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
- Ofsted EIF inspections and the EYES
- What to expect in the EYFS: for parents
- Implementing the early years foundation stage reforms
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
- Early Years Foundation Stage Profile assessment - supporting information for case study videos
- Myth Busting for EYFS Profile (EYFSP) and reception year
- Progress check at age two
- Guidance for Early Learning Goals (pdf format, 959 KB)
School readiness
- What is school readiness?
- Early years and schools resources The Children’s Bowel and Bladder Charity for potty and toilet training advice
- Toileting and Personal Care Guidance for Schools and Early Years Settings in Oxfordshire July 2021 (pdf format, 350Kb)
- School Settling-in Policy 2023 (docx format, 60 Kb)
- Transition Pack page
- 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
- Eye tests for children - NHS (www.nhs.uk)
- Childhood obesity: a plan for action - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
- The Eatwell Guide - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
- Example menus for early years settings in England - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
- 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)
- School Attendance Guidance
- Attendance poster (pdf format, 300KB)
Child protection
- Reporting Concerns
- Child abuse concerns: guide for practitioners
- OAC (oxfordagainstcutting.org)
- FGM Home Office Training
- Criminal exploitation of children and vulnerable adults: county lines
Early Help and LCSS
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
Neglect
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
- CEOP Education (thinkuknow.co.uk)
- Teaching online safety in schools
- Teaching your child about internet and online safety
- Online safety in schools and colleges: Questions from the Governing Board (2022)
Prevent
Policies
- Sample Code of Conduct for parents/ carers and visitors (docx format, 20Kb)
- Early Years Safeguarding and Child Protection Policy (for group settings) 2024-25 (docx format, 138 KB)
- Childminder Early Years safeguarding and child protection policy 2024-25 (docx format, 133KB)
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
Safeguarding resources
Children’s learning and development
The home learning environment
- Virtual school (VSLAC) - guide to home learning (pdf format, 50Kb)
- Words for life
- The Literacy Trust
- 50 things to do - Oxfordshire
- Reading and communication
- Play and activity
- Making the most of the home learning environment (pdf format)
Play
Working with birth to threes
Curriculum
Communication and language
- BRISC Surveillance sheet (docx format, 1.2Mb)
- IDP - Supporting children with speech, language and communication difficulties (pdf format, 1.3Mb)
- IDP - Supporting Children on the Autistic Spectrum (pdf format, 1.2Mb)
- Communication and Interaction Support poster (pdf format, 442Kb)
- Improving the Home Learning Environment
- National Literacy Trust’s website - Words for life
- Talk-friendly learning environment audit (docx format, 126Kb)
- Speech and language UK
- Tiny happy people
- Education Endowment Foundation
Literacy
- Bookstart
- Preparing for Literacy EEF Guidance Report
- The reading framework: teaching the foundations of literacy (GOV.UK)
- Research review series: English (for schools)
- Choosing a phonics teaching programme
Maths
Physical development
Leadership and management
Strategic Leadership of EYFS – guidance for headteachers
- 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)
Ofsted information
Business
- Early years business sustainability
- Opening a new day nursery
- Early Years providers webpage template (docx format, 31 KB)
Qualifications
Data Protection
- Information Commissioner's office and GDPR
- Data protection: privacy notice model documents - GOV.UK
- Findings from ICO advisory visits to nurseries
- Data Protection Act 2018
- Data protection toolkit for schools - GOV.UK
EYFS Profile
Early education funding
Family Information Service
Out of School clubs
Equality, diversity and inclusion
Special educational needs and disability
- SEN support for providers
- 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)
- Guidance for Early Years practitioners on supporting children learning English as an Additional Language (EAL). (pdf format, 457Kb)
- Google Translate - online text translation
- Welcoming refugee children in Oxfordshire Toolkit (pdf format, 2 MB)
Equality and diversity
Narrowing the gap - diminishing difference
Key documents
- Supporting the attainment of disadvantaged pupils briefing for school leaders
- Ofsted: Unknown children – destined for disadvantage?
- Improving the home learning environment
- Metacognition and self-regulated learning
Supportive materials
- Pupil groups Venn diagram (docx format, 24Kb)
- Early Intervention Foundation
- Education Endowment Foundation Guidance reports
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).