Somerset Early Years and Childcare Service

🎓 Are your team's qualifications up to date?

Stay informed with the Department for Education's guidance on the qualification requirements and standards for early years practitioners, including the qualifications needed to count in EYFS staff:child ratios. A useful resource for managers, leaders and practitioners alike.

🔗 https://zurl.co/XJZDn

Don't forget this webpage where you can discover resources to help you support children’s wellbeing and enrichment in your setting. This includes the latest information around safer sleep, safer eating and screen use guidance.

Help for early years providers : Health and wellbeing The Department for Education also provides the following free websites and resources to support people working in the early years.

Check out the dates for the Early Years Designated Safeguarding Briefings for 2026-27.
https://www.supportservicesforeducation.co.uk/Page/45101

The Department for Education has launched an online early years safeguarding training package, developed in collaboration with the NSPCC.

This training covers sections 1 and 2 of the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) statutory framework’s safeguarding training annex, which all early years educators must be trained in line with every two years. The training is free to access for all early years educators including childminders and reception staff.

A link to the training can be found on the landing page of the EYFS:
https://eu1.hubs.ly/H0xJdqY0
or accessed at the following link - Department for Education EY safeguarding training:
https://eu1.hubs.ly/H0xJbG60

The DfE have also published a new safeguarding guidance page:
https://eu1.hubs.ly/H0xJcGm0 on the Help for Early Years Providers site which you may find helpful to review

How early should stories be read to children?
Take a look at this useful information from the Book Trust.

It's never too early to start sharing stories 📚

From babies to children in their early years and all the way through to teens, reading brings profound benefits that can have a lifelong impact on children's lives.

Evidence shows that reading supports children to bond with their caregivers, do better at school, develop creativity and empathy, and even overcome inequalities before they deepen.

Here's how the benefits of reading can show up at different ages 👇

Take a look at the resources you can download that provide practical toilet training guidance for parents.

Toilet Training Toilet training is an important step for families. Learning to use a potty or toilet independently takes time, practice and patience, and every child’s toilet training journey will look different. Ahead of children starting school in September, this PR campaign supports parents of children prepari...

FAQ's from Ofsted about inspections.

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

Do you use the SSCP Cascade package in your provision? Its been updated and is ready to use.

The SSCP Basic Awareness Cascade Packs have been updated!

These packs are free to anyone who has attended the SSCP Advanced Child Protection, log in and access your pack or register at: https://somersetsafeguardingchildren.org.uk/cascade_pack/