The Early Years Circle Blog
Practical, plain-English articles for UK nursery managers. Ofsted, EYFS, staff CPD, funding and the business of running a setting.
How to Prepare for an Ofsted Inspection: A Manager's Checklist
Ofsted inspections are less stressful when you have already done the work. Here is a practical manager's checklist for the days, weeks and months before the call.
SEND Support Plan Template: Assess, Plan, Do, Review
A strong early years SEND support plan follows the graduated approach. Here is a practical template that keeps parents involved, targets realistic and provision clear.
EYFS Safeguarding Checklist for Nursery Managers
Safeguarding is the limiting judgement in every Ofsted inspection. Use this manager's checklist to make sure your setting is compliant, current and ready to evidence.
How to Write Your Ofsted Self-Evaluation Form (SEF)
The SEF is not about writing what you think Ofsted wants to hear. It is an honest working document that links what you do to the impact it has on children. Here is a manager-friendly template.
Attendance in Early Years: Why Routines, Punctuality and Seasonal Change Matter
September brings new school runs, tired siblings and shifting routines. Here's how early years settings can encourage good attendance and timekeeping while keeping children safe, settled and ready to learn.
The 2026 Regulatory Changes: Safer Sleep, Screen Use and SEND Reform
From 1 September 2026 the EYFS frameworks change again — safer sleep written into the framework, a new screen use duty, tighter DBS and reporting rules, and SEND reform reshaping early identification. Here is what to actually do.
EYFS Safeguarding: The Manager's Complete Compliance Guide
Everything the EYFS statutory framework requires of you on safeguarding — policies, training, records and the checks Ofsted actually asks for — in one plain-English guide.
Early Years Pupil Premium: How to Claim It and Spend It Well
EYPP is the most under-claimed funding in the sector — and it now covers eligible children from 9 months to 4 years. Here's who qualifies, how to check eligibility, and how to spend it with measurable impact.
Early Years CPD: Building a Plan Your Team Will Actually Finish
Most nursery CPD plans are a spreadsheet of expired certificates. Here's how to build a twelve-month CPD cycle that raises practice and survives a busy term.
EYFS Framework Changes: What Nursery Managers Need to Act On
Framework updates land quietly and cost settings dearly. Here's how to read a change, work out what it means for your setting, and update practice without a panic.
The SEND Code of Practice in Early Years: What It Requires of You
The graduated approach, the SENCO role, EHC needs assessments and the records that back you up — the SEND Code of Practice translated into nursery reality.
30 Hours Funding: Making the Entitlements Work for Your Nursery
Funded hours can quietly run your setting at a loss. Here's how the entitlements work, where the money actually goes, and how to build a sustainable fee model.
Nursery Manager Job Description: What the Role Actually Requires
A realistic, EYFS-aligned nursery manager job description — duties, qualifications, safeguarding responsibilities and the person specification that attracts the right candidate.
Behaviour Management in Early Years: Supporting Your Team Without Overwhelm
What behaviour management actually means in early years, why 'strategies' alone don't work, and how managers can back their team when a child's behaviour feels overwhelming — without burning anyone out.
SEND in Early Years: A Manager's Guide to Early Identification
Early identification is the single biggest lever your setting has for children with SEND. Here's how to spot the signs, hold the conversation with parents, and start a graduated response — without waiting for a diagnosis.
The Ofsted Call: What to Do in the First 90 Minutes
You've just taken the call. Inspection is tomorrow. Here's the calm, sequenced 90-minute plan that gets your setting ready without panicking the team.
Supervision That Actually Changes Practice (Not Just Ticks a Box)
Most nursery supervisions are 20 minutes of small talk and a signed form. Here's a structure that surfaces safeguarding, workload and CPD in one honest 45-minute conversation.
Occupancy and the Funding Gap: What Nursery Managers Miss
Rolling occupancy above 85% and a clear view of your funded-hours shortfall are the two numbers that determine whether your setting survives 2026. Here's how to run them.
EYFS Ratios in 2026: The Six Things Managers Still Get Wrong
The relaxed 1:5 two-year-old ratio is optional, not a target. Here are the six ratio mistakes that keep coming up in Ofsted actions — and how to avoid them.