This guidance is intended to help practitioners plan to meet the diverse needs of all children. This section refers to principles for early years education which are drawn from, and are evident in, good and effective practice in early years settings.   Download Curriculum guidance for the foundation stage – Principles for early years education

The Coalition Government will inject £100m capital funding to support the delivery of new nursery and childminder places.   Two in five of the country’s two-year-olds will be eligible for 15 hours of free early years education per week by September 2014. This will help ensure that children are better prepared for school and will [...]

The Institute of Health Equity was commissioned by 4Children to identify the most important outcomes Children’s Centres should be striving for in order to give all children positive early-years experiences. The IHE have published both an executive summary and a full evidence review which call for a renewed focus on supporting good parenting and the environment [...]

Achieving Two Year Olds project is launched this month Mott MacDonald with its partner Hempsall’s has been appointed by the Department for Education to support the rollout of free early education places for less advantaged two-year olds.   The Government is introducing a legal requirement to secure free provision, through regulations under section 6 of [...]

Department for Education are pleased to publish the Final Nutbrown Report today – Foundations for Quality   Professor Cathy Nutbrown’s independent Review of Early Education and Childcare Qualifications (Foundations for Quality), has now been published.   Professor Cathy Nutbrown was invited by Government to lead an independent review to consider how best to strengthen qualifications [...]

Department for Education publishes response to Early Education and Childcare consultation The Department for Education has today published its response to the recent Early Education and Childcare consultation and has confirmed proposals to: Make the current entitlement to 15 hours a week of free early education for three and four year olds more flexible, so [...]