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Children's News Feed

Automatically curated from DfE announcements, education news, and sector updates.

Decline in shared reading among families sparks Children’s Laureate’s urgent call for action

Waterstone’s Children’s Laureate Frank Cottrell-Boyce has called for urgent action to reverse a decline in the number of families reading to their children regularly.

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Policy May 18, 2026

Government Launches AI Chat Tool to Help Parents Access Childcare Funding

The Government has introduced a new AI-powered chat feature to its official app, designed to help parents navigate childcare funding options. The tool also provides information on apprenticeships, aiming to simplify access to vital family and skills support services.

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Early Years May 18, 2026

Government urged to extend proposed smoking and vaping ban to all children's play areas

The Local Government Association (LGA) has warned that the Government's now closed consultation on smoke and vape free spaces fails to include children's play areas within new build unadopted housing developments and national and country parks.

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Early Years 1 month ago

Decline in shared reading among families sparks Children’s Laureate’s urgent call for action

Waterstone’s Children’s Laureate Frank Cottrell-Boyce has called for urgent action to reverse a decline in the number of families reading to their children regularly.

Read Summary

Policy 1 month ago

Government Launches AI Chat Tool to Help Parents Access Childcare Funding

Read Summary

Early Years 1 month ago

Government urged to extend proposed smoking and vaping ban to all children's play areas

Read Summary

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Early Years May 14, 2026

Ruth Glover: Why early years voices matter in SEND reform

Ruth Glover, chief executive of Springboard Opportunity Group, a specialist early years charity supporting children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) and their families, calls on early years workers and parents to respond to the ongoing consultation around SEND reforms before it...

Early Years May 13, 2026

Princess of Wales visits Reggio Emilia to learn about childhood development approach

The Princess of Wales has visited the Loris Malaguzzi International Centre and a pre-school in Italy to learn more about the Reggio Emilia Approach to childcare.

Early Years May 13, 2026

Parents say proposed closure of Sheffield Hallam nursery linked to low funded hours offer

Parents impacted by the proposed closure of an on-campus nursery in Sheffield have criticised Sheffield Hallam University’s (SHU) approach to offering funded hours as a key reason for a decline in numbers using the setting.

Early Years May 13, 2026

Wes Streeting urged to crack down on ‘unregulated and bogus’ infant sleep consultants

The UK’s leading infant sleep charity and an MP have written to Health Secretary Wes Streeting backing campaigners calls to crack down on self-described experts giving unsafe infant sleep advice to parents.

Early Years May 13, 2026

Star-studded Comic Relief campaign warns one in six parents put children to bed hungry due to rising living costs

More than one in six parents say they have put their children to bed hungry or without enough food at least once a week in the last 12 months, due to being unable to afford food, warns a new campaign by Comic Relief and Sainsburys.

Early Years May 13, 2026

DfE programmes to support disadvantaged children in the North East and coastal areas to launch in September

The Department for Education has announced further details of two initiatives to boost life chances for groups of children living in some of England’s most deprived areas.

Early Years May 12, 2026

Room for 'significant improvement' for child wellbeing in UK as country is ranked 24th out of 37 countries

The UK’s child wellbeing ranking has improved in six years, however there continues to be room for ‘significant’ improvement, according to UNICEF which calls on the UK Government to take action from children’s earliest years.

Early Years May 12, 2026

Dr Sally Payne: Why the early years can’t afford to wait for occupational therapy

Dr Sally Payne, professional advisor for children, young people and families at the Royal College of Occupational Therapists who work with children are increasingly sounding the alarm: delays in accessing occupational therapy support are harming children and families and the impact is felt most acut...

Early Years May 12, 2026

Reform childminder funding for three-and four-year-olds to boost recruitment, Coram Pacey says

A childminder-specific approach to funding for three-and four-year-olds in England is needed to reverse the decline in childminders, according to campaigners.

Early Years May 12, 2026

Kids Planet expands internationally with acquisition in Ireland

Kids Planet Day Nurseries, the second largest childcare provider in the UK, has expanded internationally, acquiring Irish nursery group Tigers Childcare.

Safeguarding May 12, 2026

Babies Under One Account for Third of Serious Safeguarding Incidents

Babies under the age of one remain the most vulnerable age group, accounting for a third of all serious safeguarding incidents between 2024 and 2025, according to a new report. The findings underscore the critical need for robust early intervention and multi-agency vigilance during the earliest months of life.

Policy May 11, 2026

Elections 2026: What Results Could Mean for Early Years Across the UK

With local elections in England and new parliamentary terms in Scotland and Wales, the political landscape is shifting significantly. We examine what these historic results could mean for early years policy, funding, and provision across the three nations.

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