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) (2025-2026)(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
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).