Guidance

Early years stronger practice hubs

Updated 6 June 2025

Applies to England

Background

Early years stronger practice hubs provide advice, share good practice and offer evidence-based professional development for early years practitioners.

The early years stronger practice hubs programme launched in November 2022 as part of the early years education recovery support package. It is funded until late March 2025.

The Education Endowment Foundation and the National Children’s Bureau support the programme.

More information, along with our privacy notice for the programme, is available on the National Children’s Bureau website.

What the hubs do

Hubs support other nurseries and childminders in their area to adopt evidence-based practice improvements by:

• establishing local networks of early years educators to share knowledge and effective practice
• sharing information and advice on evidence-based approaches – for example, through newsletters, blogs and social media
• acting as a point of contact for bespoke advice
• signposting to other funded support
• working with the Education Endowment Foundation to select evidence-based programmes to fund and make available to nurseries and childminders

Hub locations

There are 18 hubs in total – 2 in each of the 9 government office regions across England. Each hub consists of a lead setting and up to 4 partners.

East Midlands

Hub 1

Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire Early Years Stronger Practice Hub

Lead setting: Alfreton Nursery School, Derbyshire

Partners:

• Flying High Academy
• Sarah Smith (childminder)
• Little Explorers Nursery

Hub 2

East Midlands Early Years Stronger Practice Hub

Lead setting: Pen Green Centre, Northamptonshire

Partners:

• Kingswood Community Nursery
• Leona Smith (childminder)
• Charnwood Nursery and Pre-school
• Pen Green Centre (0-3 provision)

East of England

Hub 1

REACHout Early Years Stronger Practice Hub, East of England

Lead setting: The Barn Nursery School, Essex

Partners:

• Kim Barnetson – Kim’s Kids Childminder
• Ludwick Nursery School

Hub 2

East of England Early Years Stronger Practice Hub

Lead setting: Highfield Nursery School, Suffolk

Partners:

• Early Years @ Highfield
• Early Years @ Highfield – Whitehouse
• Oaks Primary School
• Wigwams Nursery

London

Hub 1

London South Early Years Stronger Practice Hub

Lead setting: Charles Dickens Primary and Nursery School, Southwark

Partners:

• Coin Street Neighbourhood Centre
• Annette Kingsley-Scott (childminder)
• Lambeth Nurseries Federation: Triangle Nursery

Hub 2

Brighter Start: East London’s Early Years Stronger Practice Hub

Lead setting: Sheringham Nursery School and Children’s Centre, Newham

Partners:

• St Barnabas Pre-school
• Honey’s Childcare

North East

Hub 1

The Great North Early Years Stronger Practice Hub

Lead setting: Haltwhistle Primary Academy, Northumberland

Partners:

• Cleaswell Hill School
• Bothal Primary School
• Goosehill Nursery

Hub 2

Northern Lights Early Years Stronger Practice Hub

Lead setting: Benedict Biscop CE Academy (Northern Lights Learning Trust), Sunderland

Partners:

• Sunningdale Special School
• Houghton Community Nursery School
• Linthorpe Primary School
• Claire Ramsden (childminder)

North West

Hub 1

Liverpool City Region and Beyond Early Years Stronger Practice Hub

Lead setting: Everton Nursery School and Family Centre, Liverpool

Partners:

• East Prescot Nursery School
• Tracie’s Treasures (childminder)
• Kids Planet Fazakerley
• Evelyn Street Primary Academy and Nursery

Hub 2

Bright Futures North West Early Years Stronger Practice Hub

Lead setting: Lime Tree Primary Academy (Bright Futures Educational Trust), Trafford

Partners:

• Wellfield Infant and Nursery School
• Stanley Grove Primary Academy (Bright Futures Educational Trust)
• Kids Start Nursery, Manchester
• Linda Bedson (childminder)

South East

Hub 1

Thames Valley Early Years Stronger Practice Hub

Lead setting: Blagdon Nursery School, Reading

Partners:

• Victoria Park Nursery School and Family Hub
• Maidenhead Nursery School
• Dingley’s Promise, Reading
• Paula-Jane Wylie (childminder)

Hub 2

Kent and Beyond Early Years Stronger Practice Hub

Lead setting: Northfleet Nursery School, Kent

Partner:

• Gemma Maclachlan (childminder)

South West

Hub 1

Bristol and Beyond Early Years Stronger Practice Hub

Lead setting: St Paul’s Nursery School and Children’s Centre, Bristol

Partners:

• Redcliffe Nursery School
• Archfield House Nursery and Pre-school
• Millie’s Garden (childminder)
• Springboard Opportunity Group, Clevedon

Hub 2

Early Years South West Stronger Practice Hub

Lead setting: Plym Bridge Nursery School and Day Care, Plymouth

Partners:

• Ham Drive Nursery School and Day Care
• The Cabin
• Willoughbee Childminding

West Midlands

Hub 1

Heart – Midlands Early Years Stronger Practice Hub

Lead setting: Bloomsbury Nursery School, Birmingham

Partners:

• Weoley Castle Nursery School
• Norton Hall Children and Family Centre
• Claire Fitzgerald (childminder)

Hub 2

Thrive Together Early Years Stronger Practice Hub

Lead setting: Ryders Hayes School (Ryders Hayes Academy Trust), Walsall

Partners:

• Fullbrook Maintained Nursery School
• Abu Bakr Day Nursery
• Margaret Dixon (childminder)
• Shine Nursery

Yorkshire and the Humber

Hub 1

Yorkshire and Humber Together Early Years Stronger Practice Hub

Lead setting: Childhaven Community Nursery School, North Yorkshire

Partners:

• Green Hedges Day Nursery
• St Paul’s Nursery School
• Muddy Boots Nursery
• Claire’s Little Farmers

Hub 2

St Edmund’s Early Years Stronger Practice Hub

Lead setting: St Edmund’s Nursery School, Bradford

Partners:

• Grassroots Day Nursery
• Dixons Allerton Academy
• Alex Leigh (childminder)
• Co-op Academy Delius

Contact

Email the National Children’s Bureau’s stronger practice hubs team at sph@ncb.org.uk.