GovWire

Overview

Early years stronger practice hubs will launch in November 2022. They will provide advice, share good practice, and offer evidence-based professional development for early years practitioners.

The hubs are part of the early years education recovery support package which also includes the early years experts and mentors programme.

Early years stronger practice hubs will be distributed across England, with an ambition of 2 hubs in each region (18 hubs in total).

The early years stronger practice hubs programme is supported by the Education Endowment Foundation and the National Childrens Bureau.

Who can apply

To be eligible to lead a stronger practice hub, your setting must be:

• a group-based early years setting, including:
  • school-based
  • private, voluntary or independent (PVI)
• rated good or outstanding by Ofsted
• providing pre-reception early education

Whats involved

Early years stronger practice hubs will be funded for 2 years until late 2024.

As a stronger practice hub, you will support other settings in your area to adopt evidence-based practice improvements, by:

• establishing local networks of settings to share knowledge and effective practice
• proactively sharing information and advice on evidence-based approaches - for example, through newsletters, blogs and social media
• acting as a point of contact for bespoke advice, and signposting to other funded support
• working with the Education Endowment Foundation to select evidence-based programmes to fund and make available to settings

More information about what becoming a stronger practice hub involves, and about eligibility and selection criteria, is available on the National Childrens Bureaus website.

Applications

Applications for hubs closed on 23 September 2022. Information about the successful hubs will be published in November 2022.

Contact us

Email any questions you have about the programme to the National Childrens Bureaus stronger practice hubs team at sph@ncb.org.uk.