Early Years News #4
September 24, 2025
FAO Solihull early years and childcare providers
Down Syndrome UK – early years and primary development programmes
Later this week, Down Syndrome UK is running free webinars to help SEND staff and teaching professionals understand how their primary education and early years development programmes work.
• Primary schools – Wednesday 24 September 2025 at 3.45pm (book online)
• Early years settings – Wednesday 24 September 2025 at 7pm (book online)
Solihull approach new name and Togetherness website
What’s changing?
- A new name: Togetherness
- A new website: togetherness.co.uk/learn
- A new look and layout to make your learning journey even smoother and more enjoyable
- Still available- support and information for providers and parents ‘In Our Place’
The Improving Immunisation Uptake (IIU) Team- training for Early Years settings.
This training has been developed on behalf of NHS England, with sessions available to book across six different dates and times to offer maximum flexibility for attendance. The 1-hour sessions will be virtual via MS Teams, and individuals will only need to attend one of the free sessions available.
The training session is aimed at Early Years providers, including nurseries, family and children’s centres, childminders, and preschools and will highlight the importance of routine childhood immunisations, and the significant role Early Years providers play in supporting the UK’s routine vaccination programmes.
We recommend attendance by individuals interested in becoming immunisation champions alongside staff who regularly communicate with parents/carers, and those handling new child registrations. We would recommend that it may be beneficial for larger settings if a minimum of 2 staff members attend.
Further information and dates are in the attached information documents
- Improving Immunisation Uptake (IIU) Team training to Early Years Settings
- EM EY Managers Information Sheet – Sept 2025
- Early Years Project Introductory Slides 2025
Booking – please book [link] here
HEART- Stronger Practice Hub events [reminder]
There are a range of HEART stronger practice hub training sessions available to you [no cost to attend]. They are available here
[ https://www.strongerpracticehubs.org.uk/hubs/wm/heart-midlands-eysph ] and this includes a 1st October Nutrition Essentials for Early Years Practitioners (Evening Session) event.
Best Start in Life – have your say.
We are excited to offer you an opportunity to share your insight and experience to support work that the Local Government Association is undertaking on the Best Start in Life. We have commissioned Interface Enterprises to conduct research to explore how councils and partners are working collaboratively together to achieve the national target of 75% of children reaching a Good Level of Development (GLD) by age 5. In particular, the research will focus on understanding effective collaborative approaches to tackle inequality of outcomes, priority areas for focus and generating ideas and approaches that can be scaled to meet national ambitions.
In October, Interface Enterprises will be conducting online workshops to explore solutions to sticky issues relating to achieving GLD. Workshops will be targeted at specific roles including:
- Service managers across early years and 0-5 health services (LA, NHS, VCFS)
- SENCOs/Speech & Language Therapists
- Managers and practitioners working with 0-5s in childcare settings/early education settings, libraries and family hubs
- Strategic leaders and commissioners
- Health Visitors and others delivering the Healthy Child Programme
This is a great opportunity to shape emerging policy and inform local practice. Please forward this email to anyone who you feel can contribute. We are keen to ensure diverse engagement in the research. Places are limited – for more information and booking your one hour workshop, please follow this link https://www.interfaceenterprises.co.uk/consultancy/best-start/.
Early learning in the baby room
In the recent report from Nuffield Foundation Opening the Door to the Baby Room: Learning from the Experiences and Perspectives of Baby Room Educators and Nursery Managers [ www.thebabyroom.blog/report-2 ], there was a call for more-baby specific professional development. Do you have someone booked onto our babies and toddler training?
EY Settings PVI Training – https://www.solgrid.org.uk/eyc/training/ey-settings-pvi-training/how-young-children-learn-babies-and-toddlers/
Also see the HEART publication -working with children under two > https://www.strongerpracticehubs.org.uk/hubs/wm/heart-midlands-eysph/resources
Early Years and Screens- https://issuu.com/coect/docs/tips_issue_16
This article written for parents but outlining screen research and views of the Health Professionals for Safer Screens group, suggests that screens should be removed from nurseries and early years. If you use screens in your setting, what do you see are the benefits to children’s learning? What is your rationale for their use and how do you mitigate the impact of screen over use? How do you support parents to consider the guide lines such as no screen time for young children under 2 years old.
Rachel Priestley leaves us at the end of October. She has worked for early years SEND teams for 20 years. We wish her all the best and would like to thank her for all the work she has undertaken with Solihull families and providers. A big thanks Rachel.
Finally, it is National Eye Health week [22nd-28th September] and one of the factors supporting good eye health is to go outdoors. Research has shown that spending time outdoors can be beneficial in helping to prevent the onset of myopia (short-sightedness) in children. So, make sure children get out and active every day.
https://www.visionmatters.org.uk/childrens-eye-health/six-ways-to-keep-childrens-eyes-healthy
