Useful Resources

We have gathered together a selection of current articles, guidance, and resources that we think families may find interesting, helpful, or reassuring. From early childhood development and play to wellbeing, parenting, and life outdoors, this is a space for useful ideas and thoughtful reading that may support you and your family along the way.

A young boy with brown hair, wearing a green hoodie, kneeling on the floor in a daycare or preschool setting. He is holding a red marker and working on a whiteboard or drawing surface. There are circular holes in a wooden panel in front of him and a red and white warning sign on the wall behind.

  • Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS)
    A useful overview of the statutory framework that guides learning, development, and care from birth to age five. The current framework was updated on 1 September 2026.
    View the EYFS guidance

  • NHS Best Start in Life: Early Learning and Development
    Very parent-friendly advice on language, play, communication, development, and everyday activities for young children.
    Explore Best Start in Life

  • Kent SEND Information Hub
    An important local resource for families looking for information, advice, services, and support relating to special educational needs and disabilities. Kent County Council
    Visit Kent’s SEND Information Hub

  • SEND Code of Practice
    For families who want to understand the statutory framework behind SEND support in early years and education.
    Read the SEND Code of Practice

  • Help with Childcare Costs – Kent County Council
    Clear local information about funded childcare, including universal entitlement, working-parent entitlement, and support for eligible two-year-olds.
    View childcare funding information

  • BookTrust: Reading with Your Child, ages 3–4
    A lovely practical guide to sharing books, talking about stories, and making reading enjoyable. It is also available in more than 20 languages.
    Read the BookTrust guide

  • BookTrust: The Benefits of Reading
    For families interested in the evidence behind shared reading and its effects on language, wellbeing, imagination, and development.
    Explore the research on reading

  • NSPCC Talk PANTS
    Age-appropriate resources to help families introduce body autonomy, privacy, and personal safety in a simple, non-frightening way.
    Explore Talk PANTS resources

  • Woodland Trust: Nature Activities for Families
    It includes scavenger hunts, den building, nature art, wildlife spotting, and other simple ways to explore outside together.
    Explore Woodland Trust family activities

  • RSPB Wild Challenge for Families
    Outdoor activities that encourage children to explore wildlife and do practical things to help nature, with family awards available too.
    Try the RSPB Wild Challenge

  • Our Local Offer
    This is our local offer on the Kent County Council site detailing our provision as a preschool
    https://local.kent.gov.uk/kb5/kent/directory/service.page?id=AqBeJABx8-U&familyhubchannel=1

  • Starting Strong for Families
    The aim of this document is to help families understand what is meant by Ordinarily Available Provision (OAP), and what settings  should provide for all children and how that helps their child develop.
    https://www.kelsi.org.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0017/242243/Starting-Strong-for-families.pdf

A woman sitting at a table with two young children, one boy and one girl, in a classroom setting. The woman is leaning towards the children, who are engaged in an activity with papers and a glass of water. The classroom has educational posters on the wall and shelves with supplies.

Research and Reports

For families who would like to explore some of the thinking behind early years practice in more depth, we have gathered together a selection of current research, reports, and guidance. These cover areas such as child development, play, communication, wellbeing, inclusion, and early learning, and offer a useful window into the evidence that helps shape our practice.

  • How Reading Evolves in the Early Years – BookTrust, 2025
    A very accessible look at how shared reading changes as children grow, and what helps families build positive reading habits.
    Read the report

  • Early Years Evidence Store – Education Endowment Foundation
    A strong evidence-based resource covering communication and language, self-regulation, social and emotional development, literacy, mathematics, and physical development.
    Explore the Evidence Store

  • Early Language Support for Every Child: Interim Evaluation – Department for Education, 2026
    Current research into identifying and supporting speech, language, and communication needs in young children.
    Read the evaluation

  • Identifying and Supporting Children with SEND in Mainstream Settings – Department for Education, 2025
    A collection of evidence reviews looking at effective support for children with a range of additional needs, including speech, language, communication, autism, and learning needs.
    Explore the SEND evidence reviews

  • Childcare and Early Years Survey of Parents 2025 – Department for Education
    A national picture of how families use childcare, what parents value in early years provision, home learning, and how childcare fits into family life.

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