GovWire

Overview

Early years stronger practice hubs will provide advice, share good practice, and offer evidence-based professional development for early years practitioners.

The hubs are part of the early years education recovery support package which also includes the early years experts and mentors programme.

Early years stronger practice hubs are distributed across England, with an ambition of 2 hubs in each region (18 hubs in total). The first 13 hubs were appointed in November 2022.

The early years stronger practice hubs programme is supported by the Education Endowment Foundation and the National Childrens Bureau.

Whats involved

Early years stronger practice hubs will be funded for 2 years until late 2024.

Stronger practice hubs will support other nurseries and childminders in their area to adopt evidence-based practice improvements, by:

• establishing local networks of early years educators to share knowledge and effective practice
• proactively sharing information and advice on evidence-based approaches - for example, through newsletters, blogs and social media
• acting as a point of contact for bespoke advice, and signposting to other funded support
• working with the Education Endowment Foundation to select evidence-based programmes to fund and make available to nurseries and childminders

More information about stronger practice hubs is available on the National Childrens Bureaus website.

The hubs

The first round of applications for hubs closed on 23 September 2022. Hubs are made up of a lead group-based setting and up to 4 additional partners. Some hubs may add additional partners to their partnership.

Further details will be made available about how early years educators can access support from the hubs.

East Midlands

Lead:

• Pen Green Centre

Partners:

• Kingswood Community Nursery
• Pen Green Centre (0 to 3s provision)
• Leona Smith (childminder)
• Charnwood Nursery and Pre-school

East of England

Lead:

• Highfield Nursery School

Partners:

• Early Years @ Highfield
• Early Years @ Highfield, Whitehouse
• Wigwams Nursery
• The Oaks Primary school

London

Lead:

• Sheringham Nursery School and Childrens Centre

Partners:

• St Barnabas Preschool
• Honeys Childcare

North-east

Lead:

• Benedict Biscop CE Academy (Northern Lights Learning Trust)

Partner:

• Sunningdale Special school

Lead:

• Wingate Community Nursery School

Partners:

• Wingate Childcare Community Interest Company
• Gemmas Little Oakes Childminding

North-west

Lead:

• Lime Tree Primary Academy (Bright Futures Educational Trust)

Partners:

• Wellfield Infants & Nursery School
• Stanley Grove Primary Academy (Bright Futures Educational Trust)
• ESSA Primary Academy

South-east

Lead:

• Blagdon Nursery School

Partners:

• Hungerford Nursery School Centre for Children and Families
• Victoria Park Nursery School and Family Hub
• Maidenhead Nursery School
• Dingleys Promise

Lead:

• Discovery Day Nursery

Partners:

• Northfleet Nursery School
• Smarties Nursery
• Oaks Day Nursery
• Gemma MacLachlan (childminder)

South-west

Lead:

• St Pauls Nursery School & Childrens Centre

Partners:

• Redcliffe Nursery School
• Archfield House Nursery & preschool
• Millies Garden
• Springboard Opportunity Group, Clevedon

Lead:

• Plym Bridge Nursey and Daycare

Partners:

• Ham Drive Nursery School and Daycare
• The Cabin
• Beckys Tiny Teddies

West Midlands

Lead:

• Bloomsbury Nursery School

Partner:

• Castle Vale Nursery School
• Weoley Castle Nursery School
• Adderley Nursery School
• Norton Hall Children and Family Centre

Lead:

• Ryders Hayes School (Ryders Hayes Academy Trust)

Partners:

• Fullbrook Maintained Nursery School
• Abu Bakr Day Nursery
• Kiddies Playhouse

Yorkshire and the Humber

Lead:

• St Edmunds Nursery School

Partners:

• Childrens Place Day Nursery, Dewsbury
• Dixons Allerton Academy
• Belinda OHare (Childminder)
• Co-op Academy Delius

We plan to appoint the remaining 5 hubs in spring 2023.

Contact us

Email any questions you have about the programme to the National Childrens Bureaus stronger practice hubs team at sph@ncb.org.uk.