Healthy Eating, Oral Hygiene and Notifiable Diseases
The guidance aims to help early years practitioners meet health requirement in the EYFS Statutory Framework.
Healthy Eating
Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) nutrition guidance changes from September 2025
The Department for Education is committed to ensuring that all children in early years settings have the best possible start in life. As part of this, we are introducing new nutrition guidance in the EYFS statutory framework, which will replace the ‘Examples menus for early years settings in England’ guidance from September 2025.
The new guidance has been developed with nutrition and sector experts. It will help early years providers understand how to meet the existing EYFS requirement: ‘Where children are provided with meals, snacks and drinks, these must be healthy, balanced and nutritious’.
Good nutrition in the early years is crucial for setting the foundations for a lifetime of good health. From September 2025, providers will be required to have regard to the new nutrition guidance, meaning they must take it into account and should follow it unless there is good reason not to.
It is important to acknowledge that healthy eating habits in the early years are very important because they influence children's growth, development and academic achievement in later life.
Eating well, growing food, cooking, planning for meals and shopping for food will support children and young people to develop skills needed throughout their lives.
Help for Early Years Providers includes nutrition content which includes videos to help you fulfill the requirement to provide healthy, balanced and nutritious food for the children in your care. Follow the link for more information; Help for early years providers : Nutrition (education.gov.uk)
The content:
explains the importance of introducing good food habits from birth
includes information on the dietary requirements of babies and young children and how to plan a balanced menu
provides recipe cards for tasty, cost effective, nutritious recipes you can use in your settings
gives tips on how to introduce solid foods safely to babies
provides information on food safety
links to further reading and resources
Food allergens pose a significant risk to consumers with allergic conditions, which may even be life threatening. Children are particularly vulnerable because of their reduced level of control over the foods they eat. Childcare providers are responsible for making sure that they have allergen information to provide for the food they serve and that this is accurate, consistent and verifiable. The Food Standards Agency provides free online food allergen resources and training.
The EYFS Statutory Framework expects early years providers to promote children’s good health and oral hygiene, which should be introduced to children at an early age. A child’s first experiences with dental hygiene and oral health can impact on the rest of their life.
Explains the importance of good oral health for early years children
Helps practitioners to meet the oral health requirement in the EYFS
Includes practical tips and activities to use in early years settings
Links to further reading and resources
Support available from The Nottingham Oral Health team
Details of free oral health training
The Oral Health Improvement team offers a comprehensive, evidence-based training program for early years professionals. This training equips participants with the skills to provide accurate, evidence-based oral health promotion advice to both children and their parents. During the training, essential topics such as oral health guidance, dietary recommendations, and the importance of dental visits are covered. Additionally, engaging activity ideas and resources to help integrate oral health into daily activities are provided.
Training can be delivered either online or in person. Online training dates are available on the Nottingham Oral Health Improvement website Nottinghamshire - Community Dental Services
The Nottingham Oral Health team implements a sustainable and targeted supervised tooth brushing program in early years settings, particularly in areas where children are at a high risk of poor oral health. The Office for Health Improvement and Disparities has endorsed supervised tooth brushing programs due to the strong evidence supporting its effectiveness. Research shows that daily brushing in nurseries or schools over a one-year period is effective in preventing tooth decay in children.
Settings are assisted in integrating the program into daily activities, ensuring it becomes a positive and routine experience.
Each eligible participating setting will receive, free of charge, full training along with storage racks, paper towels, cleaning products, and enough toothpaste and toothbrushes for the children for the entire school year. This makes the program cost-neutral for the setting. Additionally, oral health resources and take-home packs are provided to help communicate messages to parents and support children in continuing their brushing routine at home. To find out if your setting is eligible email the local team on Oralhealth.nottinghamshire@cds-cic.co.uk
Get in touch with the community dental services team. See the link below for their contact details:
The Oral Health Improvement Team is proud to be commissioned by Nottinghamshire County Council and Nottingham City Council to deliver free Oral Health Training to professionals and volunteers working and supporting children. Follow the link below for more information.
The EYFS states, settings must have a procedure, which must be discussed with parents and/or carers, for taking appropriate action if children are ill or infectious. This procedure must also cover the necessary steps to prevent the spread of infection
Settings must complete this form to inform your local health protection team immediately about suspected notifiable disease cases.
Don’t wait for laboratory confirmation of the suspected infection or contamination before notification. Send the certificate to the proper officer within 3 days or phone them within 24 hours, if the case is urgent.
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA, formerly Public Health England) aims to detect possible outbreaks of disease and epidemics as rapidly as possible. Accuracy of diagnosis is secondary, and since 1968 clinical suspicion of a notifiable infection is all that’s required.
