Best Start in Life - June 2026 Early Years CPD communications toolkit

Best Start in Life

On 7 July 2025, DfE launched the Giving every child the best start in life strategy. This included a commitment to improve the quality of education that children receive in early years settings, including childminders and reception classes.

The new excellence in reception teaching course forms part of the department’s wider, evidence-based ‘golden thread’ of teacher continuing professional development (CPD). This begins with the initial teacher training core content framework (ITTECF), through to national professional qualifications (NPQ) for more experienced education professionals.

The purpose of this toolkit is to support your communications and promotion of these programmes with your networks, and to help potential applicants increase their understanding of the early years CPD landscape, aiding their ability to make an informed decision on what programme and training is best for them and their organisation.

Best Start in Life Early Years CPD communications toolkit covering:

• Early years child development training

• Excellence in reception teaching

• Early years leadership national professional qualification

• Headship national professional qualification (NPQH)

Please find the toolkit below.