Early Years Digest

21 October 2025

PRESS & MEDIA 

Parenting advice on social media is often poor quality, says Phillipson – The Guardian  

UK poverty crisis laid bare as 500,000 children living in families trapped in benefits debt cycle – The Independent 

Why libraries have pulled popular children’s books from shelves – The Independent 

‘Catastrophic decline’ in Black representation in children’s books – The Guardian 

Young children taking knives to school, BBC finds – BBC News 

Phillipson: ‘Generational reset’ for white working-class pupils – TES Magazine 

Teenagers arrested over cyber-attack on London nurseries – The Guardian

 

FEATURE STORIES

There’s no such thing as mum and dad anymore, only the state – The Telegraph [subscription required] 

Feed babies’ brains and they will be nourished for life – The Times 

Ofsted’s new focus on EAL is a step in the right direction – TES Magazine 

 

RESEARCH & POLICY DEVELOPMENT

PRESS RELEASE: Parents supported to navigate early years misinformation online – Government 

REPORT: Barriers to early potty training evidence base – ERIC 

POLICY BRIEFING:  From policy to implementation: ncb.org.uk How to deliver on the ambitions of the Best Start in Life strategy – National Children’s Bureau 

TOOLKIT: New pregnancy grant toolkit for local authorities Nesta  

 

BLOGS, PODCASTS & MORE

PODCAST: Autism, School and Families on the Edge Panorama 

VIDEO: What if “play” isn’t the right word? Tiny Chair Podcast 

 

EVENTS & RESOURCES

Using data in the Early Years – Nesta and Born in Bradford (BiB) Wednesday 19 November, The Great Victoria Hotel, Bradford, in person, full day event 

 

JOBS

Chief of Staff – Save the Children UK (London, home-based) 

PhD funding opportunity Portsmouth City Council (PCC), Nesta and UCL 

 

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