An independent evaluation of the Stronger Practice Hubs supports the case for a Hub model for the early years sector and finds positive responses from settings and concludes changes made to practice will benefit children across all outcomes.
The Early Years Stronger Practice Hubs programme is improving outcomes for children in England, including those in the more deprived areas, an evaluation report has found.
More than 8,000 early education and childcare settings have so far signed up to the Hubs network and more than a quarter of those have been recruited to a range of professional development programmes.
Nine out ten of settings that engaged with their local Hub said the programme activities were ‘high quality’ and three quarters of settings in more deprived areas got involved with three or more types of Hub activity, the report commissioned by the Department for Education reveals.
The review found that 74% of settings made changes to practice as a result of participating in Hub activities and 88% of these settings felt the changes would improve all intended outcomes for children, but particularly their language and communication skills and personal, social and emotional development (PSED).
You can download and read the Early Years Stronger Practice Hubs evaluation report at the bottom of this page.
The Early Years Stronger Practice Hubs programme was launched in November 2022 and is funded by the Department for Education (DfE) and supported by the National Children's Bureau (NCB) as delivery partner and the Education Endowment Foundation (EEF) as evidence partner,
There are 18 Hubs (two in each of the government office regions), providing support and advice to improve quality in early years settings by sharing good practice and offering evidence-informed professional development for early years educators. The programme is funded until March 2026.
Despite some initial challenges around set up, processes and timeframes, the evaluation carried out by IFF Research concludes that the Hub model is a suitable way of supporting the sector and effective working relationships between the Hubs and NCB and EEF were a key strength and driver of the programme's success.
"We are delighted to see this evaluation of the Stronger Practice Hubs indicating positive outcomes across a relatively short timeframe – demonstrating the potential for collaborative working both in terms of national delivery and for local networks. Stronger Practice Hubs have been commended as a model of supporting workforce development that is peer-led, responsive and inclusive with positive outcomes for the workforce and children. The work of the Hubs has led to a high number of settings making practice changes that have had positive impacts on language and communication, personal, social and emotional development and overall school readiness.
Those improvements were reported as greatest in areas reporting higher levels of deprivation. The Hubs have done much to be responsive to the needs of the sector, particularly in supporting opportunities for childminders, and there is clearly great appetite across the sector for learning from experts and from each other. The Hub model has been demonstrated to be a good fit for the early childhood care and education sector, bringing together a fragmented workforce through building networks across professionals and settings."
Alice Jones Bartoli, NCB Deputy Director, Education and Early Years