St Edmund's Early Years Stronger Practice Hub

A range of services available to practitioners working in the Early Years in Yorkshire and The Humber.

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Support for Early Years settings in Yorkshire and The Humber

St Edmund’s Early Years Stronger Practice Hub is one of a number of Stronger Practice Hubs designated by the Department for Education (DfE) across England. Our main aim is to help pre-Reception Early Years settings adopt evidence-based practice improvements to address key Covid recovery issues, and build trusted networks for sharing effective practice. We will do this 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, events 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

Join our hub to get events and opportunities straight to your inbox.

(Please note, signing up to any events/networks from our Hub means that you are also signing up to the Hub).

 

Talk to us!

Not sure whether an offer is right for you or a staff member? Have you identified a need in your setting that you would like to discuss? Facing a challenge and don't know where to look for support?

You can request a call back from us, where you will receive guidance, advice and where relevant, be signposted to funded opportunities developed to enhance your practice. To book a call in with us, email sph@stedmundsbradford.org.uk to arrange a time that is convenient for you.

Read our latest blogs!

Read all Stronger Practice Hub news

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Ready, Set, School! Why Preparation Matters
15 Aug 2025, 09:00
Starting school is a huge step in a child’s life. According to the EYFS, the transition from nursery to Reception should support children’s emotional well-being, communication skills, and readiness for more structured routines. The Education Endowment Foundation (EEF) also highlights the importance of a “positive transition experience”, especially for children from disadvantaged backgrounds. With only a few weeks to go, what activities can you do to ensure they are ready?
READ MORE
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Stronger Practice Hubs...Here to stay!
29 Jul 2025, 09:00
Stronger Practice Hubs are here to stay and early years is being seen as a priority by the Government! Helen Rush, St Edmund's Early Years Stronger Practice Hub Lead, shares some exciting news! Stronger Practice Hubs have confirmed funding for another three years. The future for early years is looking bright, hear what Helen has to say...
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Supporting Multilingual Learners in Early Years Settings
19 Jun 2025, 09:00
Supporting MLLs effectively starts with educators. We need to feel confident and brave enough to try different ways of communicating. Read the full blog to hear Sian Hudson's experiences and guidance for practitioners working with multilingual families.
READ MORE

Communities of Practice

A Community of Practice is a space where shared learning, reflective practice, and professional growth are central. It's a space to come together to share ideas, experiences, and resources. By learning from each other, we strengthen our skills, grow our confidence, and improve outcomes for the children in our care. It’s about connecting, collaborating, and supporting one another so we can all do our best work.

We offer a variety of Communities of Practice you can join, tailored to your passions, interests, or the areas where you’d like extra support. Have a look below:

Please note, when signing up to our Communities of Practice, you are signing up to our Hub.

EARLY YEARS LEADERS AND MANAGERS

Are you the leader of a nursery or a playgroup? A leader of practice as a childminder or in an EYFS group setting? Are you looking for high-quality, evidence-informed professional development opportunities that will enhance your ability and knowledge about how young children learn? 

Join now!

Find out more

early years essentials

 

Meeting every half term, for just 45 minutes, we will share exciting playful activity ideas - with a little of bit of the "why it works well"  When you have attended all of the sessions, you will get a wonderful resource bag, worth around £100, linked with each of our themes.

Find out more

school based nurseries

The School Based Nurseries Community of Practice is a dedicated space for school-based nursery settings to connect, collaborate, and support one another.

Find out more

CHILDMINDING

This space is here for childminders to come together to share goals and challenges. Supported by Alex Leigh, a practicing childminder from Leeds.

Find out more

SEND

This SEND Community of Practice will bring together early years educators from across the sector to work supportively together, sharing the challenges and joys of working with children with SEND and their families. 

Find out more

Visitor Sessions

Our Visitor Sessions provide an opportunity for you to spend time at another setting where you will:

  • Meet with other early years educators, share ideas and be inspired by the environment and one another
  • Take a tour and find out more about the ways others work and how they use resources and spaces inside and outside
  • Ask questions and engage in professional discussions to develop your practice

Choose from a range of settings (Special School / Childminder / PVI / Nursery School / Academy School Foundation Stage) and a range of days and times - we hope we have provided something to suit everyone.

Webinars

Our webinars are designed to provide an opportunity to explore a topic, highlighted through our needs analysis, in depth. Delivered by, or in partnership with, the St Edmunds Stronger Practice Hub team, these sessions will include space to discuss and reflect on learning throughout. They will be available to re-watch, share at staff meetings, and we encourage you to use the opportunities given during the recording to pause and reflect with your team.

PAST WEBINAR RECORDINGS
Dr Elizabeth Wood presented selected findings from a research project that focused on leadership for quality improvement, drawing on the perspectives of ECE leaders in England and Australia.
A webinar focused on how to work in partnership with parents of your youngest children about oral health.

View all

Upcoming Events

Evidence Informed Professional Development Programmes

MATHS CHAMPIONS
Access free professional development for your staff with NDNA's Maths Champions, a programme which builds the knowledge of nursery practitioners to support children’s early mathematical development:
READ MORE
EMOTION COACHING
Emotion Coaching supports children and young people to better understand and manage their emotions, building resilience, well-being, and stronger relationships. We are excited to announce we have 30 fully funded places!
READ MORE

View more Evidence Informed Professional Development Programmes

sph@stedmundsbradford.org.uk

01274 494898

Early Years Stronger Practice Hub, St Edmunds Nursery School and Children’s Centre, Washington St, Bradford, BD8 9QW