early years for 13 years. Here, he reflects upon implementing the ShREC approach in his interactions in practice, and role modelling this to the nursery team.

"The ShREC approach 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." – EEF 2025

Will's motivation for adopting ShREC (Share attention, Respond, Expand, Conversation) was to narrow language gaps, strengthen staff confidence in extending vocabulary, and ensure every interaction, whether during play, routines or group times, actively supported communication and language development.

Since focusing on the approach, Will has seen:
🔹 Adults more attuned to what children need, and more intentional in how they interact
🔹 Children sustaining back-and-forth exchanges for longer
🔹 Greater confidence in children expressing their ideas and feelings

Read the full case study to find out what Will and his team learned, and what's next: https://eu1.hubs.ly/H0xsBZw0

📢 What do the latest safeguarding measures mean for early years settings?

The government has announced new investment in early years safeguarding, including 3,000 additional Ofsted visits each year, strengthened provider checks and improved systems to help identify risks sooner.

Find out more about the changes and what they could mean for the sector: https://zurl.co/iAj8w

This free online training from the Department for Education is designed to build & improve understanding of child development.

It provides practical tips and ideas to use in your setting to help children aged 0-5 years.

This training is for practitioners working with children in any type of early years setting, including:
🔹childminders
🔹nursery practitioners
🔹reception teachers and teaching assistants

The training is for anyone who is new to early years & looking to build their child development knowledge. However, it is also useful for anyone looking to refresh their knowledge.

There are 8 modules, written by early years experts, that cover key areas of child development.

The average completion time of each module is 2 hours & you can complete these at your own pace.

🔗Register here: https://eu1.hubs.ly/H0x4bFn0

Are you a childminder looking to connect with others?

Our network meetings are the perfect opportunity to meet fellow childminders, share experiences, and reflect on ways to develop your practice and business.

🍽️🛌 Join us for our August Childminder Network Session focused on care needs where we will consider:
🔹How to manage your childminding around individual children’s needs
🔹Adapting to Parents’ requirements
🔹The new nutritional guidance & conversations with parents
🔹Following the safer sleep recommendations

Come discuss these topics and more with others who have had similar experiences and issues.

🔗Book now: https://eu1.hubs.ly/H0xk3pN0

Growing green minds – a case study

Every August, Siren Films make one of their films free to watch for everyone. This summer you can watch Laura Henry-Allain’s visit to the Grove Nursery and hear about the practical steps they take to create a lasting impact on children, their community and the environment.

Read full item and view video here: https://buff.ly/dx8czF0