Get an award

Early Years settings/childminders should:

• complete the HEYL First Steps application form
• have full support of the leader of the setting, and have told all staff about the programme
• inform parents about the setting’s involvement in HEYL
• start to audit their food against the Voluntary food and drink guidelines for Early Years settings in England

To qualify for the Bronze Award, you will have to meet standards in:

• personal development, behaviour and welfare
• quality of teaching, learning and assessment
• effectiveness of leadership and management

Early Years settings/childminders need to:

• complete the HEYL Bronze Award audit and meet all of the criteria
• meet the Voluntary food and drink guidelines for Early Years settings in England

They can submit:

1. A completed HEYL Bronze Award audit showing all criteria are met
2. A copy of the Food and Drink Guidelines checklist showing all criteria are met
3. The setting’s most recent Ofsted report (this lets the borough lead see how the setting is using HEYL to respond to health and wellbeing-related recommendations)

The borough lead will look at the submitted documents to see if the setting offers a good level of support for health, wellbeing and education.

Early Years settings/childminders should:

• hold a HEYL Bronze Award
• complete the HEYL Silver Award audit and meet all of the criteria
• develop an aspect of work addressing one health, wellbeing or education priority
  1. Identify an area of work to develop based on local priorities and staff, families’ or children’s needs
  2. This priority can be universal or targeted and should demonstrate the setting’s approach to supporting all children’s health, wellbeing and education
  3. Write the work up as a case-study/learning journal

They can submit:

• an up to date HEYL Bronze Award audit showing all the criteria are met
• a completed HEYL Silver Award audit showing all the criteria are met
• a case-study/learning journal showing the impact of the setting’s work to address one health, wellbeing or education priority

The borough quality assurance group will look at the submitted documents and judge if the setting demonstrates excellent practice.

Excellent practice means the setting is working beyond the essential requirements in the HEYL Bronze Award audit and can show the impact of their work.

Early Years settings/childminders should:

• hold a HEYL Silver Award (for at least one year)
• sustain work from the HEYL Silver Award case-study/learning journal
• develop aspects of work on two further health, wellbeing or education priorities
  1. Identify two further areas of work to develop based on local priorities and staff, families’ or children’s needs
  2. One priority should meet the needs of a particular child or group of targeted children and one should support a whole (universal) setting approach to supporting all children’s health, wellbeing and education
  3. Write up this work as two case-studies/learning journals (Childminders only need to identify one priority and write one case-study/learning journal; this could be universal or targeted.)

They can submit:

• an updated HEYL Bronze Award audit and HEYL Silver Award audit
• information about how they have sustained the work from their HEYL Silver Award case-study/learning journal for at least one year
• one targeted and one universal case-study showing the impact of the work (only one case-study/learning journal for the childminders)

Each Bronze/Silver/Gold Award lasts three years. Renew an Award by submitting these documents:

Bronze

• a revised Bronze Award audit
• Food and Drink Guidelines checklist
• most recent Ofsted report

Silver

• updated Bronze Award audit
• Silver Award audit
• a new case study/learning journal

Gold

• updated Bronze and Silver Award audits showing how work from one of their two Gold Award case studies/learning journals is being sustained
• two new case studies/learning journals (one for childminders)