Early Years Training and Resources
nasen offers a range of training opportunities and resources specifically for leaders and practitioners, working in the Early Years (EY).
Early Years SEND Partnership
nasen is proud to be part of the DfE-funded Early Years SEND Partnership Project led by the Council for Disabled Children (CDC). The other partners are:
- Contact
- Dingley’s Promise
- National Children’s Bureau (ncb)
- Speech and Language UK
nasen previously worked with Local Authorities across the country to develop their SEND provision at a strategic level through Regional Action Learning Sets and Specialist Action Learning Sets.
The Golden Key Programme
Help inform, upskill, and empower early years staff to make a positive impact for children and young people with SEND.
This training program upskills EY practitioners to identify and provide for the needs of all children in their care. It involves identifying individual needs, fostering trust with children and their parents/carers, and daily interaction with children to gain a holistic understanding of their preferences, interests, and development needs.
This training is designed for practitioners (who are not EY SENCO’s) in Early Years PVI and maintained school settings.
Commissioning SEND Reviews for a group of EY settings
Commissioning a programme of supported SEND Reviews for all or some of your settings can help you to drive improvement for SEND. nasen structures a supported SEND Review programme which helps EY settings to:
- Understand the process of review for SEND;
- Co-conduct reviews, including peer reviews, thereby building sustainability through professional development;
- Audit current provision and identify existing strengths;
- Review provision and identify areas for development;
- Action-plan, informed by actual review
The benefits of the programme of SEND Reviews are the opportunities to identify:
- Good practice which can be shared across all settings in the group, and
- Common training needs or other areas for development which could be collectively actioned.
Upcoming CPDL and latest Resources for Early Years
Early Years SEND Review Guide
- General
- 12 May 2025
The Early Years SEND Review Guide was developed for Early Years practitioners and reviewers, to support the review and development of inclusive provision and practice.
Time Together with your Toddler
- General
- 09 May 2024
This booklet has been produced by nasen for parents, carers and families of all children in the Early Years but particularly those with SEND. It gives ideas for places to look for activities to do with young children from trusted and well-known sources.
SEND Code of Practice & EYFS Framework – what they say
- General
- 12 Apr 2024
This resource is a quick reference guide which highlights the key messages for SEND in the context of early years. It can be printed out and displayed, used as the focus of a staff meeting or kept in the front of a practitioner’s planning folder.
Meeting the Needs of Every Child
- General
- 01 Apr 2024
This DfE funded online course is FREE to access and will provide Early Years Practitioners with an overview and understanding of inclusive practice for SEND in Early Years settings.
Resilience Development Pack: Top Tips for Parents
- General
- 23 Nov 2023
In the Resilience Development Pack, you will find that each day of the week has a theme, which supports the development of resilience.
Resilience Development Pack Parent Resource: Daily Activity Sheet
- General
- 23 Nov 2023
This activity sheet suggests a way of noting down the things you choose to do with your child from the Resilience Development Pack.
Resilience Development Pack Parent Resource: Weekly Diary and Weekly Diary Example
- General
- 23 Nov 2023
Use this diary to plan activities or targets for your child to practise each week. This resource includes an example of a completed diary with activities selected, comments added and notes about ‘next steps’ included.
Resilience Development Pack: 7 days, Many Ways - white label
- General
- 23 Nov 2023
This white label version of a previous document does not contain images. This resource includes a set of 14 fun activities for parents to do with their children and 14 related activities for practitioners to carry out in their setting.
Resilience Development Pack: 7 days, Many Ways
- General
- 23 Nov 2023
This resource includes a set of 14 fun activities for parents to do with their children and 14 related activities for practitioners to carry out in their setting.
Seven pieces to build the resilience jigsaw: Confidence
- General
- 05 Nov 2023
This is one of a series of additional resources to nasen’s Resilience Development Pack which can be used to support you as a parent, carer or professional working with young children to boost children’s resilience through everyday activities.
Seven pieces to build the resilience jigsaw: Connection
- General
- 01 Nov 2023
This is one of a series of additional resources to nasen’s Resilience Development Pack which can be used to support you as a parent, carer or professional working with young children to boost children’s resilience through everyday activities.
Seven pieces to build the resilience jigsaw: Character
- General
- 01 Nov 2023
This is one of a series of additional resources to nasen’s Resilience Development Pack which can be used to support you as a parent, carer or professional working with young children to boost children’s resilience through everyday activities.
Seven pieces to build the resilience jigsaw: Control
- General
- 01 Nov 2023
This is one of a series of additional resources to nasen’s Resilience Development Pack which can be used to support you as a parent, carer or professional working with young children to boost children’s resilience through everyday activities.
Seven pieces to build the resilience jigsaw: Coping
- General
- 01 Nov 2023
This is one of a series of additional resources to nasen’s Resilience Development Pack which can be used to support you as a parent, carer or professional working with young children to boost children’s resilience through everyday activities
Seven pieces to build the resilience jigsaw: Contribution
- General
- 01 Nov 2023
This is one of a series of additional resources to nasen’s Resilience Development Pack which can be used to support you as a parent, carer or professional working with young children to boost children’s resilience through everyday activities.