Guidance

Early years stronger practice hubs

Updated 26 March 2024

Applies to England

Background

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

They are part of the early years education recovery support package, which also includes the early years experts and mentors programme.

The early years stronger practice hubs programme is supported by the Education Endowment Foundation and the National Children’s Bureau. It is funded for 2 years, until late 2024.

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:

• Nottingham Nursery School
• Flying High Academy
• Sarah Smith (childminder)
• University Hospital Day 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
• 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:

• SEND to Learn Nursery
• Cleaswell Hill School
• Bothal Primary School
• Deborah Savoy (childminder)

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
• Cargill’s Childminding (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)
• Essa Primary Academy
• Kids Start Nursery, Manchester

South East

Hub 1

Thames Valley Early Years Stronger Practice Hub

Lead setting: Blagdon Nursery School - Reading

Partners:

• Hungerford Nursery School Centre for Children and Families
• Victoria Park Nursery School and Family Hub
• Maidenhead Nursery School
• Dingley’s Promise

Hub 2

Kent Early Years Stronger Practice Hub

Lead setting: Discovery Day Nursery - Kent

Partners:

• Northfleet Nursery School
• Smarties Nursery
• Oaks Day Nursery
• 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

West Midlands

Hub 1

Heart – Midlands Early Years Stronger Practice Hub

Lead setting: Bloomsbury Nursery School - Birmingham

Partners:

• Castle Vale Nursery School
• 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
• Kiddies Playhouse
• Margaret Dixon (childminder)

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:

• Children’s Place Day Nursery, Dewsbury
• Dixons Allerton Academy
• Belinda O’Hare (childminder)
• Co-op Academy Delius

Contact

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