Early Years Professional Development Programme

Through online eLearning modules and facilitated group webinars, we helped early years practitioners to improve their practice in three core areas:

1. communication and language
2. early mathematics
3. personal, social, and emotional development (PSED).

The evidence-based programme was tailored to the needs of participants, and delivered content created by industry specialists. The EYPDP was designed with a flexible delivery model, over an eight-month period of learning, and offered educators opportunities to collaborate with other sector professionals. In particular, we targeted those working with children from disadvantaged backgrounds.

The EYPDP had an overwhelmingly positive impact on the practice of the practitioners who took part, and many reported seeing improvements in children’s outcomes as a result of the programme:

• 14,500 early years practitioners were supported across four cohorts
• 98% of participants felt more confident and knowledgeable as a result of the EYPDP
• 94% felt motivated to continue working as early years practitioners
• 94% of pre-school leaders felt the programme improved the quality of provision.

The EYPDP also strengthened the early years sector in England in other ways. For example, leaders of participating organisations reported that the programme led to improvements in staff retention and made recruitment easier, while practitioners said their morale had improved.

“The vast majority of early years practitioners agreed that the changes they had made to their practice following participation of EYPDP3 would improve children’s development in language and communication, mathematics, and personal, social, and emotional development.”

- Department for Education evaluation report