Update for 14 August 2025

In case you missed it... the latest information, resources, dates and links for LAs

Delivering Early Years Provision in Rural Localities - Best Practice Guidance

Childcare Works recently launched a best practice guidance report which describes and assesses the conditions of early years delivery in rural localities and provides successful market management strategies to support rural settings in taking proactive steps to ensure their long-term success.

You can access the report here.

Early Years Workforce Recruitment Webinar

Childcare Works has recently finalised comprehensive information and guidance to support early years workforce recruitment.   This resource has been created for local authority colleagues and has includes tips and suggested actions that LAs can take to help support early years workforce recruitment. LA case studies have been included within this resource package to highlight the successful work that is underway throughout England to manage early years recruitment challenges. 

We will be sharing an overview of the resource and key recommendations at an online webinar on Wednesday 27th August 10.00am to 10.45am and hope you can join us.  The resource will be emailed after the event, and available on the Childcare Works LAB.

Please click here to register for the webinar.

Autumn Regional Meetings – Have You Booked?

Thank you to those LAs who have booked their places for the in-person regional meetings taking place in October 2025. Regional meetings aim to bring local authority representatives together to network with peers, share successes and challenges across the early years' expansion and wraparound childcare and to receive the latest updates from the Department of Education and Childcare Works.

The regional meetings are designed to support planning and delivery and will focus on current priorities with time for discussion and collaboration and are in addition to the monthly online cluster meetings. An agenda will be shared in due course.

Dates and locations are shown below - each meeting will run from 10.00am to 3.30pm, with arrival and registration from 9.30am. In the first instance, places are limited to two per local authority. This will be reviewed depending on demand.

Please book places for your LA here – https://forms.office.com/e/J3q3hgaKDN 

August and September Cluster Meetings 

August cluster meetings are in full swing! Thank you to everyone who has attended.  

The dates for the remaining August meetings are below. If you haven’t yet attended and would like to register, please click on the meeting link (below). 

Bookings are also open for the September cluster meetings, dates and registration links are also below.  

If you are unsure which cluster your LA is assigned to, we have included a table showing the clusters and the LAs included. You can attend another cluster meeting if you are unable to attend your assigned cluster. 

If there are any topics that you would like to discuss in the meetings, or if you have any other questions about the cluster meetings, please contact your CW adviser.  

August cluster meetings: 

 September cluster meetings: 

Cluster groupings: 

Autumn MI Deadlines

Deadlines for autumn term MI reporting have been agreed and are shown below:

• Friday 5th September: Detailed communications sent to LAs.
• Friday 17th October: MI guidance & supporting documents sent to LAs.
• Monday 10th - Friday 14th November: Provider reporting week.
• Monday 17th - Friday 21th November: Provider reporting window.
• Friday 21st November: Provider reporting deadline.
• Monday 21st November - Friday 5th December: LA reporting window.
• Friday 5th December: LA MI template deadline.

Accurate and timely submissions are crucial for monitoring and evaluating the impact of the funding on childcare provision.

If you have any queries, please contact childcareworks@mottmac.com