The term early help is used frequently in discussions about the early years, but it’s important to be clear about what it means.
At Sheringham Nursery School and Children’s Centre, we aim to give every child the best start in life. This involves providing additional support as soon as possible for those that need it.
Nurturing a collaborative relationship with the family
Collaborating with parents helps empower them and build their confidence in supporting their child. The EEF highlights the value of this in their guidance report Working with parents to support children’s learning:
“Parents play a crucial role in supporting their children’s learning, and levels of parental engagement are consistently associated with better academic outcomes.”
In fact, the EEF’s Teaching and Learning Toolkit suggests that effective parental engagement can lead to learning gains of +4 months over the course of a year.
The child’s key person is the first to learn about the child and family, starting with the home visit. They develop this relationship through longer discussions and parent meetings, focussed on supporting the child’s learning. This lays the foundations for an ongoing partnership between the parent and the child’s school.
As we get to know each child and their family, we often find out about barriers to the child’s learning, or other issues that are affecting them. Whether the child is experiencing temporary difficulties in their development or longer-term difficulties, getting that extra help in quickly is important. For example, if a child isn’t sleeping well, it’s important to address the issue quickly so they don't become permanently over-tired, affecting their wellbeing and learning.
Early help is not just about ‘fixing’ problems, but also about building confidence and resilience, giving families the tools to thrive.
Offering the right support at the right time
Assessing what support and when, may be as simple as a conversation with a parent: they can tell us a lot about their child. We use our professional judgement to discern the best support for the child and family.
Being a Children’s Centre and Best Start in Life Family Hub, we invite families in to see what we offer. This helps them to understand how children have needs and can be well supported.
We provide many services including, Stay and Play, Little Champions (stay and play for children presenting with additional needs), Speech and Language support and parenting support workshops on themes such as ‘bedtime routines’ and ‘toilet training’.
Anju was non-verbal and struggling with self regulation. We invited her and her mother to Little Champions. Staff modelled ways to play with Anju and how to support self-regulation. We then sign posted the family to additional SEND services and prioritised a nursery place.
We also connect families with community resources, including the borough’s Early Help options. These include services that help with housing and financial worries, family conflict and breakdown and supporting a child with special educational needs or disability.
One of our families was recently evicted. Mum was supported to access housing advice to secure accommodation. Once the family were rehoused, a charity who can provide beds for children, was contacted so that the little boy could have his own bed.
Why early help can’t be left to chance
Early Help is crucial in the first five years: these significantly shape a child’s future happiness and well-being.
By supporting children and families early, we can:
Help children reach key developmental and learning milestones
Strengthen family relationships
Prevent emerging difficulties from becoming long-term challenges
At Sheringham, we are committed to continually improving our Early Help services to ensure families get the right support at the right time.
Questions to reflect on:
- Can you think of a child that benefitted from early help? How are they doing now?
- Is there a child you have a niggle about but don’t know how to articulate your concerns? Think of someone in your setting that you could go to and share this
Want to know more?
The Royal Foundation – Centre for Early Childhood
Newham Families advice and Support: The Early Help Hub