Mini INSET Session: Sleep and Rest
In this staff meeting template, explore sleep and rest in your setting through four practical activities, including the different types of rest, the updated EYFS safer sleep requirements alongside The Lullaby Trust’s guidance, and seeing sleep through the child’s eyes. Designed to fit into 45 minutes, it supports your team to reflect on current practice, build a shared understanding of safe sleep checks and agree one clear action to take forward.
Story Time Isn’t Just Reading… It’s Connection, Safety and Healing by Gwyneth Keen
In this blog post, early childhood professional Gwyneth Keen explores how something as familiar as story time can create opportunities for connection, emotional safety and belonging. She reflects on sensitive, responsive interactions, making space for the different ways children listen and participate, and why returning to the same story can bring comfort, understanding and reassurance.
Recruiting Now: Early Years Maths Learning Lead
Advance Your Career and Shape Early Years Maths Are you an experienced Early Years Leader or Setting Manager with a passion for maths? The Bristol & Beyond Early Years Stronger Practice Hub, covering the north of the SW region, is recruiting an Early Years Maths...
A Phonics for Mathematics? by Robin Taylor
In this blog post by Robin Taylor, Associate Head of St Pauls Nursery School and Specialist Leader in Early Mathematics, he explores what really underpins children’s mathematical development. Drawing on research from the Centre for Early Mathematics Learning and the Erikson Early Math Collaborative, Robin unpicks the foundational concepts, spatial reasoning and mathematical language that help children learn to count, and asks what a rich, playful “palette of provision” looks like in practice.
Mini INSET Session: Black History Month
In this staff meeting template, explore how to plan and celebrate Black History Month meaningfully through three practical activities, including reflection on your current approach, worked examples and Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s TED Talk on the danger of a single story. Designed to fit into 1 to 2 hours, it supports your team to move beyond tokenism and consider what will remain in your everyday practice once October is over.
The Right to Belong: Embedding Inclusion into PSED by Simone Barnes
In this blog post, Simone Barnes explores why belonging sits at the heart of personal, social and emotional development. She looks at representation in the early years workforce and in children’s books, and shares team reflection questions to help settings tell every child: you belong here.
Launching Bristol & Beyond SPH’s 2026-2027 CPD Programme
The Bristol & Beyond Stronger Practice Hub is delighted to launch our 2026 to 2027 programme of fully funded professional development. Almost 100 activities across 12 subject areas, running from September through to August, are now open for booking, and the new brochure is ready to download.
Stronger Practice Hubs Joint Summer CPD Offer 2026
Stronger Practice Hubs from across England have pooled their summer offer into one programme. More than twenty fully-funded online sessions running from late July to the end of August, covering babies, communication and language, maths, SEND, nutrition, leadership and childminding. Open to all early years practitioners and childminders.
Subscribe to our Bristol Early Years Teaching Hub Mailing List
Sign-up to receive news from Bristol Early Years Teaching Hub by email, including upcoming courses and events, links to additional resources, and more!
