Early Years Specialist Support Services
Providers & members
The Early Years Specialist Support Service provides tailored support to help settings strengthen practice, enhance outcomes for children, and support continuous quality improvement.
Our experienced team works with a wide range of early years providers, offering guidance, challenge and professional support that is responsive to the individual needs of each setting.
Key facts
- Who it’s for
- Early years settings
- PSEP contract holders
- Up to 50 hours of support
- How it’s delivered
- On-site and virtual
Specialist support for your setting
Support is delivered by experienced Quality Mentors, Quality Advisers, Professional Team Leads, and other appropriately qualified Early Years staff. Working alongside your team, we will model effective practice, provide advice and support curriculum development to enhance the quality of early childhood care and education.
The Early Years Specialist role works in partnership with leaders and teams to sustain a focus on quality improvement. This is achieved through a bespoke coaching and mentoring approach tailored to every setting.
Support may focus on:
Areas for development identified through self-evaluation and quality improvement planning.
Curriculum implementation and effective pedagogical practice.
Building staff knowledge, skills and confidence.
Preparing for an Education and Training Inspectorate (ETI) inspection.
Post-inspection support and action planning, where required.
Support following ETI monitoring visits to assist ongoing improvement.
The content, focus and duration of support will be agreed collaboratively with your staff team and tailored to the needs and priorities of your setting.
Support for PSEP contract holders
Settings holding a PSEP contract have access to a defined programme of specialist support, including up to 50 hours of support delivered through a combination of on-site and virtual methods.
What the support includes
Attendance for staff at five Support and Best Practice workshops.
Access to two Leaders’ Day events focused on leadership development, networking and sector updates.
Monthly PSEP Forums.
Tailored support for standardisation, new leaders, practitioners new to PSEP and governance.
Ongoing support through a range of approaches, including:
On-site visits
Telephone and email support
Virtual support
Webinars
Blogs, vlogs and other digital resources
In addition, PSEP contract holders benefit from membership of a regional organisation that represents the interests of the sector within local and regional reference groups and contributes to policy discussions affecting early years provision - an organisation with a proven track record in achieving effective outcomes acknowledged by ETI inspections.
Training and programmes
Alongside mentoring and PSEP support, settings can explore our evidence-informed programmes and quality awards.
HighScope
The HighScope Approach to problem solving involves adults supporting young children to be involved in the resolution of conflict, gaining problem solving skills which will support them throughout life. By viewing conflict as a valuable learning opportunity rather than something to be avoided, practitioners learn how to foster children’s communication, emotional literacy, empathy, problem-solving skills and self-regulation.
This evidence-informed approach helps create positive relationships, supports children’s social and emotional development, and empowers them to become confident and capable problem-solvers.
Eager and Able to Learn
The Eager and Able to Learn Programme supports early years practitioners, parents and carers to create rich learning experiences that nurture children’s natural curiosity, confidence and desire to learn. Based on the belief that children are capable, competent and active learners from birth, the programme promotes learning through play, movement, exploration and responsive relationships.
Drawing on research and evidence-informed practice, Eager and Able to Learn supports children’s social and emotional wellbeing, communication and language, cognitive development and physical development through experiences that take place both in the setting and at home.
Early Years Centre of Excellence Award
Find out about the Early Years Centre of Excellence Award and its focus on quality practice within early years settings.
Exploring difference through stories, play and conversation
Respecting Diversity
Building on the Media Initiative for Children - Respecting Difference programme, Respecting Diversity helps children explore feelings, relationships and difference. Find out about the programme, its resources and opportunities for practitioners and families to be involved.
Bespoke Training Programmes
Early Years’ focus is evidence-based practice throughout the early childhood care and education sector. We draw from research and academic studies to develop innovative quality programmes which support services within the sector. Bespoke training programmes available to non-members, and to members at a discounted price.
Our experience
Early Years’ 2024/25 Annual Report records:
148
PSEP contracts
40
Support and Best Practice training sessions
61%
sector market share, as of September 2026
52%
PSEP market share, as of September 2026
These figures describe the activity reported for 2024/25, rather than the number of places or sessions currently available.
Contact
Send a support enquiry
Tell us about your setting and the area of practice or support you would like to explore. A member of the team will contact you to discuss your enquiry.
Open Enquiry Form or, if you prefer, email or call us and ask about Specialist Support Services.
- Telephone
- 028 9066 2825
- info@early-years.org