Publication date
Working with two-year-olds free guides
Created by Bristol Early Years:
‘Ready for twos’ – school guidance
‘All about twos’ – setting guidance
Rethinking provision, collaboration, and quality in early years education
School-based nurseries funding
In October 2024, the government launched the first round of funding for up to 300 school-based nurseries. As part of a plan to eventually deliver 3,000 school-based nurseries, schools could apply for up to £150,000 from £15 million in capital funding. The Department for Education has allocated funding to the first 300 schools in Spring 2025, preparing them to open additional spaces by September 2025.
Concerns around expanding school-based provision
Many early years setting owners and leaders have expressed concerns about the new plans for expanding school-based provision on several aspects; the suitability of nursery aged children in school buildings, the sustainability of school-based nurseries in varying birth rates and how the school-based nurseries will affect existing provision in their local areas (Gaunt & Morton 2024). Setting up a school-based nursery is complex and there are many considerations of practicalities before you have even thought about the two-year-olds, for example opening hours and school holidays just to name a few important considerations.
A political issue…
Whether or not you feel particularly political, early years is a political issue. The choices the Government makes which are largely out of our control affect us. What is in our control is how we respond and collaborate to ensure we do the best we can for the children in our care and, in this case, by creating the best environment for two-year-olds. We must advocate for two-year-olds to prevent their premature ‘schoolification’ and to counter the neoliberal discourse in early childhood settings that promotes human capital formation. As Robert-Holmes and Moss describe ‘It is striking how far the language of “school readiness” has permeated early childhood education and care in recent years, producing an image of the early childhood centre as a foundation stone or launch pad for compulsory schooling’, (2021 p.102). Alternatives to the rush of ‘schoolification’, such as Alison Clark’s call for slow knowledge and the unhurried child allows for educators to view the child as a capable, creative individual with unlimited potential (Clark 2022).
So where is the best place for two-year-olds?
Wherever the loving, knowledgeable and understanding educators are!
I have been lucky enough to visit amazing provision for two-year-olds in a variety of settings, in no particular order; maintained nursery schools, nurseries, childminders, pre-schools and school-based nurseries. Yes, there are challenges for school-based nurseries in establishing provision, however, each type of early years setting is facing their own challenges at the moment, all of whom are striving to provide fantastic early years care and education.
It is universally agreed that highly qualified, knowledgeable and passionate educators are a major influence to the quality of a setting. Research tells us that high quality pre-school provision has positive outcomes for lifelong learning for children well into their secondary education and beyond. The Effective pre-school, primary and secondary education (EPPSE) research project found that there was a great positive influence for children who went to a pre-school before the age of three and those who had attended a preschool of high quality (Taggart et al. 2015). However, quality in early years settings is a highly debated issue, which the EPPSE study tries to address.
The EPPSE study also found that ‘attending pre-school made a particular difference to the attainment of children from lower socioeconomic groups’, (Taggart et al. 2015 p.17). Following the introduction of the new funding for working families to access ‘childcare’, we must advocate for the children who are not eligible for the funding to ensure they have equitable access to high quality early years provision. There is a potential for families eligible for the ‘disadvantaged’ two-year-old funding to be displaced by the expansion of the working families funding offer. This might be a good time for you to reflect on your setting or school and what you are doing to ensure families from lower socio-economic groups are encouraged to attend your provision.
‘To spend time in the company of a two-year-old is to be given the opportunity to discover the world as if for the first time’, (Mathieson 2013). We are incredibly privileged to work with two-year-olds, however, we currently risk becoming an even more fragmented sector by isolating schools that are opening school-based nurseries. We have plenty to share between us, learning from each other for the benefit of the two-year-olds we are privileged enough to care for.
So how can we collaborate?
As a manager of a nursery I am fully aware of how busy early years settings are, and if you are anything like me, we can be our own worst enemies to allow enough time for our continual professional development and opportunities to see other settings. Reaching out to local settings creates wonderful networking opportunities where educators and leaders can learn from each other’s ambitions and problem solving.
A few ideas for collaborating:
- Check with your local authority and Stronger Practice Hub to see if there are any existing networking opportunities for educators working with two-year-olds.
- If not, speak to some of your local settings in nurseries, school-based nurseries, pre-schools etc. and see if they would be interested in setting up a network. You might choose to visit each other’s settings, meet online or set up a book/research club.
- Arrange visits to multiple local settings. For example, on an inset day three team members visit your local school-based nursery provision, another small group visiting a local nursery etc. and then feedback what you have observed and how it might influence your practice.
- Tallying up your inset days or a staff meeting with other settings – you could ask your local authority to support with your training or use the expertise of your team, giving them opportunities to network and discuss the current challenges and celebrations they are facing within their groups.
- If you notice a local school-based nursery opening, reach out and exchange knowledge about your local area and how you can collaborate to serve your local community.
Key takeaways
- No matter what the type of environment, two-year-olds need knowledgeable, interested adults as advocates within the setting and beyond.
- Collaboration is key! Networking with other educators from a variety of settings can enhance understanding, problem solving and educators’ confidence in providing mindful care and stimulating learning opportunities for two-year-olds.
- Consider noticing the pace at your setting or school and reflect upon whether your provision and practice reflects your image of the two-year-old.
Critical considerations
- Who are the champions advocating for two-year-olds at your setting or school? What continual professional development and networking opportunities do they have access to? Are they included in whole setting or school decisions/policy design?
- How do relationships underpin all aspects of pedagogy? You might be interested in exploring ‘Eight to relate: putting connections at the heart of practice’ (included in the reading list below).
- Confident leadership is vital – you can find out more about this in June O’Sullivan’s and Louise Hanen’s report ‘The twoness of twos’ (included in the reading list).
- How do you celebrate all two-year-olds and their families? Embracing what makes them, them?
- How are you supporting authentic relationships between educators and families? How are key people connecting with families, supporting their parting and reunion at the beginning and end of the day? Are families allowed inside of the setting or school?
- How does the indoor and outdoor environment promote rich, creative, challenging learning opportunities? How does it provide opportunities for mindful care?
- Have you considered the emotional environment?
- How are you providing authentic, appropriate learning opportunities for the two-year-olds at your setting?
- Have you considered how to support two-year-olds to build their independence? How do you plan for the characteristics of effective learning alongside the areas of learning and development?
There are so many other considerations for provision for two-year-olds, hence why highly knowledgeable educators and leaders are key to providing the best environment for children to thrive in. The further reading section below identifies plenty of additional opportunities to reflect upon considering provision for two-year-olds.
Explainer
Advocacy – in early childhood, advocacy is the act of speaking up for children and young people, and helping them express their views and feelings. It aims to ensure children’s rights are upheld and that they are treated fairly.
Neoliberalism – in early childhood education, neoliberalism is a neoliberal economic ideology that impacts on the early childhood sector. It’s characterised by a focus on standardisation, competition, and individual choice.
Human capital – the skills, knowledge, and experience possessed by an individual or population, viewed in terms of their value or cost to an organisation or country.
Schoolification – the process of preparing children for school by shifting classroom practices and policies towards those of a primary school.
References
Clark, A. (2023) Slow knowledge and the unhurried child [electronic resource] : time for slow pedagogies in early childhood education / Alison Clark Routledge.
Department for Education (2024) Nurseries in schools: everything you need to know. Available at: https://educationhub.blog.gov.uk/2024/10/17/nurseries-in-schools-everything-you-need-to-know/ (Accessed 6/1/25).
Gaunt, C. Morton, K. (2024) ‘School-based nurseries’: Sector wants more details before committing to plan. Nursery World. Available at: https://www.nurseryworld.co.uk/content/news/long-read-school-based-nurseries-sector-wants-more-details-before-committing-to-plan/
Mathieson, K. (2013) I am two! Working effectively with two year olds and their family. Early Education.
Roberts-Holmes, G. and Moss, P. (2021) Neoliberalism and early childhood education : markets, imaginaries and governance. First Edition. Routledge.
Taggart, B. Sylva, K. Melhuish, E. Sammons, P. Siraj, I. (2015) Effective pre-school, primary
and secondary education project (EPPSE 3-16+). Department for Education. Available at: file:///Users/cassieholland/Downloads/RB455_Effective_pre-school_primary_and_secondary_education_project.pdf.pdf (Accessed 6/1/25).
Further reading
Barnes,S. (2024) Making a difference to children disadvantaged through poverty. Bristol & Beyond Stronger Practice Hub. Available at: https://beyth.co.uk/2024/07/12/making-a-difference-to-children-disadvantaged-through-poverty-by-simone-barnes/
Bristol & Beyond Stronger Practice Hub (2024) What makes working with two-year-olds unique? Panel webinar with Julia Manning-Morton. Available at: https://beyth.co.uk/2024/07/29/panel-webinar-working-with-twos-unique-2024080119/
Bristol Early Years (2024) Eight to Relate: putting connection at the heart of practice. Available at: https://www.bristolearlyyears.org.uk/eight-to-relate/
Catton, S. (2024) The PM’s Plan for Change is a big moment for the early years. Nesta. Available at: https://www.nesta.org.uk/blog/the-pms-plan-for-change-is-a-big-moment-for-the-early-years/
Community Playthings & Jan White (unknown date) A good place to be two, developing quality environments indoors and out. Available at: https://www.communityplaythings.co.uk/learning-library/training-resources/a-good-place-to-be-two
Department for Education (2024) Establishing school-based nursery provision. Available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/establishing-school-based-nursery-provision/establishing-school-based-nursery-provision
Grenier, J. (2024) What school-based nurseries need to consider about disadvantage. TES magazine. Available at: https://www.tes.com/magazine/teaching-learning/early-years/what-school-based-nurseries-need-consider-disadvantage
Manning-Morton, J. (2024) From Birth to Three. Taylor & Francis.
Manning-Morton, J. And Thorp, M. (2015) Two-year-olds in Early Years Settings. Open University Press.
Merrick, B. (2024) School based nurseries: what the DfE guidance doesn’t say. Early Education. Available at: https://early-education.org.uk/school-based-nurseries-what-the-dfe-guidance-doesn’t-say/
O’Sullivan, J. And Hanen, L. (2025) The twoness of twos. London Institute of Early Years (LEYF). Available at: https://www.leyf.org.uk/news/talking-early-years-twoness-of-twos/
Find your local Stronger Practice Hub https://www.strongerpracticehubs.org.uk/
4 Children (unknown date) Tuning in to two-year-olds. Available at: https://www.4children.org.uk/Resources/Detail/Tuning-in-to-Two-Year-Olds/
Working with two-year-olds free guides
Created by Bristol Early Years:
‘Ready for twos’ – school guidance
‘All about twos’ – setting guidance
Watch the full podcast episode
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