Guidance

Reception improvement offer

Published 20 June 2025

Applies to England

© Crown copyright 2025

This publication is licensed under the terms of the Open Government Licence v3.0 except where otherwise stated. To view this licence, visit nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3 or write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gov.uk.

Where we have identified any third party copyright information you will need to obtain permission from the copyright holders concerned.

This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/reception-improvement-offer/reception-improvement-offer

The Department for Education (DfE) offers a range of online and in-person school support and professional development for improving teaching and leadership of reception.

Whole school support 

Nuffield Early Learning Intervention

The Nuffield Early Learning Intervention (NELI) programme targets reception-aged children who need extra support with their speech and language development. Children who take part in the NELI programme make on average 4 months of additional progress in oral language skills. This increases to 7 months for children on free school meals. The DfE-funded NELI programme is available to all state-funded schools with a reception class. 

English Hubs

English Hubs offer a range of support to local schools, academies and free schools to improve the teaching of phonics, early language and reading for pleasure in reception and year 1. Offers include:

Early years stronger practice hubs

Early years stronger practice hubs provide advice, share good practice and offer evidence-based professional development for early years settings. Many hubs have expanded this offer to include reception networks, with some offering funded places on professional development programmes for teachers.

Oak National Academy

Oak National Academy is a free online classroom and resource hub that provides teachers with free lessons and resources for pupils aged 4 to 16, from reception to year 11.  

Partnerships for inclusion of neurodiversity in schools

The Partnerships for inclusion of neurodiversity in schools (PINS) programme is a national programme that brings specialist health and education professionals and expert parent carers into mainstream primary schools to:

  • support schools to identify and better meet the needs of neurodivergent children
  • provide early interventions at whole school level
  • upskill school staff and support the strengthening of partnerships between schools and parent carers 

Individual staff training 

Early years child development training

The Early years child development training is free online training aimed at building and strengthening the knowledge and understanding of early years educators in the key areas of child development.

The training offers practical advice for supporting children in early years settings and reception classes to thrive. The course has 8 modules, each taking about 2 hours to complete. 

National professional qualification in early years leadership

The National professional qualification (NPQ) in early years leadership supports participants to develop expertise in:

  • leading high-quality early years education and care
  • effective staff and organisational management  

Specialist Knowledge for Teaching Maths Early Years Programme

The Specialist Knowledge for Teaching Maths Early Years Programme is a fully-funded programme designed to improve the subject knowledge and pedagogical knowledge for all practitioners teaching and supporting the learning of early maths.  

Mastering Number Programme

The Mastering Number Programme is fully funded by the Maths Hubs Programme and aims to secure firm foundations in the development of good number sense for all children from reception through to year 1 and year 2. 

Maths Champions programme

The Maths Champions programme is a fully-funded online resource for educators who wish to increase their knowledge of and confidence in supporting children’s early mathematical development.

Research by the Education Endowment Fund has shown that children who attend a setting that implements the programme make up to 3 months’ additional progress in their maths and language. 

Back to top