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EYSH SDG 10 | ENSFC В гармонии UNESCO SDG 10 LINK SDG 10 Sustainable Development Goals. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 Home | Climate Action Strategy | Case Studies | Curriculum Resources | Blog and Video Logs

EYSH SDG 9 | ENSFC В гармонии UNESCO SDG 9 LINK SDG 9 Sustainable Development Goals. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 Home | Climate Action Strategy | Case Studies | Curriculum Resources | Blog and Video Logs

Climate action planning В гармонии Climate action Dfe Strategy Climate Action Planning 1. GETTING STARTED 2. Blank Climate action planning template 3. An example of an action plan using the 3 pillars of sustainability 4. An example of an action plan using place based alearning approach Climate Action Training 1. CAP from audit exemplar 1 column logo 2. CAP from audit exemplar 1 columns blank 3. CAP from audit exemplar 3 columns 4. CAP from audit exemplar blank 3 columns 5. Climate Action Plan Audit 2026 Home | Climate Action Strategy | Case Studies | Curriculum Resources | Blog and Video Logs

EYSH SDG 7 | ENSFC В гармонии UNESCO SDG 7 LINK SDG 7 Sustainable Development Goals. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 Home | Climate Action Strategy | Case Studies | Curriculum Resources | Blog and Video Logs

EYSH SDG 5 | ENSFC В гармонии UNESCO SDG 5 LINK SDG 5 Sustainable Development Goals. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 Home | Climate Action Strategy | Case Studies | Curriculum Resources | Blog and Video Logs

Liverpool City Region and Beyond Early Years Stronger Practice Hub Hub Home Events Newsletters Blogs Programmes Documents Subscribe Childminders Recruitment NELI Preschool Craig Bolton, Headteacher at East Prescot Road Nursery School, Liverpool, introduces the NELI Preschool programme. East Prescot Road Nursery School is a partner of the Stronger Practice Hub. What is NELI Preschool? The Nuffield Early Language Intervention for Nursery (NELI Preschool) combines elements of two successful existing interventions: NELI-R and Parent and Children Together (PACT). NELI Preschool is an enrichment programme, delivered to the whole class, with additional targeted support for children with weaker oral language. The programme is designed for 3 and 4 year olds and runs over 20 weeks. It involves scripted interventions, focusing on dialogic reading, teaching vocabulary, listening and narrative skills. In Reception year, the NELI-R programme follows on and develops children’s phonological awareness and letter sound knowledge. Reading is at the heart of NELI Preschool. The programme is crafted around 20 high-quality, engaging books, including traditional tales, non-fiction and fiction. Ideas are often expanded into language-rich and engaging continuous provision and can become a solid basis for a book-focused sequenced and progressive curriculum. Why did we adopt NELI Preschool? Our school’s top priority had been improving children’s outcomes in communication and language. This became even more pressing following the Covid pandemic. We had devised a strategy for professional development to improve practitioner expertise within the language-rich learning environment. We had already adopted a range of interventions and approaches to assess and support our children’s listening and attention, comprehension and speaking skills. We wanted to build upon our existing approach and to further develop our curriculum to incorporate books and the direct teaching of new vocabulary. The NELI Preschool programme was the ideal complement to our existing provision and offered opportunities for professional development for the whole staff team. The power of NELI Preschool is that it is a whole-school intervention, a universal model. All children explore the same high-quality text, learn the same new words and their meanings and engage in the same learning activities that deepen their conceptual understanding. How does NELI Preschool work? Our whole staff team were very well supported in our preparation phase. We received handbooks, resources, flashcards, training and mentor support. Children were then assessed through an app called ‘Language Screen’, which identifies children needing most support with their language skills. This informs the groupings of children who will receive further support in small groups 3 times per week, and those who will benefit from short individual sessions. There are three elements of the programme: whole-class sessions delivered by a trained practitioner five times a week; targeted intervention in small groups for children with the weakest language skills and weekly individual sessions as a further opportunity to revisit learning. The NELI Preschool structure operates over a five-day cycle, in daily 15-20 minute sessions. The first day involves sharing the book of the week with the whole class. The remaining four days focus on a ‘Special Word’ from the shared text, with interactive learning activities designed to explore the new word and linked concepts in greater detail. The programme is supported by digital resources for the Interactive Whiteboard and scripted handbooks to support the delivery of the sessions. The Education Endowment Foundation (EEF) is funding a project to further understand delivery of the programme in PVI settings, with interested settings able to register now to take part. In addition, EEF in collaboration with the Department for Education’s Stronger Practice Hubs, are exploring funding a larger trial in 2024 with both state-maintained and PVI settings. What to do if you would like more information about NELI Preschool, or supporting the language and literacy development of children in your setting If you would like to develop your skills or further your knowledge in early language or literacy development for children in your setting, why not explore: The support available through your local Early Years Stronger Practice Hub, which is detailed here . The EEF Evidence Store gives accessible evidence-based information on approaches that practitioners can use when supporting communication and language development, and early literacy . The NELI website can be accessed here. Strategic Partners Stronger Practice Hub Privacy Notice

Liverpool City Region and Beyond Early Years Stronger Practice Hub Hub Home Events Newsletters Blogs Programmes Documents Subscribe Childminders Recruitment ENGAGING GROWTH WITH ‘THE GARDEN CLASSROOM’ By Tracie Dowling My name is Tracie Dowling, I have worked in childcare for over 30 years. I’m an OFSTED Registered Childminder, Mentor for the Department of Education , Northwest Childminder Representative and Childminding Network Co-ordinator, PEEP Facilitator and Childminder Employer based in Liverpool. I employ an amazing assistant, Debbie and together we care for eight children under the age of five years. Throughout my career as a Registered Childminder, I have incorporated holistic learning into my practices. Over the years this has evolved, and I refer to my way of teaching as ‘The Garden Classroom’ which you can read about on my blog . Although this way of learning is primarily outdoors, the learning is year-long and therefore I have created ways of learning no matter the season. The Garden Classroom practices always incorporate the three prime areas of the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) and the Characteristics of Effective Teaching and Learning. Read on to learn how I weave these key components into outdoor play. OUTDOOR LEARNING The Garden Classroom is a space where children can learn and grow, connecting to nature and the world around them. Outdoor exploration not only connects toddlers and babies with the seasons and everchanging weather, but also promotes physical activity, a sense of wonder, and an appreciation for the natural environment. Providing gardening activities for my children has proven to be great way to engage them with hands-on learning, including growing food from seed to plate, food sensory education , pond-dipping and lifecycles, and practicing sustainability through composting and recycling. The children learn vital skills such as adaptability and resilience by witnessing their environment going through the cycles. This helps them understand the concept of change and builds resilience in the face of transitions. In one area of our garden, we have a pet cemetery. Here, we have buried our family pets and other creatures who have come and gone. This space allows us to teach the children about the life-death cycle and accept change. Similarly, every year we experience frogspawn, giving us the opportunity to learn about birth and growth as we watch their little tails shrink and their legs grow. To support the children’s cognitive skills, we provide activities to observe and understand nature through investigation. The children’s favourite activities at the moment are pond dipping and growing and harvesting flowers, fruit, and vegetables. Some of the learning objectives within these activities are linked to lifecycles, categorising, comparison and pattern recognition in nature. Supporting the children to experience the wonders of changing seasons has a positive effect on their emotional well-being, mine, and Debbie’s too! The children take naps outside and participate in meditation while the birds are singing away. These activities provide opportunities for relaxation and promote a sense of calm and happiness. It is proven that spending time in nature has mental health benefits as well as emotional and physical benefits . SEASONAL LEARNING Every season and even every different day outdoors, brings a new set of sensory stimulation by exploring the sights, textures, aromas, even the noises of the natural world. The experiences are endless. The children love finding the strawberries and munching away, and there is no better taste than a sun-ripened cherry tomato, if they leave me any! Unfolding the characteristics of seasonal vocabulary during our activities also contributes to early language and provides children with the skills to articulate their observations and experiences. Whether its playing in the muddy puddles, counting the frogs or learning to sow seeds, the language opportunities are endless. The seasons are also a lovely way to promote cultural celebrations and traditions. We love the harvest festival where we like to gather our produce and share with our families, or Diwali where we cover the garden with lights and have a magical Diwali feast. There are many ways to weave cultural traditions into your very own Garden Classroom. “Lovely to watch her be so interested in how it grows. How she cares for it, and that she’s happy with the end result, we’ve even started growing our own strawberries and sunflowers at home” – Elsie’s Mum. By incorporating a Garden Classroom into your setting, your children can foster environmental awareness, develop a sense of responsibility and appreciation of the natural world, which in turn lays the groundwork for their future environmental consciousness. Seasonal changes spark natural curiosity and wonder within the children, giving them the opportunity for questioning and exploration, cultivating a mindset of inquiry and lifelong learning. The Education Endowment Foundation (EEF) The Early Years Toolkit brings together the best available evidence on key areas of learning and development. It can support all childminders when making decisions on how to improve learning outcomes. Physical development approaches | EEF educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk) Other research Useful resource: Garden activities for September :: The Garden Classroom - NurtureStore The Edible Garden – Alys Fowler (book and BBC Series 2010) Strategic Partners Stronger Practice Hub Privacy Notice

EYSH SDG 2 | ENSFC В гармонии UNESCO SDG 2 LINK SDG 2 Sustainable Development Goals. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 Home | Climate Action Strategy | Case Studies | Curriculum Resources | Blog and Video Logs

Liverpool City Region and Beyond Early Years Stronger Practice Hub Hub Home Events Newsletters Blogs Programmes Documents Subscribe Childminders Recruitment Our aim as an Early Years Stronger Practice Hub will be to share communication and language and literacy programmes initially. Please keep checking back as we aim to provide recorded and live webinars and face to face drop in's and twilights regarding the programmes we will offer. In the meantime look at the programmes on offer through the Department for Education (DfE): https://help-for-early-years-providers.education.gov.uk/ New Maths Champions 2025 Strategic Partners Stronger Practice Hub Privacy Notice

EYSH SDG 8 | ENSFC В гармонии UNESCO SDG 8 LINK SDG 8 Sustainable Development Goals. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 Home | Climate Action Strategy | Case Studies | Curriculum Resources | Blog and Video Logs

Liverpool City Region and Beyond Early Years Stronger Practice Hub Hub Home Events Newsletters Blogs Programmes Documents Subscribe Childminders Recruitment Anchor 1 Anchor 2 Mathematics WEBINARS We are running these webinars on the following dates, all at 10-11am: Intro to Physical Development - Wednesday 11th March Play Conference Tuesday 17th March 2026, 9.45am – 2.15pm At the Everton Nursery School and Family Centre Spencer Street, Liverpool, L6 2WF This conference will provide opportunities to engage in dialogue and reflect on play, exploring shared meanings, knowledge, and insights about children and the possibilities created through play. Food growing and Sustainability – improving our skills in order to ensure best practice in implementing the New EYFS Nutritional guidance. Wednesday 18th March 6.30-8p.m. with Lil Newton (Early Years Consultant and previous Nursery Headteacher) online on Zoom Workplace. A lack of nutritious food affects a child’s physical health, emotional well-being as well as cognitive and social development A recent report from the Food Foundation (October 2025) found that 1 in 4 children in Britain are living in food poverty. This webinar will look at the requirements of the new EYFS nutritional guidance, current health research, soil and nutrient density. Lil will give many practical tips and ideas about how food growing and sustainability can enrich our curriculum, develop vocabulary, thinking skills, resilience and problem solving and support every child’s health and well being. Email: SpHubNW@evertoncentre.liverpool.sch.uk to book a place. Beach school session first session theory Wednesday 13th May 1-4p.m. Beach school practical Wednesday 10th June 1-4p.m. at Everton Nursery School and Family Centre, Spencer Street, Liverpool 6 2WF Please email SpHubNW@evertoncentre.liverpool.sch.uk to book a place. Forest school first session theory Wednesday 20th May 1-4p.m. Forest school practical Wednesday 17th June 1-4p.m. at Everton Nursery School and Family Centre, Spencer Street, Liverpool 6 2WF Please email SpHubNW@evertoncentre.liverpool.sch.uk to book a place. All CPD sessions are open to all Early Years practitioners in the Liverpool City Region and Beyond Stronger Practice Hub 10 Local Authorities. To book on to any CPD session live or recorded email: SpHubNW@evertocentre.liverpool.sch.uk LEARNING WALKS If you wish to offer your setting for a learning walk to share practice especially linked to research in communication or early mathematics, let us know via email on sphubnw@evertoncentre.liverpool.sch.uk RECORDED SESSIONS We have a number of recorded sessions online for staff training: EARLY WRITING 25 minutes with Laura Johnson, Early Years Teacher from Duke Street Nursery School, Chorley. SELF REGULATION AND EXECUTIVE FUNCTION 25 minutes with Emma Doran, Early Years Co-ordinator from Whitefield Primary School, Liverpool CELEBRATING DIVERSITY, PROMOTING INCLUSION, AND ANTI-RACIST CULTURES IN THE EARLY YEARS 25 minutes with Sian Phillips - Anti-Racism Advocate/Researcher/Consultant. MAXIMISING THE IMPACT OF PUPIL PREMIUM IN THE EARLY YEARS 20 minutes with Kaya Doyle, Programme Manager. INSET SESSION 1 TEACHING AND MODELLING LANGUAGE: 30 minutes with Alex Gower-Jones (Independent Consultant). This has an accompany written sheet of activities to support this recorded Inset session. INSET SESSION 2 TEACHING AND MODELLING VOCABULARY: 30 minutes with Alex Gower-Jones (Independent Consultant). This has an accompany written sheet of activities to support this recorded Inset session. INSET SESSION 1 EARLY LITERACY – TEACHING SOUND DISCRIMINATION 30 minutes with Alex Gower-Jones (Independent Consultant). INSET SESSION 2 EARLY LITERACY – TEACHING SOUND MANIPULATION 30 minutes with Alex Gower-Jones (Independent Consultant). INTERACTIVE READING CONFERENCE: Conference from 29th March on Interactive Reading re 1 hour, 30 minutes with Alex Gower-Jones (Independent Consultant). 17 SUSTAINABLE GOALS: Conference from Saturday 22nd March on the 17 Sustainable Development Goals – An Introduction re 2 hours with Diane Boyd. WORKING WITH 0-3’s: An introduction to working with children 0-3 years by Amanda Quirk (Early Years Advisory Teacher). SENSORY FUN Tiny Happy People sensory fun for babies indoors and outdoors with low cost/no cost activities shared by Denise Wright (Independent Consultant). The webinar shows educators how they can inspire parents to undertake sensory activities at home to support their child’s learning and development through play. INTERACTIVE READING online recorded session by Alex Gower-Jones (Independent Consultant) explores how early years educators can explore interactive reading in their practice. SKILLS BEFORE WRITING online recorded session by Amanda Quirk (Early Years Advisory Teacher) has put together an online programme for early years educators exploring skills before early writing. EMOTIONAL REGULATION online recorded session by Maria Beale (SENDCO) and Emma Doran (Early Years Co-ordinator) from Whitefield Primary School, Liverpool. Maria and Emma share how they have worked with children in the early years and their families exploring emotional regulation. NURSERY RHYMES online recorded session by Faye Johnson, Assistant Headteacher from Everton Nursery School and Family Centre has put together a session on exploring Nursery Rhymes with young children. COMMUNICATION AND LANGUAGE online recorded session by Amanda Quirk, (Early Years Advisory Teacher) has put together an online programme for early years educators exploring communication and language. OAP (ORDINARY AVAILABLE PROVISION) – Amanda Quirk, (Early Years Advisory Teacher) has put together a recording on OAP (Ordinary Available Provision) in early years. USING MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS - Craig and Pip from East Prescot Nursery School, Liverpool have developed an online recording on how to use a range of musical instruments. Childminders across our Hub have the opportunity to borrow a musical instruments bag but many early years educators will have these musical instruments in their provision. MATHEMATICS RECORDED ONLINE – Rebecca Morgan (Nursery Teacher) from Everton Nursery School and Family Centre has recorded a practical session online to share with colleagues to explore mathematics with under fives. EARLY EMOTIONS RECORDED ONLINE Kaya Doyle (Programme Manager) shares an introduction to early emotional health, the issues children face and links to socio-economic backgrounds. If you would like to access to any of the recorded training sessions, email sphubnw@evertoncentre.liverpool.sch.uk Don’t forget to access information from our National Stronger Practice website: https://www.strongerpracticehubs.org.uk/hubs/nw/liverpool-city-region-and-beyond-eysph Strategic Partners Stronger Practice Hub Privacy Notice

Liverpool City Region and Beyond Early Years Stronger Practice Hub Hub Home Events Newsletters Blogs Programmes Documents Subscribe Childminders Recruitment Sharing gifted resource bags Kendal Childminding Network Sharing how resource bags gifted by Liverpool City Region and Beyond Stronger Practice Hub have made an impact to a childminder network. How did you use the resource bag? Thank you so much for the resource box that Tracie (Strategic Childminder Support Lead) brought to our Network Drop in at Beck Community Centre in Kendal. We used the ‘Owl Babie’s’ story sack within the drop in while Tracie was with us. The children absolutely loved the story and used the fabulous puppets. We extended the activity by playing ‘sleeping owls’ then flying around and swooping down to picking up toys to put them away for tidy up time. Please share further information on how the resource bag supported your setting and how the resource bag may inspire or support other childminders? Every week each childminder will take home a different resource bag to share with their minded children and then swap the following week. They will also take it in turns to use a bag within the drop in, for the activity and swap ideas to extend activities within the bags. What impact did this resource bag have on the learning of the children in your setting? The children and childminders absolutely enjoyed using the story sack. Everyone joined in, got excited, had fun and laughed all the way through the story. They learnt all about why babies get upset when their mummy leaves them. It promoted discussion about emotions including how they felt that morning being dropped off at their childminders. The children talked about cuddling their childminders for reassurance and how they felt safe. Some of the children cuddled each other, others cuddled the owls. The children pretended to be sleeping baby owls, when woken they flew around swooping and diving down, before going back to sleep to do the actions again. After the session the children all helped to put the contents back into the bag ready for next time. Strategic Partners Stronger Practice Hub Privacy Notice