Early Years Alliance

17/06/2026

⭐Alliance annual conference 2026: Starting strong⭐

At this year's conference, we're celebrating early years educators and the positive impact they have on children and families through high-quality care, education and support.

We asked you for examples of educators going above and beyond in their early years settings. Below is a sneak peek at one of the responses...

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Want to join this year's Alliance virtual annual conference?

Taking place on Thursday 25 June from 6.15pm, it's FREE for members and their teams and just £15 for non-members.

Find out more and book your ticket today! https://bit.ly/4brK1FV

17/06/2026

"In early childhood education and care (ECEC) settings across the world, staff are greeted each morning with hugs, smiles, laughter and occasionally some tears. Nearly universally, they are admired by children and appreciated by parents. Yet, despite this near daily affirmation of their importance, many ECEC staff believe they are not valued by society. This lack of recognition is a threat to the sector’s long-term vitality."

In this blog post, Andreas Schleicher, director for education and skills at the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) examines the evidence on how early educators across different countries are valued and treated, and what impact this is likely to have on provision in the long term.

We're delighted to have Andreas joining us as a keynote speaker at next week's Alliance annual conference, which is taking place online from 6.15pm on Thursday 25 June, and is free for Alliance members and their entire teams (and just £15 for non-members).

Not yet secured your ticket? There's still time! Book today: https://bit.ly/4brK1FV

Read Andreas' blog post here: https://bit.ly/4vSD1Jx

16/06/2026

We're delighted to have Wendy Ratcliff, principal officer, early education and Kat Lakes, quality and practice lead, early education, representing Ofsted at our second 'Building Belonging' Connect Roadshow which is taking place on Thursday 15 October in Manchester.

They will be speaking alongside Alliance experts Richard Knight and Sharon Hill, Alliance CEO Neil Leitch and Professor Samantha J Johnson.

The event will also once again include the following fantastic workshops:

⭐ Supporting multilingual children and families - getting it right from the start (Louise Campbell White, Alliance early years development officer)

⭐Unique families – understanding diverse needs (Alison Heseltine, Alliance early years development manager)

⭐Open doors, open minds – building inclusive teams and environments (Ruth Richardson, Alliance early years development manager and Stella Freebody, Alliance early years development officer)

⭐Beyond pink and blue – rethinking gender in the early years (Richard Knight Alliance children's services manager)

With our London Roadshow earlier this year a sell-out event, don't miss your chance to secure your Manchester tickets.

Visit https://bit.ly/3Oxm7Ai to buy yours today!

16/06/2026

The Sutton Trust is running a free webinar at 4pm-5pm on Thursday 18 June on the findings of its recent report, Room to Grow, which warns that the government's school-based nursery scheme is failing to reach the most disadvantaged areas.

Published in partnership with the Social Market Foundation, the report also found that the the majority (70%) of schools remain reluctant to set up on-site early years provision if they don’t already have one.

The webinar will focus on best practice, findings and recommendations from the report and explore the policy overall, including the importance of the relationships between schools and private and voluntary early years settings.

To register for the webinar visit: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_xRGu9gkETwG4jKuLoKky6w

You can read the Room to Grow report here: https://www.suttontrust.com/our-research/room-to-grow/

A deep dive into the value and impact of school-based nurseries.

16/06/2026

⭐Alliance members! Claim your free comprehensive guide to the new Ofsted changes ⭐

Following the publication of updated Ofsted guidance on early years inspections, which will come into effect on September 2026, we have put together a comprehensive guide detailing what has changed in each of the following documents:

- Early years inspection toolkit: what inspectors and early years providers use to discuss the quality of provision on inspection

- Early years inspection operating guide: a step-by-step guide for inspectors on how to inspect a registered early years setting information

- About early years inspections: general information about Ofsted inspections of registered early years settings

The key updates reflect upcoming changes to the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) Framework to strengthen safeguarding, including updated safer sleep guidance.

Simply confirm your email address here and you will be sent a link to the free member guide: https://bit.ly/3QLTDnk

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Not yet an Alliance member? Join today at https://bit.ly/46iMgXb or fill out our 10-second form bit.ly/EYA10form to find out more about the benefits of membership and how to join.

16/06/2026

Could you be the face of a new campaign to raise the status of the early years workforce in England?

As a founding member of the Early Education and Childcare Coalition, we're proudly supporting their upcoming campaign to raise the status of those working in the early years.

As part of this, the Coalition are looking to recruit 50 volunteer early educators from across the country who are happy to share a selfie of themselves to feature in a campaign that will travel across Westminster, political party conferences and the internet.

To find out more or register your interest, please contact [email protected]. If you would like to find out more about the Coalition's work, please visit

Building The Early Education Workforce in EnglandBuilding The Early Education Workforce in England is our collaborative research and advocacy programme aimed at improving the pay, conditions and status of people working in early education in England. A key objective of this programme is to help shap...

15/06/2026

** Ofsted inspection guidance **

Ofsted has published updated guidance on how registered early years settings in England should be inspected under the renewed education inspection framework from September 2026, in line with planned changes to the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) Framework.

Alliance members: we have summarised the key information in an EY Instant Update which will be arriving in your inboxes shortly.

Not yet an Alliance member? Join today at https://bit.ly/46iMgXb or fill out our 10-second form bit.ly/EYA10form to find out more about the benefits of membership and how to join.

15/06/2026

⭐Alliance annual conference 2026: Starting strong⭐

At this year's conference, we'll be celebrating early years educators and the impact they have on children and families through high-quality care, education and support.

We asked you for examples of educators going above and beyond in their early years settings. Here's a sneak peek at one of the responses...

-

Want to join this year's Alliance virtual annual conference?

Taking place on Thursday 25 June from 6.15pm, it's FREE for members and their teams and just £15 for non-members. See the full event line-up and book your ticket now: https://bit.ly/4brK1FV

13/06/2026

Want to join this year's Alliance virtual annual conference?

Taking place on Thursday 25 June from 6.15pm, it's FREE for members and their teams and just £15 for non-members.

See the full event line-up and book your ticket now: https://bit.ly/4brK1FV

At this year's conference, we'll be recognising how educators empower children and families through high-quality care, education and support.

We asked you for examples of early years educators going above and beyond in their early years settings. Here's a sneak peek at one of the responses...

11/06/2026

Did you know that only around a third of children aged 8 to 18 years old say they enjoy reading in their free time, while just a fifth read daily in their free time?

We know building a love of stories in the early years plays a vital role in helping children to develop a lifelong passion for reading.

That’s why, as part of the National Year of Reading, this year’s Alliance National Week of Play, which will run from Monday 29 June to Sunday 5 July, is all about celebrating the power of storytelling.

Through a range of free resources, blogs and virtual events for both early years providers and families, we’ll explore the wonderful ways that books and stories can help feed children’s imaginations and prime them for play.

Not yet signed up to receive our FREE resource pack for providers and families? Visit https://bit.ly/43ylqdR and register today!