EYCC Noticeboard

Early Years and Childcare Update - 12 March 2026

Welcome to this week's Early Years and Childcare update!

This week's update includes information on:

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
  • 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.

Birmingham Best Start in Life Strategy - Frontline staff (Under 5s)

As part of the Government’s Best Start in Life programme of work, Birmingham City Council is co-producing its strategy to ensure that all young children under 5, and their families, are supported to achieve their full potential. CREC, as research partner, have spent the last few weeks gathering views in person and online from families, frontline staff and leaders across the city but we also want to provide everyone in the sector an opportunity to share their views.

The following form, that should not take longer than 10 minutes to complete, asks about the key lines of enquiry and can be completed anonymously: Birmingham Best Start in Life Strategy - Frontline staff (Under 5s) – Fill out form

Suspicious Text Messages Claiming to be from Ofsted

We are aware that a small number of registered childminders have recently received text messages claiming to be from “Ofsted Support”, stating that their registration has been temporarily suspended and directing them to click a link.

These messages are not from Ofsted. Ofsted would never contact you by text message to inform you of a suspension. Any communication regarding your registration, including matters as serious as suspension, would always be sent through our official channels.

If you receive one of these messages, please report it to your mobile provider and then delete it.

If you have received the text, clicked the link, and provided any personal information, you may wish to change your passwords as a precaution. You do not need to tell us if you have received this text. If you need to get in touch with us regarding any aspect of your registration, you can do so using the contact options available on our website: https://contact.ofsted.gov.uk/contact-us

I also want to reassure you that childminder mobile phone numbers were not obtained from Ofsted. As you will know, many childminders, for understandable reasons, share their mobile phone numbers, including on local authority information services.

Thank you for your continued vigilance and for the important work you do.

BBC CBeebies Parenting: Supporting Parents to Discover the Power of Play

BBC CBeebies Parenting is celebrating the vital role of play in a preschooler’s life from birth, right through to starting school.

Fundamental to a child’s core development and in particular their language and communication skills, CBeebies Parenting has lots of great content to help support parents/caregivers to discover more about play in all its forms, highlighting the power it has to connect, educate and inspire.

Check out the BBC CBeebies Parenting collection of expert-backed tips, simple activity ideas, and practical advice to make play easy to fit into everyday life, helping parents/caregivers to support their children’s early development. https://www.bbc.co.uk/tiny-happy-people/play

Within in the collection, you can find information on how children engage and learn through play: from sensory play for newborns and tummy time tips, to creative crafts, outdoor adventures, and quick 10-minute games there’s something for every age and stage, and check out the expert led articles below that explain the different types of play.

Families can also explore:

The CBeebies Parenting website is full of expert advice, practical ideas, and inspiring activities. Free to share with families you work with. 

For more information, visit bbc.co.uk/cbeebies/parenting 

Inclusion: Raising Awareness Across All Childcare Settings in Birmingham (Free In Person Workshop) 

Diverse Beginnings: Enhancing Equity, Diversity and Inclusion in Childcare Settings is our free in-person workshop for all Birmingham providers of Early Years and Childcare. 

This workshop is suitable for all practitioners, managers, provision owners and directors, but spaces are limited.   

We are inviting early years and childcare providers across Birmingham to join us for a powerful in-person workshop designed to support and strengthen inclusive practice in your setting. We’ve listened to the sector and moved this workshop offer away from online formats to create a more impactful, collaborative learning space. 

Why Attend? 

This session is more than just a workshop – it’s a space for real connection, reflection and action.  Developed in response to sector feedback, Diverse Beginnings offers a rare opportunity to come together in person to explore how Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) can be meaningfully embedded across all aspects of early years and childcare provision. 

Together we’ll: 

  • Raise awareness of EDI within the context of early years practice 
  • Explore how EDI principles can be integrated into recruitment, routines, leadership and beyond 
  • Share experiences and reflect with peers in a supportive, face-to-face environment 
  • Feel empowered to champion inclusive and equitable approaches in your own setting 

Why Now? 

The new Ofsted Early Years Toolkit places a strong emphasis on inclusion. From November 2025, Ofsted will be considering: 

“The commitment of leaders and those responsible for governance to provide high standards of education and care to improve the lives of all children, especially those receiving statutory support, including disadvantaged children, those with SEND, those who are known (or previously known) to children’s social care, and those who may face barriers to their learning and/or well-being” 

This workshop will help you strengthen your inclusive practice, with confidence and enhanced clarity. 

Please note spaces are limited. 

This is a free workshop, but places are limited and will be allocated on a first come, first served basis.   

Don’t miss out – book your place today and be part of the change. For more information about the venues and to access our booking links, please follow the links below:  

Other inclusion subject-based training and resources available to you for free include: 

Need support? Talk to us: 

If you need advice, guidance or support on any Early Years or Childcare topics, the Birmingham Early Years and Childcare Service is here to help. 

You can speak directly with an experienced Early Years Consultant who can offer support and expert insight. Contact us via our Early Years Duty Line on 0121 675 4996 or email us eyduty@birmingham.gov.uk Monday – Friday between 9am & 5pm except Bank Holidays. 

Two New Free Courses: Strengthen Inclusion with Dingley’s Promise 

Dingley’s Promise are thrilled to launch two brand new, expert-led training courses, fully funded by Comic Relief. 

  1. An Inclusive Approach to Curriculum & Assessment 

This course is designed to help practitioners build the confidence and knowledge to ensure their curriculum is underpinned by inclusive practice. You will learn to make necessary adaptations so your curriculum is accessible for all children and understand how to use effective assessment tools to identify needs early and accelerate learning. 

Inclusive curriculum assessment | Birmingham City Council

  1. Supporting Communication Development for Early Years Children with SEND 

Designed to respond to the growing number of children with early communication challenges, this course explores the stages of development and the barriers children with SEND can face. You will gain the confidence to identify needs and act quickly to support every child's communication journey. 

Developing communication in early years | Birmingham City Council

See the attached leaflets for further course information. 

Sign up to access the new courses here: 

https://forms.office.com/e/V3zvR1cPKr 

Other free courses available from Dingley’s Promise includes: 

  • An introduction to Early Years Inclusive Practice 
  • Early Years SEND Transitions  
  • Managing Behaviours that Challenge   
  • Having Difficult Conversations with Families 
  • Voice of the Child   
  • Leadership and Management for Inclusion 
  • Intersections within Early Years Practice 

You can access these other courses here - Comic Relief Early Years Inclusion Programme - Dingley's Promise but remember, free access to all of these 9 courses is only available for a limited time, so it's a good idea to prioritise completing them while you can!  

NEW Inclusive Practice in Early Years Resources From a Collaboration Between Childcare Works & Dingley’s Promise 

Creating an inclusive environment is essential for every child to thrive. To help you achieve this, Childcare Works, in collaboration with Dingley’s Promise (England’s largest specialist provider of nursery education for children under 5 with SEND) has developed a collection of practical resources designed to support inclusive practice in your setting. 

What’s Included? 

Note: Birmingham’s Ordinarily Available Provision document is called Ordinarily Available Guidance (OAG). 

We have three versions available: 

  1. Early Years Ordinarily Available Guidance 
  2. School Age Ordinarily Available Guidance 
  3. Post-16 Ordinarily Available Guidance 

The Early Years version is currently in draft form but can still be used. 

How to Access: 

Click the links or visit: Dingley’s Promise & Childcare Works: Inclusive Practice in the Early Years 

Speech, Language and Communication (SLC) and the Home Learning Environment (HLE)

Speech and Language UK Progress Checker and Resource Library for Families 

Speech and Language UK offer two useful tools for working with families: the Progress Checker and the Resource Library. 

The Progress Checker is an online tool designed for parents and carers to help track their child’s speech, language, and communication development. By answering a few simple questions, parents can gain insights into their child’s progress and receive guidance tailored to their needs. 

Child's Progress checker - Speech & Language UK

Alongside the Progress Checker, Speech and Language UK offer a comprehensive Resource Library. This library provides a wide range of free materials, including activities, tips, and advice that parents can use to encourage their child’s speech and language development at home. We encourage you to share these resources with families in your setting and promote their use to further support children’s communication skills. 

Resource library for families - Speech and Language UK: Changing young lives 

WellComm Data Collection for Schools and Nursery Schools 

For the attention of schools and nursery schools. 

WellComm is the approved screening tool in Birmingham, and it supports a consistent universal approach to assessing and supporting children’s speech, language and communication needs. We ask each setting to share their termly screening data with us so that we can track the impact of the WellComm screening tool. For schools and nursery schools we collect your WellComm data via an online form each term. The Autumn term data collection form is now available for schools and Nursery Schools. If you are a day nursery or childminder, you do not complete this form. 

The deadline for the form to be submitted is 31st March 2026. 

To complete the survey, please click here.

WellComm Data Sessions for PVI Settings 

For the attention of all EEE registered providers. 

Come and join us for one of our online sessions to demonstrate how to use the WellComm data spreadsheet to collate your screening data and prepare for sharing your WellComm screens on the EEE portal. You will have the opportunity to ask questions and be signposted to practical support if required. Please use the booking links below for your preferred date. 

‘Introduction to WellComm’ Training Dates for Spring 2026

For the attention of all EEE registered providers. 

WellComm is the approved screening tool in Birmingham, and it supports a consistent universal approach to assessing and supporting children’s speech, language and communication needs. All PVI settings are now required to submit their WellComm screening data on the EEE funding portal during headcount. If you are not yet using WellComm to screen your children’s speech and language, please attend one of our online training sessions to receive your free WellComm toolkit. Settings that have received a WellComm screening tool can continue to send staff that are new or require a refresher of how to use WellComm onto the training. Please click your preferred date to book your place. 

 

This entry was posted by Jessica Wykes on 11/03/2026.

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