Department For Education
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.
Last updated 5 January 2023 +show all updates
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The partner setting, Little Oaks, has been removed from the list of hub partners as it has now closed.
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Guidance updated, including details of the successful first round hubs.
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Applications for hubs closed on 23 September 2022, and information about the successful hubs will be published in November 2022. The page has been updated to reflect this.
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First published.