News Round-Up

Update on the meningococcal disease outbreak.

UKHSA advice to stop using non-sterile alcohol-free wipes.

Recall notice of Hobbycraft sand-based products.

Schools white paper and SEND reform consultation published.

Families Information Service.

National Breakfast Clubs programme expansion.

Safeguarding children conference.

SEND surgeries.

Reception SEND surgeries.

Early Support. 

SENIF cut-off date, May 2026.

Working with babies and young children under two years old?

Level 2 Technical Specialist in Nutrition in the Early Years.

Digital upskilling resources.

Changes to minimum wage rates.

Embedding the home learning environment.

Why taking books outside transforms early reading.

Better Health Start for Life resources.

Physical development in the EYFS.

Forest Schools and under three's.

30 Days Wild.

50 Things GP project trial.

Fostering sessions and events.

Do Something Big: Little Makers.

Your News.

Update on the meningococcal disease outbreak

You will have seen recent media reports about an invasive meningococcal disease outbreak in Kent and Medway.

UKHSA advice to stop using non-sterile alcohol-free wipes

The UKHSA and the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency have reiterated their guidance advising against the use of four specific non-sterile alcohol-free wipe products due to an ongoing risk of infection associated with their use. 

Recall notice of Hobbycraft sand-based products

CLEAPSS, the advisory service supporting safe, high-quality practical work in science, design and technology, have issued an alert following the discovery of asbestos contamination in three commercially available Hobbycraft sand-based craft products:

Schools white paper and SEND reform consultation published

Families Information Service

The Cambridgeshire Families Information Service (FIS) provide information, advice and guidance to families across Cambridgeshire.

Their advice is free, confidential, and impartial.

National Breakfast Clubs programme expansion

The government’s Free Breakfast Clubs initiative, initially piloted in 2025, will expand nationally from April 2026. The programme aims to improve children’s attendance, punctuality, behaviour and readiness to learn while helping families manage cost‑of‑living pressures.

Safeguarding children conference

The Cambridgeshire & Peterborough Safeguarding Partnership Board will host its annual conference on Tuesday, 21 April 2026, focusing on the impact of domestic abuse on children. 

SEND surgeries

Reception SEND surgeries

Reception SEND surgeries provide an opportunity for school SENCo’s and early years teachers to discuss how to support emerging needs and get advice on next steps. 

Early Support

To refer to Early Support, an Early Help Assessment (EHA) must be completed. Once this is authorised, you will get an email, and you will be prompted to complete the Early Support pathway request on EHM.

When an Early Support pathway request is received, the EHA and supporting information are triaged by the early years SEND team, and you may be contacted if additional information is required.

Please remember that an EHA must be completed in conjunction with the parent/carer, and they should see a final copy of the EHA before it is submitted.

If you have any questions about referring a child to Early Support, please contact early.support@cambridgeshire.gov.uk.

SENIF cut-off date, May 2026

Working with babies and young children under two years old?

Have you completed baby-specific training to ensure you comply with section 3.47 of the early years foundation satge (EYFS)?  

Level 2 Technical Specialist in Nutrition in the Early Years

This qualification is designed for learners wishing to gain knowledge, skills and understanding of nutrition in an early years setting. The qualification builds on the outcomes within the Early Years Practitioner occupational standard (ST0888). 

This qualification is designed for early years practitioners working with babies and young children. The qualification will build on existing knowledge and skills of nutrition and hydration through specialist duties for improved outcomes in an early years setting. 

To find out more about early childhood qualifications, please visit our Cambridgeshire Early Childhood Qualifications Centre (CECQC)webpages.

If you have any questions, please email eycqualifications@cambridgeshire.gov.uk.

Digital upskilling resources

The DfE has shared a new recording for providers to support with digital upskilling in Microsoft 365 applications.

The Making the Most of Digital Tools for Early Years and Childcare Providers resource is split into chapters to cover practical tasks in Excel, Microsoft Forms, and Word, which smaller providers will find useful for daily tasks and business planning.

The external links referenced during the recording have been added to the description in Vimeo – this means that viewers can navigate to the content directly via hyperlinks. The divided chapters also help viewers to skip between sections quickly and easily. 

You can access the recording and slide deck via the HUB for Providers and Schools, and we encourage you to share this helpfultraining resource with your teams.

Changes to minimum wage rates

The Business and Governance Team would like to advise you of the following changes from April 2026 to the national minimum wage rates. 

For the 2026 to 2027 tax year, the main Employer National Insurance (NI) contribution rate remains at 15% on qualifying earnings. The NI contribution rates for both employees and employers can be found at National Insurance rates and categories: Contribution rates - GOV.UK.

The minimum employer pension contribution remains at 3% of qualifying earnings (typically earnings between £6,240 and £50,270). Total minimum auto-enrolment contributions remain at 8%. 

Employment Allowance allows eligible employers  to reduce their annual NI liability by up to £10,500 for 2026 to 2027. 

Business and Governance have useful resources on the Learn Together website and can support with: 

• Business health checks. 
• Financial toolkits, sustainability, break-even, and staff modelling. 
• Leadership, management and governance. 
• Bespoke training, including Safe Recruitment and Committee Essentials. 
• Strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT) analysis. 
• Extensive library of useful resources.

Contact Business and Governance via email or your Early Years Adviser.

Embedding the home learning environment

The National Literacy Trust has released

Embedding The Home Learning Environment: Evidence, Practice and Partnerships, a comprehensive new resource designed to help practitioners strengthen early learning at home.

The guidance highlights how everyday interactions – chatting, playing, reading, and exploring – shape children’s communication, social development, and long‑term learning outcomes.

Drawing on the latest evidence, the document explains why the home learning environment is so influential and outlines what works to build parents’ confidence and create positive, enabling routines. It also showcases behaviour‑change approaches, such as the COM‑B model, to help practitioners support families effectively.

Importantly, the guidance weaves in practical advice on making the most of digital offers, ensuring online content and tools complement in‑person support. This resource provides a valuable framework for local partners, Family Hubs and early years services looking to embed early learning into everyday family life. 

Why taking books outside transforms early reading

As we celebrate the National Year of Reading, our latest CambsEYC blog explores a simple yet powerful idea: taking books outdoors can transform early literacy experiences for babies and young children. 

Drawing on insights from Dr Karen Boardman and evidence from the Making it REAL programme, the article highlights how outdoor reading helps children connect stories to the world around them, boosting understanding, curiosity, and communication. 

Research from organisations such as BookSpace and the Scottish Book Trust shows that nature-rich environments support children’s wellbeing, attention, and engagement – particularly for those who feel restricted indoors. Outdoor reading also encourages independence, creativity, and a whole‑setting reading culture, making books more accessible throughout the day. 

The blog offers practical, easy‑to‑implement ideas for practitioners, from cosy outdoor book nooks and story trails to linking stories with natural exploration. It also shines a light on how Forest School settings can naturally nurture early literacy through storytelling, mark‑making, environmental print, and imaginative play. 

Better Health Start for Life resources

The Department for Health and Social Care have a range of resources available that you can share with families about introducing solid foods, and can be ordered via: Better Health Start for Life Introducing Solid Foods. 

The posters and resources can be a useful prompt when discussing weaning with families.

The Best Start in Life website is a great tool to help you support your families on their complementary feeding journeys. The Introducing Solid Foods section is full of helpful guidance around topics like ‘How to start weaning your baby’ and ‘Safe weaning’, and as an NHS‑trusted resource, you can be confident you are signposting reliable information. The weaning section also links to a handy collection of recipes and meal ideas, filterable by age and meal type, and the Ready or Not Weaning Quiz, which can help families identify whether their baby is ready for complementary feeding.

Physical development in the EYFS 

Following on from the launch of the CambsEYC Physical Development resources within the  

Quality Improvement section of the Learn Together website, we are delighted to share: Physical development and activity. 

This dedicated webpage will provide you with good practice examples and advice to ensure you deliver the best early years practice in your settings related to children’s physical development and physical activity. The page will also help you meet your statutory requirements and good practice principles. We have collaborated with our colleagues in Public Health to ensure that the information you can access on this page is reliable in terms of good early years practice and is evidence and research-based.

We hope you enjoy exploring our new Learn Together page for Physical development and activity. 

Forest Schools and under three's

At present, time and access for babies and toddlers are limited, but the outdoor environment has so much it can offer to our youngest children. This training hopes to enhance educators’ current knowledge of the benefits of the outdoors and how it can support younger children and babies. 

What our previous learners have said:

“Good range of practical and knowledge-based activities.”

“The trainer has a very good knowledge regarding this subject, and they communicated well with us.”
“A fun, thought-provoking, and comprehensive training session.”

Our next Forest Schools and under-threes sessions will be held on Tuesday, 14 April 2026, from  9.30 am to 12 pm at Hinchingbrooke Country Park. Bookings can be made through Booking and reservations for Early Years Workforce Development, ‘Forest Schools.’

Please note, this session is practical and will be held outdoors in a woodland environment, whatever the weather, so please wear suitable clothing. It is always cooler under the canopy of the trees and is often muddy, so sturdy shoes/wellington boots are recommended along with warm waterproof clothing.

30 Days Wild

From planting wildflowers for bees to listening to bird song, there are endless ways to spend your wild month. Whether you complete an activity a day, or a couple in a week, you will be connecting with wildlife, boosting your well-being and making a positive impact on the planet at the same time. 

When you register, you will receive:  

• Occasional emails between now and June about wildlife. 
• Your free digital 30 Days Wild goodies in April 2026. 
• If you opt to receive postal resources, they will arrive in May 2026.
• Daily emails in June, full of inspiring activities to help you achieve your wild challenge. 

Sign up today to take part in 30 Days Wild 2026.

50 Things GP project trial

It is based on the simple notion that access to fun, low or no-cost experiences, indoors and outdoors, is a great way to ensure children have the Best Start in Life.

Developed by the Early Years, Childcare and School Readiness Service, funded by Public Health’s preventative seed funding, the 50 Things to Do GP project aims:

• Raise community awareness of the importance of the first five years of a child’s life
  Support communities with everyday activities to strengthen children’s start in life.
• Tackle social determinants of health by overcoming barriers of income and education, by demonstrating that "what parents do, is more important than who parents are." (Surestart, 2004, p.1).
• Broaden the 50 Things to Do offer to better integrate it across communities, "expanding knowledge bases and raising public awareness of health." (WHO, 2025).

To learn more about 50 Things to Do initiatives that you could showcase to families you work with, please contact Philippa.Sutton-Eddery@cambridgeshire.gov.uk.

Fostering sessions and events

Do you want to find out more about fostering? Why not come along to one of our free information sessions?

Cambridgeshire County Council holds regular sessions and events, both virtually and face-to-face, where a fostering recruitment officer, a social worker and one of our experienced foster carers will give an informal presentation to explain everything you need to know about fostering.

You will have the opportunity to ask any questions and to talk one-on-one with a member of the team to see if we can help you further.

At our virtual events, we also hold 'private virtual rooms' after the presentation if you would like to talk more about fostering.

Visit Cambridgeshire County Council Fostering Information Session Registration to book your free place on the dates below:

• Thursday 19 March, 6.30 pm to 7.30 pm.
• Friday 17 April, 12 noon to 1 pm.
• Monday 11 May, 6.30 pm to 7.30 pm.
• In-person session on Monday, 18 May 2026, from 7.30 pm to 8.30 pm at The Lamb Hotel in Ely.

Email fostering@cambridgeshire.gov.uk.

Telephone 0800 052 0078.

Do Something Big: Little Makers

Little Makers is a three-part series created by the DfE's Do something big campaign in partnership with ITV's The Masked Singer, following Joel Dommett and a mystery Masked Singer character as they surprise a real nursery, joining children and educators in creative activities. 

Episode 3 brings the big reveal, so if you have not watched yet, now is the perfect time to catch up.

It is a fun, heartwarming look at the creativity and fulfilment that comes with a career in early years, and we'd encourage anyone in our networks who might be considering that path to give it a watch.

You can catch all three episodes now on YouTube and find clips across the Masked Singer socials on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok. Liking, sharing or engaging with the content helps reach even more people who could be considering a career working with young children.

Sustainability in the Early Years, Baby Buttercup Room, at Sawston Nursery

At Sawston Nursery, sustainability is woven into our curriculum and daily routines. In the Buttercup Room, where our youngest children are aged six to 16 months, we carefully adapt activities to ensure every baby has meaningful opportunities to explore the natural world and begin to understand, in simple ways, how their actions can shape the future.

Our indoor classroom opens directly into a secure outdoor space, allowing babies to move freely between both environments. This seamless access encourages spontaneous exploration, feeling the breeze, watching birds overhead, and experiencing the changing weather throughout the day.

We regularly take nature walks around the village, collecting natural materials such as fallen leaves, twigs, compost, and sand. These treasures are brought back to the nursery and transformed into sensory bottles, giving babies the chance to explore texture, sound, and movement. They begin to notice what feels rough or smooth, soft or crunchy, and enjoy listening to the different sounds the materials make when shaken.

Sustainability is also embedded in our creative play. Apples and lemons are used for printing, while broccoli florets become paintbrushes during messy play sessions. Recycled materials, such as toilet roll tubes, are used for painting, shape cutting, or turned into binoculars for bug hunts in the garden.

A dedicated food waste bin helps us reduce waste across the nursery, while our sustainability display board and daily weather station can be seen within the room. Light switches are labelled with gentle reminders to save energy.

We plant seeds and flowers together, using leftover water from the children’s bottles to care for them. As warmer weather approaches, we look forward to expanding our outdoor learning by building and using our mud kitchen, offering babies an extra hands-on experience.

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