The EduNest Blog

Childminder Business Tips

Childminder Tax Returns: What You Can and Cannot Claim as a Business Expense

Getting your tax return right as a childminder is harder than it sounds — HMRC's guidance wasn't written with us in mind, which means many childminders are quietly either leaving money on the table or claiming things they shouldn't. This article breaks down exactly what you can and cannot claim as a business expense, from shared household costs to your car, in plain terms.

24 Feb 2026 8 min read

Parent Communication

How to Write a Nursery Newsletter Parents Actually Read

Most nursery newsletters get a quick scan for the child's name and nothing more — not because parents don't care, but because the writing wasn't meant for them. This guide cuts through the Ofsted-speak to show you what parents actually want to read, and how to say it in a way that sticks.

23 Feb 2026 8 min read

Key Stage Teaching

How to Plan Differentiated Lessons for Mixed-Ability KS2 Classes

Most primary teachers know the reality: thirty children, five attainment levels, and the clock ticking on Sunday evening. This article cuts through the theory to explain how differentiation actually works in a real KS2 classroom — not the Ofsted-ready version, but the one that's genuinely sustainable.

22 Feb 2026 8 min read

EYFS Activities & Planning

How to Plan EYFS Activities Around the Seven Areas of Learning

Planning EYFS activities across all seven areas of learning is one of those things that looks straightforward on paper but quickly becomes a tangled mess of sticky notes and good intentions. This article cuts through the noise and explains how the prime and specific areas actually fit together — so your planning works with children's development rather than alongside it.

21 Feb 2026 7 min read

Safeguarding & Welfare

What the Keeping Children Safe in Education 2024 Updates Mean for Your School

The September update to Keeping Children Safe in Education is never just an admin exercise — and 2024 is no exception. This breakdown cuts through the document to show DSLs and headteachers exactly where the guidance has teeth and what genuinely needs to change in your school.

21 Feb 2026 7 min read

SEN & Inclusion

How to Write an Effective SEND Support Plan: A Step-by-Step Guide for Early Years Practitioners

Many practitioners find that writing a SEND support plan is straightforward enough until they actually sit down to do it — then the blank page has a way of making everything feel uncertain. This guide works through the process in practical terms, grounded in what genuinely helps children rather than what satisfies a checklist.

21 Feb 2026 8 min read

Outdoor Learning

How to Run a Forest School Session Without a Forest School Qualification (And When You Actually Need One)

There's a persistent myth in early years settings that taking children into woodland requires a forest school certificate — and it's keeping perfectly capable practitioners stuck indoors. This article cuts through the confusion between outdoor learning and forest school proper, so you know exactly what you can do today and what genuinely requires a qualification.

21 Feb 2026 8 min read

Child Development

Understanding Schemas in Early Years: How to Observe and Extend Children's Repeated Play Patterns

Children's repeated, seemingly baffling play behaviours — the endless moving, wrapping, filling, and spinning — are far from random, and understanding why they happen changes how you see everything in the early years setting. This article unpacks what schemas are, where the idea comes from, and how recognising them lets you plan provision that actually meets children where they are.

21 Feb 2026 8 min read

Childminder Business Tips

How to Write a Childminding Policies and Procedures Pack That Satisfies Ofsted

Your policies pack isn't just a box-ticking exercise — it's Ofsted's clearest window into how you actually run your setting. This guide cuts through the confusion to show you what genuinely needs to be in it, and how to write it in your own words rather than hiding behind someone else's template.

21 Feb 2026 8 min read

Parent Communication

How to Write Meaningful End-of-Term Reports for Early Years Children

End-of-term reports for young children sit at an uncomfortable crossroads: too vague and parents learn nothing, too formal and you lose the warmth that defines early years practice. A practitioner with years of nursery and reception experience shares what she's learned — including the mistakes that took embarrassingly long to fix.

21 Feb 2026 8 min read