EYCC Noticeboard

Early Years and Childcare Update - 07 May 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.

Save the Date – Best Start in Life Launch & Early Years Marketplace

Birmingham City Council Early Years and Childcare Service is pleased to invite you to save the date for the launch of Birmingham’s Best Start in Life Strategy.

This event will bring together early years providers, partners and professionals from across the city to celebrate our shared commitment to giving every child the best possible start in life.

Alongside the strategy launch, the event will feature an Early Years Marketplace, showcasing a range of support, data and resources available to settings and families, including work with key early years partners.

Please note: this is an advance notice only. Registration is not yet open, and places will be limited. Saving the date does not guarantee a place. Sign‑up and further details will be shared shortly.

Date: Monday 8 June 2026
Time: 10:30am – 1:30pm
Location: Birmingham (venue to be confirmed)

If you are unable to participate in this in-person session, please note that additional webinar sessions covering the same content will be scheduled in the future. Monitor this space for upcoming updates and additional information.

Please save the date and we look forward to welcoming you.

Water Safety 

An average of 82 UK citizens drown each year whilst abroad. 

With half term and then the summer holidays fast approaching, please share the following link and information with your staff and parents around water safety:

https://www.rlss.org.uk/safety-on-holiday 

Safeguarding Self-Assessment for Early Years and Childcare Settings 2026 

For the attention of all EEE providers and Out of School Clubs.

The following audit link: Safeguarding Self-Assessment for Early Years and Childcare Settings 2026 will have been emailed to you on 05 May 2026. 

Please login here: https://birmingham.onlineaudits.org.uk/login to respond to this audit and/or assign team members. 

If you cannot remember your password or if this is your first time using the system, please choose a password using the following link: 

https://birmingham.onlineaudits.org.uk/password/?id={23D7DD60-63F0-5A05-7645-591D8D9D462F} 

This audit is to be completed by settings who are registered on the Ofsted Early Years and/or Childcare Register or as part of an agreed action. 

It should be used to review, monitor and evaluate safeguarding policies and procedures and practice, to ensure the maximum effectiveness of safeguarding children in your care. 

  • When responding to each question, please provide a Yes, No or Work Required answer 
  • If you answer ‘Yes’ you will be prompted to give evidence 
  • If you answer ‘No’ or 'Work Required' the system will prompt you to give an action. This must be provided.  
  • If the question is not applicable to you, please indicate this by choosing the Work Required answer and entering NA in the action section. 
  • This audit should be completed by the settings lead DSL and in conjunction with the registered person and shared with the wider staff team. 

The date for completion is 31 July 2026. 

For any queries, please contact EYDuty@birmingham.gov.uk.  

National Year of Reading 2026 Go All In Live Event 

Join National Literacy Trust for the next Go All In Together! Event on Wednesday 20 May as part of the National Year of Reading 2026. 

Where sticks become stories: A musical journey 

Inspired by the beloved children’s book Stanley’s Stick and aimed at Early Years and KS1/P1-P3 pupils, this event will spark their imaginations and encourage them to use stories to explore the world around them.  

  • The first half begins with an active musical performance of Stanley’s Stick, accompanied by the Northern Chamber Orchestra.   
  • In the second half, children will have the chance to contribute to a special four-nation version of Stanley’s Stick, brought to life by storyteller Danyah Miller and illustrator of Stanley’s Stick, Neal Layton.  

You’ll also be able to download a brand‑new resource created to support the event and extend the activities back in setting or classroom. For participating settings and schools who complete the post-event survey, you’ll be entered into a draw for a fantastic prize, too.  

Don’t miss out on this exciting celebration of Share-a-Story-Month. Find more information and register to join on this webpage.  

School Based Nursery Phase 3 Capital Funding Programme – Awareness Raising Webinar 14th May 2026

The Department for Education has recently rolled out Phase 3 of the School Based Nursery Capital Programme.

The purpose of the programme is for schools to either increase the number of early education places for (0 to 4 year olds) in their existing early years provision or create places at a new provision based on the school site to meet an unmet gap in the local area where the school is located.

The funding will only support capital costs associated with the refurbishment or repurposing of existing space on the school site.

The webinar is aimed at all state funded schools e.g. Maintained Nursery Schools, Primary Schools and all through schools with Primary provision.

The session will cover:

  • Eligibility
  • The Sufficiency position for each of the 69 wards across the city
  • The application process
  • Sharing of links to DfE Guidance.
  • Q and A

The session will take place on Teams on Thursday 14th May 2026 – 10-00 am to 11-30

Please follow the link below to attend the session.

Join: https://teams.microsoft.com/meet/337688032383611?p=4lrJKcBMvNkwh5EfEo

Schools are asked to email Kevin.Caulfield@birmingham.gov.uk and Rebekah.Horton@birmingham.gov.uk directly to confirm whether they intend to join the webinar on 14 May 2026.

Schools that are unable to attend the webinar but are interested in applying for funding should also email to confirm their interest.

Providers & Practitioners - You’re invited to attend the Summer Early Years Consultant Cluster Surgery in a District Near You 

Bookings are now open for the in-person and online Summer Early Years Consultant Cluster Surgeries. 

Our Cluster Surgeries take place once every term and are led by your district Early Years Consultants (EYC). These sessions offer a supportive space where providers and practitioners can explore current topics linked to delivering high‑quality practice across early years and childcare. They’re also a great opportunity to connect with other professionals and providers, share experiences, and build the strong relationships that help us work together to improve outcomes for Birmingham’s children. 

Whether you are a childminder, an early years practitioner, a group setting manager, director, or an early years lead in a primary school, you are warmly invited to join us. 

Central and East Cluster Surgery: Supporting children with English as an Additional Language (EAL) in Early Years 

Central and East Cluster includes, Ladywood, Hodge Hill & Solihull North and Yardley Districts 

This term, the Central and East Cluster session will focus on supporting children with English as an Additional Language (EAL) in Early Years. Our Early Years Consultants will: 

  • Explore practical ways to support children with English as an Additional Language (EAL) 
  • Discuss inclusive practice, valuing home languages and the importance of creating language‑rich environments 
  • You will have the opportunity to share scenarios and challenges, and build confidence in supporting children with EAL and their families 

To book your place at one or more of Central and East Cluster’s Summer EYC Surgeries, please use the links below: 

Please note: In‑person spaces are limited due to venue capacity, so early booking is advised.   

South Cluster Surgery: Best Start in Life (BSiL) Family Hubs 

South Cluster includes Hall Green, Selly Oak, Northfield & Edgbaston Districts 

The session in the South Cluster will focus on Best Start in Life (BSiL) Family Hubs. Our Early Years Consultants will: 

  • Support early years providers to understand and engage with the Best Start in Life (BSiL) agenda 
  • Explore Birmingham’s local approach to BSiL and what this means in practice for nurseries and families 
  • You will hear directly from Best Start Family Hubs across the southern cluster, understand their role and the support they offer to families and settings 
  • You will also learn how providers can access, work alongside and benefit from Family Hub services 

To book your place at one or more of South Cluster’s Summer EYC Surgeries, please use the links below: 

Please note: In‑person spaces are limited due to venue capacity, so early booking is advised.   

What else is coming up for continuing professional development (CPD)? 

There are lots of free professional development opportunities available across Birmingham for early years practitioners, leaders, managers and those delivering Early Years Education and Childcare. You can view upcoming events here: 

https://www.birminghamearlyyearsnetworks.org/events  

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 and 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 and 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

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 and 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 and Childcare Works: Inclusive Practice in the Early Years 

Early Education Entitlement 

EEE Notification Form 

As per the EEE terms and conditions of funding you are required to notify us when a child stops attending and / or leaves your setting. The only time you don’t need to notify us is when they leave at their usual transition point to take up their reception class place.  

The terms and conditions of funding state: 

  1. The maximum absence of a child from a provision when claiming EEE funding is four consecutive weeks. Providers must follow their Safeguarding procedures when a funded child does not arrive for a booked session. In addition providers must follow the agreed process for reporting absent and missing children age 0-5 to the Local Authority as detailed in Section 2.94 and Appendix 2. 

  2. Providers must notify the Early Years Team promptly when a child permanently leaves, or is absent for four or more weeks. 

Please ensure that if a child leaves or stops attending that you follow your safeguarding procedures and that you complete the Early Education notification form – which can be found on Birmingham City Council’s Document Website – Early Education Entitlement » EEE Notification Form 

2 year olds: Disadvantaged and Working

For PVIs – group care and Childminders - Disadvantaged 2 year old funding application 

For Nursery Schools - Disadvantaged 2 year old funding application 

Working Code Application via HMRC 

Any child who meets the eligibility criteria for both the disadvantaged and working entitlement will be advised to claim 15 hours of each entitlement. 

  • 15 hours disadvantaged funding – with an eligible EY2 code. 
  • 15 hours of working entitlement with a valid and eligible working code. 

Providers must confirm the eligibility of both codes – working codes must have a validity start date before the start of term.   

If the parent loses their working entitlement, they can continue to claim the disadvantaged funding. 

WellComm Data Collection on EEE Portal for PVIs 

All PVI settings are required to add WellComm screening results for each child on the EEE portal as part of your headcount submission. 

For each child you will be asked 2 mandatory WellComm screening questions: 

  1. Child Wellcomm Screen Outcome 
  2. Progress since previous WellComm screen 

There are drop down options for each question that are explained in the attached guidance.  

To assist you in you in planning your WellComm screenings for the autumn term the EEE portal will open for headcount on Thursday 21st May and close on Thursday 28th May.  

If you have any questions or require any support with WellComm please contact eyduty@birmingham.gov.uk  

If you need any support with the portal please email earlyeducation@birmingham.gov.uk  

WellComm is the approved approach for Birmingham City Council and a requirement of the terms and conditions of Early Education Entitlement funding. 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.  

Collecting WellComm screening results through the EEE portal will provide child-level data for the first time, allowing more efficient tracking of progress for Birmingham children and targeting specific cohort groups for support. 

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

Introduction to WellComm training 

For the attention of EEE 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. If you are not yet using WellComm to screen your children’s speech and language, please attend one of our online training sessions. Birmingham City Council will fully fund one WellComm Toolkit for all schools, nurseries, pre-schools, and childminders registered to offer Early Education Entitlement (EEE) places. Early Years settings need to attend an ‘Introduction to WellComm’ workshop. During the workshop, you will be provided with instructions on how to receive your 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 the link next to your preferred date to book your place:

This entry was posted by Jessica Wykes on 06/05/2026.

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