Stronger Practice Hub
EVENTS
All the webinars and events listed below are completely free to book
and are fully funded by the UK government.
Strong leadership in early years settings extends beyond the walls of the setting. This session focuses on building meaningful partnerships with parents and the wider community to enhance children’s learning and wellbeing. Leaders will explore strategies for engaging families in learning, co-designing experiences, and fostering trust and communication.
Through discussion and case examples, participants will reflect on challenges and successes in parent engagement, identify ways to include diverse voices, and explore how community partnerships can support equity and inclusion. The session aims to equip leaders with practical approaches to strengthen collaboration, share responsibility, and create richer learning environments for children.We look forward to seeing you on Tuesday 12th May at 3:00pm.
Are you new to the early years sector? Are you an apprentice? Our early years essentials is community of practice is especially for you.
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"
You will get to meet others doing the same role as you and share ideas.
On Friday 15th May, we will focus on navigating screen time in early years.
Reducing screen time is a persistent challenge for both settings and parents.
Join us for a concise interactive session where we will:
- Review the latest screen time guidance.
- Discuss practical ways to develop this within your own practice.
- Explore how to support families in managing digital habits at home.
This is a supportive space for EY practitioners to come together, share experiences, and discuss common challenges around SEND.
Do you work with young children?
Do you have children in your setting who need additional support?
Do you need strategies that really work to support children’s development and enable them to make progress?
Join our Specialist Learning Network led by Shannon Sulston from Co-op Academy Delius, a Special school in Bradford.
The Community of Practice will bring together Early Years educators from across our region (West and South Yorkshire) and across the sector (Childminders, PVIs, Schools).
Shannon will provide the expertise, whilst you, as like minded practitioners will support one another; sharing the challenges and successes of the journey, developing practice across settings and really making a difference to young children's lives.
During the community of practice we will be looking at the curriculum and assessment frameworks at Delius, talking through good practice and ideas for lessons and activities and how we implement continuous provision across school.
GO ALL IN' What the Year of Reading Looks Like for the Under Twos
The network is led by Caitlin Bray, the Nursery Manager at Grass Roots Day Nursery in Calderdale. (Watch Caitlin's interview on the joys and challenges working in the baby room).
This session will focus on 2026 – the Year of Reading in the UK – and explore what it means for children under two.
We’ll look at practical ways to nurture early literacy, share ideas for fun, engaging reading activities, and highlight how parents and caregivers can make reading a joyful part of everyday life from the very start.
This session will provide top tips to support your parent's when toilet training their children.
This webinar will outline current data, challenges and some solutions to address the significant increase of children arriving in reception still in nappies. We will provide some top tips for a partnership approach with parent's when toilet training children.
The session will be followed up with practical documents to support a partnership approach.
An online event for Doncaster childminders focusing on early maths. The session will cover practical ways to support children’s early mathematical development and provide resources and ideas for everyday practice.
If you would like to attend, please contact us for the meeting details: sph@stedmundsbradford.org.uk
This webinar will focus on how to work in partnership with parents of your youngest children about oral health.
Tooth Decay is at crisis point, especially in deprived areas, which is where many of us work.
Good habits are formed in the early years, and we have a significant role in supporting our familes to ensure they understand both the impact of poor oral health and their role in ensuring good oral health.
Becca Oberg will be joined by Dr Kara Gray-Burrows, Chartered Psychologist both from Leeds University School of Dentistry, to discuss your role, address barries and suggest solutions.
The main focus will be how to work in partnership with parents of your youngest children.
We will be providing a handout for you to share with your familes too!
Co-op Academy Delius is a Primary Special School offering provision to children from the age of 2 years with a range of special educational needs including Severe Learning Difficulties (SLD), Profound and Multiple Learning Difficulties (PMLD) and Autism.
During this visitor session, there will be a 30 minute brief overview of Delius' curriculum and assessment.
We will discuss the communication strategies, behaviour strategies and areas of provision that work well in our setting. We will additionally try and cater some of the session if there is a particular focus you want, and opportunities for questions.
This will follow with a tour of our EYFS classes and the rest of the school provision.
Join the afternoon session of our Early Maths Matters Conference
Our Early Maths Matters will be a practical and inspiring conference, for anyone working with the EYFS in West or South Yorkshire.
With a keynote speech from Dr Andrea Lancaster we will be exploring all things shape and space whilst reigniting passions for how we support children to develop these important early mathematical concepts.
Expect an engaging mix of expert input, real-life examples, and hands-on ideas you can take straight back to your setting.
We’ll explore how young children develop mathematical thinking through play, talk, and everyday routines, and share simple ways to make maths meaningful and fun.
It’s a great opportunity to connect with other practitioners, swap ideas, and leave feeling inspired and re-energised about early maths.
Join the evening session of our Early Maths Matters Conference
Our Early Maths Matters will be a practical and inspiring conference, for anyone working with the EYFS in West or South Yorkshire.
With a keynote speech from Dr Andrea Lancaster we will be exploring all things shape and space whilst reigniting passions for how we support children to develop these important early mathematical concepts.
Expect an engaging mix of expert input, real-life examples, and hands-on ideas you can take straight back to your setting.
We’ll explore how young children develop mathematical thinking through play, talk, and everyday routines, and share simple ways to make maths meaningful and fun.
It’s a great opportunity to connect with other practitioners, swap ideas, and leave feeling inspired and re-energised about early maths.
A complimentary buffet dinner will be provided, along with tea and coffee.
With screen use rising among under-5s, we will explore how to support families to build healthier habits through active play-based learning
With screen use rising rapidly among under-fives, this webinar explores how to support your families to build healthier habits through active, play-based learning.
Early years staff are uniquely placed to model screen-free routines and inspire meaningful play that supports communication, physical development, and emotional wellbeing.
Becca Oberg, Director of the Institure for the Early Years, will share key evidence, explore the risks of excessive screen time, and offer practical, creative strategies to use in settings and at home. Leave equipped to champion screen-free play and engage families in building positive habits from the very start.
Designing the Sensory Landscape: Practical Opportunities for Every Setting
The Community of Practice is led by Caitlin Bray, the Nursery Manager at Grass Roots Day Nursery in Calderdale. (Watch Caitlin's interview on the joys and challenges working in the baby room).
This session will discover simple, practical ways to create engaging, inclusive sensory environments for children.
Perfect for educators, early years practitioners, and parents who want to make every setting a space where children can explore, learn, and thrive.
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Train to help children understand the emotions they experience, why they occur, and how to manage them. |
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The core programme is delivered online over two Saturdays to accommodate your busy weekday schedules, followed by two 90-minute evening "check-in" sessions.
Places are limited and will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis. |
Dixons Allerton Academy are opening their doors to share their practice. As well as having the opportunity to explore their environment, they will focus their discussions around the process of project learning with the Reggio approach. Hear more about the projects they have undertaken this year and speak to their staff.
We’d love to welcome you to Dixons Allerton Academy for a visit focused on project learning through the Reggio approach.
Together, we’ll explore some of the projects we’ve been working on this year, with time to chat with our team about how these ideas developed and what supported them along the way.
You’ll also have the chance to look around our setting and see how we use space and materials to spark curiosity and support meaningful learning.
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Meaninngful learning through connecton, collaboration and communication. |
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It's an in-person one-day training taking place at the Village Hotel Leeds South on Saturday, 11 July | 9:30 am – 3 pm. The training is followed by an online follow-up session, and all participants commit to completing a case study with the children in their setting. |
Two-Way Street: Building Powerful Family Partnerships Through Inclusive Communication
The Community of Practice is led by Caitlin Bray, the Nursery Manager at Grass Roots Day Nursery in Calderdale. (Watch Caitlin's interview on the joys and challenges working in the baby room).
We'll explore how to create strong, collaborative relationships with families through clear, inclusive, and empowering communication.
The session will cover practical strategies for two-way dialogue, building trust, respecting diversity, involving families in decision-making, and addressing challenges constructively, with tips and tools you can use in everyday interactions to support children’s learning and wellbeing.
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