This week's update includes information on:

• Nominate a Provider Portal User
• Attend Free Upcoming Birmingham Disability Festival
• Check an Early Years Qualification Service Available Now
• Early Talk Boost

Please feel free to share this update with anyone you think would benefit from accessing this content. 

If you have any questions or feedback, please contact familyinformation@birmingham.gov.uk

Nominate a Provider Portal User

As you may already be aware, the Early Years and Childcare Team has launched a new Information Portal for providers called the Nexus Provider Portal. 

Many providers have already nominated a Nexus Provider Portal user. If you haven’t already done so, please do this today using our online form. You can have accounts for up to four people within your organisation. 

The introduction of this portal will enable us to:

• strengthen the information that we collect from you to support our sufficiency data
• improve the information that we can provide to parents and third parties when they are looking for childcare options
• contact you more efficiently.  

Please note: Completing this form does not immediately create your account. After we verify the nominated user form, we will send you a link to create your Provider Portal account.

If you have any queries about the Nexus Provider Portal, please contact FamilyInformation@birmingham.gov.uk

Attend Free Upcoming Birmingham Disability Festival 

Birmingham Disability Festival is taking place this year at Aston University on Saturday 5th July 2025, 12pm - 6pm.

We have loads of fantastic activities, performances, interactive workshops, games, sports, and a spotlight on Human Books planned for the day.

People that attended our first ever citywide disability festival last year shared with us some amazing feedback that enables us to keep pulling together to bring this festival back to Birmingham each year.

• 'Fantastic day and can't wait for next year'
• 'Thank you - I have never felt so seen and included'
• 'Please do this every year'
• 'The Disability Festival 2024 was the best event I volunteered at last year and I cannot wait to be there this year'.

Registration to get tickets is free and available here: Birmingham Disability Festival Tickets

More information is available via the Festivals Instagram page: Birmingham Disability Festival

We will be sharing further information over our social media channels as the festival approaches: 

• Instagram
• Facebook
• LinkedIn

Please note: It will be a 'bring your own picnic' event but there are lots of food venues around the site. There will also be food from the Aston University Catering team on site available but this will be at a cost.

We hope to see you there!

Check an Early Years Qualification Service Available Now

Early years managers can now use the new Check an early years qualification digital service to quickly verify whether staff qualifications meet the requirements for staff:child ratios in England.

The new service can be accessed at https://check-an-early-years-qualification.service.gov.uk/?utm_source=birmingham&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=la

This free GOV.​UK tool allows managers to check a qualification’s approval status by entering key details such as:

• course start date
• level
• awarding organisation

At the end of the process, a clear outcome is provided, which can be printed for your records.

Why use the new service?

Using the new Check an early years qualification service:

• saves time during recruitment and HR processes
• supports workforce planning ahead of the September 2025 expansion of funded childcare entitlements
• reduces confusion when checking qualifications

The service is tailored specifically for early years managers. All other user groups (for example practitioners) should continue to use the Early Years Qualifications List (EYQL) to check qualifications, and contact our supplier Ecctis if they are unable to find the qualification on the EYQL.

The Check an early years qualification service is for qualifications achieved in the UK. Holders of non-UK qualifications should continue to contact our supplier Ecctis for an assessment.

If you need help using the service you can contact DfE.

Thank you for your continued support of the sector.

Early Talk Boost

This training is FREE and funded by Birmingham City Council, suitable for Birmingham EEE Funding Registered Day Nurseries, Nursery Schools, and School Nursery Classes.

Early Talk Boost is a targeted intervention aimed at 3-4-year-old children who need help with talking and understanding words, helping to boost their language skills to narrow the gap between them and their peers. The programme aims to accelerate children’s progress in language and communication by an average of 6 months, after a nine-week intervention. 

Children selected to take part in the intervention will attend three sessions per week during circle/story time, each lasting 15-20 minutes delivered by an early year’s practitioner. The sessions activities include the foundation skills in speech, language, and communication that children need for learning and understanding new words, as well as having conversations. The training is delivered face to face and each setting will receive two boxes of Early Talk Boost resources.

The sessions take place at 9.30am – 3.00pm with a 20-person capacity:

• Friday 6th June 2025, Erdington Family Hub (Lakeside Children's Centre), 22 Lakes Road, B23 7UH
• Friday 20th June 2025, Perry Barr Family Hub (Rookery Children's Centre), 60 Mount Pleasant Avenue, B21 9QA

Please fill out the Microsoft form to choose your preferred date and location.