Developing a Skills for Life Early Years programme

We are delighted to be working with the Education Endowment Foundation (EEF) to develop a new Skills for Life Early Years programme for 3-5 year olds. EEF’s early-stage programme development work supports organisations to design, develop and deliver programmes that tackle educational disadvantage, with the aim of making more evidence-based approaches available to schools and early years settings.

The Skills for Life Early Years programme aims to promote young children’s personal, social and emotional development (PSED) and self-regulation skills which are fundamental for learning and a priority since the disruption of the pandemic. The programme builds on our existing Early Years Wellbeing Activity Cards and our flagship social and emotional learning programme Zippy’s Friends for 5-7 year olds. The new programme closely aligns with the early years foundation stage (EYFS) statutory framework which includes PSED as one of three prime areas for learning and development.

We have trained staff in 12 nurseries and kindergartens to run the activities with their children and feedback to date has been very encouraging. Supporting the emotional well-being of younger children is vital and we hope to build on and expand this work in 2024 and beyond.