Early years toolkit
Useful resources to help develop your early years setting.
On this page
Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS)
- The EYFS in schools
- Early years foundation stage (EYFS) statutory framework - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
- OCC EYFS Audit Musts for group and school-based providers (docx format, 150 KB)
- Development Matters - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
- Help for early years providers - Department for Education
- What to expect in the EYFS: for parents
Qualifications
- Check an early years qualification - The Check an early years qualification service is designed for early years managers
- Early years qualification requirements and standards
- Early Years Qualification finder
- Qualifications that do not count towards the early years EYFS staff : child ratios
- Early years qualifications achieved in the United Kingdom
- Early years qualifications achieved outside the United Kingdom
- Early Years teachers' standards (pdf format, 190Kb)
Statutory assessment including EYFS Profile
- Early years foundation stage: exemplification materials - updated September 2025
- Early Years Foundation Stage Profile assessment - supporting information for case study videos - updated September 2025
- Progress check at age two
- Guidance for Early Learning Goals (pdf format, 959 KB)
- Early years foundation stage profile handbook
School readiness
- What is school readiness?
- Early years and schools resources The Children’s Bowel and Bladder Charity for potty and toilet training advice
- Support for parents from baby to preschool
- Starting reception (pdf format, 2.6 MB)
- Health visiting Service - School readiness
Health and wellbeing
Health protection in education and childcare settings
- A practical guide for staff on managing cases of infectious diseases in education and childcare settings (GOV.UK).
- First aid in schools, early years and further education - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
- Health and safety: responsibilities and duties for schools - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
- Supporting pupils with medical conditions at school - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
- Using emergency adrenaline auto-injectors in schools - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
- Unintentional injuries: prevention in children under 5 years - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
- Allergen guidance for food businesses | Food Standards Agency
- Looking after children and those in early years settings during heatwaves: for teachers and professionals - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
- Sunscreen and sun safety - NHS (www.nhs.uk)
- First aid reminder statutory requirements (pdf format, 36KB)
- Safer sleep awareness: A guide for childminders, foster carers, nannies and nursery settings
Physical health and wellbeing
- Physical activity guidelines for children (under 5 years) (www.nhs.uk)
- Physical activity for children and young people: 5 to 18 years (www.gov.uk)
- Physical activity guidelines for disabled children and disabled young people: methodology (www.gov.uk)
Mental and emotional health and wellbeing
Children’s safeguarding and welfare
Allegations
Attendance
- Why good attendance is important (pdf format, 837Kb)
- Parental engagement and attendance (pdf format, 362Kb)
- Attendance poster (pdf format, 300KB)
Child protection
Information recording, retention and sharing
- Information sharing advice for practitioners
- Understanding and dealing with issues relating to parental responsibility
National Safeguarding documentation
- Child abuse concerns: guide for practitioners
- Keeping Children safe in Education
- Working together to safeguard children
- Ofsted Early Years and childcare enforcement policy
- Emergency planning and response for education, childcare, and children’s social care settings
- Protective security and preparedness for education settings
Online safety
Safeguarding children and protecting professionals in early years settings: online safety considerations for:
- Safeguarding children and protecting professionals in early years settings: online safety considerations for managers
- Safeguarding children and protecting professionals in early years settings: online safety guidance for practitioners
Prevent
Policies
- Sample Code of Conduct for parents/ carers and visitors (docx format, 20Kb)
- Early Years Safeguarding and Child Protection Policy (for group settings) (docx format, 202 KB)
- Childminder Early Years safeguarding and child protection policy (docx format, 203 KB)
Safer recruitment and safer working
- Safer recruitment Consortium
- Criminal records checks for overseas applicants
- Disqualification under the Childcare Act 2006
- Recruiting and managing early years staff
- Personal file checklist (docx format, 22Kb)
- Barring - making a referral
- Apply to join a nursery or other daycare organisation (EY2)
- Report changes to registered people in your nursery or daycare
Children’s learning and development
Working with birth to threes
Curriculum
Literacy
Physical development
Leadership and management
Strategic Leadership of EYFS – guidance for headteachers. Under review
- Guidance of Strategy (pdf format, 293 KB)
- Adult-led staff practice observation (docx format, 949 KB)
- Child-led staff practice observation (docx format, 947 KB)
- Data analysis good practice (docx format, 89 KB)
- EYFS Learning Walk template (docx format, 60 KB)
- Governor monitoring of Early (docx format, 99 KB)
- Quality interaction observation (docx format, 947 KB)
- Quality provision for 2 year (docx format, 86 KB)
- Schools Ofsted EY grade (docx format, 130 KB)
- Talk friendly learning environment (docxpdf format, 126 KB)
- Guidance and templates for development (docx format, 148 KB)
Business
Early education funding
Family Information Service
Out of School clubs
Equality, diversity and inclusion
Special educational needs and disability
- The SENDCO Helpdesk - is on hand to provide working SENDCos with strategies, signposting, early intervention guidance and universal support for primary age/stage and early years children.
- Early years guide to the SEND Code of Practice
English as an additional language (EAL)
Narrowing the gap - diminishing difference
Funded two-year-olds
- Information on the two-year-old entitlement for providers
- Supporting Two-Year-Olds (pdf format, 550KB)
Early Years Pupil Premium
The Early Years Pupil Premium (EYPP) gives early education and childcare providers extra funding to support eligible three and 4-year-olds.
Providers are paid a pupil premium at the rate of 66p per hour for three and 4-year-old children. Funding can be claimed for eligible children attending up to 15 hours per week (the pupil premium cannot be applied to the extended entitlement hours).