The Southampton Healthy Early Years Award (HEYA) offers a unique opportunity for settings to work towards a quality assured programme, helping to improve health and wellbeing for for all children in the early years .
Helping families to make healthier choices remains a national focus. In Southampton, obesity rates are similar to the England average, but these levels are still unacceptably high. Addressing obesity through healthier nutrition and physical activity choices in addition to improving oral health and mental health and wellbeing remains a priority for the city, as identified in the Southampton’s Children and Young People’s Strategic Plan for Education 2022/27.
Participating in the award will help early years settings (Childminders, Pre-schools, Nurseries, Family Hubs and Yr R) to provide a healthier environment for children in your care. It will help families to make positive choices and provides practical support (and CPD) for early year’s practitioners.
You can find out more about the award and the views of some Southampton settings by watching the Southampton Healthy Early Years Award video below.
Southampton’s HEYA was originally developed in 2009. In 2017 it was redesigned and piloted, to make it more accessible and practical to achieve.
There are seven stand-alone awards at three progressive levels: Bronze, Silver and Gold. Settings begin with bronze awards in Healthy Eating and Physical Activity or Mental Health & Wellbeing. The Mental Health & Wellbeing is optional at bronze level. Once both the healthy eating and physical activity bronze awards have been achieved, settings can move on to silver level if they wish. At this level there are three awards to choose from: Healthy Eating, Healthy Mouth and Physical Activity. Settings who undertake and complete all three awards will have the opportunity to move on to obtain the HEYA Gold award, however at this stage settings must also complete the bronze Mental Health & Wellbeing, if this has not already been achieved. All awards are valid for three years and all progression steps must be taken within the three year period.
All awards paperwork and guidance are accessible online. Completing a self-assessment form is the main piece of evidence required for the initial bronze level. At silver level, attendance at training is required in addition to submitting all relevant evidence. Training is funded for Southampton settings and is delivered by the HEYA team. It must be completed prior to submission of the silver award. Please see the traning tab below. On this page, you will find the information to undertake each level of the award.
Please note: when submitting awards for assessment, you will only be able to submit a maximum of five additional pieces of evidence. The majority of the evidence should be submitted by completion of the self-assessment form.
Please read all flow charts and instructions before starting any of the awards and contact the HEYA team if you have any queries. If you are ready to start, please complete the sign up form.
All correspondence and submissions must be sent to: HEYA@southampton.gov.uk. Submissions will be passed to the relevant assessor who will aim to provide feedback within one month.
What settings have said about the impact of undertaking an awardSHOW
"It brought physical activity back to the top of my agenda. The children have enjoyed their new experiences and commented ‘that was fun’ on the way home."
"It has developed the children's knowledge around healthy eating, trying new foods, sharing with families things they have learnt and tried."
"Parents are more aware of the choices they make and have more variety in their children's lunch boxes."
"It has been great for the team to work towards the award together. It has positively impacted our planning and conversations."
"Staff have shown lots of interest in finding healthier recipes to use in the rooms, staff have also been enjoying the new menus for their own lunches."
"Really enjoyed it! Seeing the children using their different motor skills and trying out new activities was great to see. Knowing parents have taken on board what you have explained to them and walking their toddlers into sessions is great."
"Raised awareness of portion sizes and having a healthy mix foods. Parents have also asked for copies of recipes of foods served on the snack table over the course of this award."
"In the team it has raised awareness, importance, knowledge, refreshing policy etc, team build (all staff joining in with outside physical agencies)."
"It has promoted more opportunities to talk about feelings and emotions/regulation- investing in this to be 'the norm', open conversations and support for parents which benefit the children."
Key person getting to know key group better/on an emotional level and what their needs/'love languages' are- eg positive affirmation/praise, cuddles etc."
It has built more of a support network for parents and families: better parent partnership, positive parenting at home, having more conversations, knowing how important mental health and well-being is."
"The example self-assessment is very helpful to fill in the form."
For some parents it has made them think about what their children do , especially amount of time they spend on tablets."
"Children are looking forward to toothbrushing so they can complete their chart. Parents are becoming more interested and asking more questions and for more training."
"Parents understand our philosophy and ethos more for healthy eating by doing this award. Parents are making healthier meals at home."
"We are able to offer advice and support around oral hygiene and especially teeth brushing to the parents who then have the information to be able to keep their children’s mouth healthy."
You can hear more views of the award from our providers by watching the Southampton Healthy Early Years Award video:
Why should I consider working towards the HEYA?SHOW
Working towards the Southampton HEYA will help you to:
Create a healthier environment for children by meeting standards on good quality nutrition, oral health and physical activity and mental health & wellbeing.
Improve outcomes for children through healthy eating, positive oral health and physical activity and supporting overall wellbeing.
Follow a clear structure to meet best practice guidance and advice
Support your staff to increase their own knowledge and awareness of under 5s nutrition, oral health and physical activity and mental health & wellbeing.
Role model healthy behaviours and good practice
Provide clear and consistent messages to parents /carers and children on all aspects of HEYA to support home learning and the home environment.
Provide evidence to support the Early Years Foundation Stage statutory requirements and enable reflective practice for self-evaluation, with links to observational tools such as ECERS-R, ITERS-R and FCCERS-R rating scales.
Build on a whole healthy setting approach.
Complete the Healthy Eating bronze level of the Southampton HEYA to support progression towards the silver Healthy Mouth Award.
HEYA achieversSHOW
The following early years and childcare providers hold one or more current awards:
Ladybirds Pre-school (Porchester Road)
Ladybirds Pre-school (Parkside)
St James Nursery and Pre-school
Startpoint Sholing Nursery
Startpoint Northam Pre-school
Kanes Hill Pre-school
Over the rainbow childminding – Toni Southwell
Sticky Fingers Pre-school @ Newlands
Sticky Fingers Pre-School @ Redbridge
Little Berries Pre-school @ Bassett
Happy Bunnies Pre-school
Little Berries
Taplins Nursery SGH
Paint Pots Pre-school and Nursery Swaythling
Olive Tree Pre-school
Brook Early Years
Southampton Family Hub West
Southampton Family Hub East
Southampton Family Hub Central
University of Southampton Early Years Centre
Paint Pots Pre-school @ Testwood Road
Oasis Academy Lordshill Pre-school
Riverside Pre-school CIO
Honeybeez Pre-school
Paint Pots Pre-school Howard Road
Harefield Community Pre-school
Redroofs Nursery
Tickleford Pre-school
Trust Taplins Childcare
Joanne Hartnell-Parker
Paint Pots Pre-school @ St Marks
Squirrels Corner Pre-school
Bevois Town Community Pre-school
The Mulberry Bush Bitterne Park
Emma and Mikes Little Kingdom
Hopscotch Day Nursery Portswood
Hopscotch Day Nursery Regents Park
Susie’s Childcare
Rise and Shine Childcare
The Nest Childcare
Jane's House
Mansbridge Community Pre-School
HEYA Bronze AwardSHOW
The bronze awards are designed to be a simple way for settings to start on the programme, guiding you through any necessary changes to policy and practice in either physical activity, healthy eating or mental health & wellbeing and completing a self-assessment form. Training is not required at this level. Please ensure that you read through the flowchart and theme standards.
Settings need to consult with the relevant groups (including staff, committees, owners and parents), download the relevant themes and standards and review these in light of their current practice. Once required changes have been identified, the setting should make the necessary changes to their practice.
Following this, the setting needs to complete the self-assessment form and submit, along with the necessary additional evidence, all of which is clearly listed on the flowchart. Depending on the size of the setting and the number of changes required, we anticipate the bronze level to be worked on over a period of a term (although this may be quicker, particularly for settings already meeting the required standards).
To move on to this level, you will have completed both healthy eating and physical activity at Bronze level within the last three years. You may have also chosen to complete the MH&W, but this is not essential at this stage.
The Silver Award involves settings sending 1-2 staff representatives to a 2 ½-hour training session for each aspect of the award: healthy eating and physical activity. Settings are required to cascade the training to other team members and to demonstrate that this has been done. Support and training will be provided in your setting for the Healthy Mouth Award.
Each session is fully funded and therefore provided free of charge for Southampton providers. Settings are required to produce an action plan to identify and address development areas highlighted at bronze level, or in the self-assessment form or during the training. This would include more challenging aspects of provision, such as the setting’s approach to birthdays and addressing portion sizes for healthy eating, achieving good oral health habits or making changes to identified areas for physical activity.
The setting then works through the identified areas, making the required changes before completing a silver self-assessment form and submitting along with the necessary evidence for assessment by the HEYA team. Please see the flow chart for all evidence required to assess the submission.
Depending on the size of the setting and the number of changes required, it is anticipated that the silver level to be worked on over 2-3 months, although this may take more or less time depending on the setting.
To move on to this level, you will have completed the following within the last three years:
Bronze Mental Health and Wellbeing
Silver Healthy Eating
Silver Physical Activity
Silver Healthy Mouth
By working through all of the awards, settings will have progressively made positive changes impacting on the setting, the practitioners, the parents and families. This helps everyone to make healthier choices and changes for life. Completing the Gold award will enable settings to take this further, really making a measurable difference to families.
Attendance at a relevant training session, delivered by the HEYA team, is required for all Silver awards. This training must be cascaded to your teams in order to successfully pass silver awards.
Training is subsidised and therefore delivered free to Southampton Early Years providers. Charges will apply for settings based outside of the City boundaries.
Training may be held at Startpoint Sholing or online. The Healthy Mouth training may be delivered in your setting. Anyone currently working at bronze level is also welcome to join a training session.
If you are renewing a silver award, further attendance at training is recommended and may be required again.
Training dates are organised in response to need. If you are undertaking one of the silver awards for the first time, please email the HEYA team: HEYA@southampton.gov.uk to discuss training.
Expiring awardsSHOW
Some settings may work through HEYA awards, progressing from bronze through to gold at a steady pace and keeping their HEYA status up to date during this process. However, others may wish to stop at bronze or silver level, meaning that certificates will expire after three years.
If not being superseded by a higher award, in order to keep HEYA status validated, settings will need to renew an award when it expires. This will mean reviewing all of the relevant criteria, policy etc., completing the self-assessment form and re-submitting.
This is required because over the 3-year period, practice, children families and staff change and it is important to review, reflect and refresh practice and policies to ensure that standards are maintained. This is good practice for all aspects of early years provision.
One of the HEYA team may be in contact if your award is due to expire to discuss options. However it is a setting's responsibility to ensure that expiry dates shown on certificates are observed . Settings should not continue to use relevant logos and HEYA status for expired awards. If you have any queries, don’t hesitate to contact us.
The HEYA teamSHOW
The revised Healthy Early Years Award was developed in 2017 by a number of individuals and organisations including Solent NHS Trust, Annemarie Aburrow RD BSc (Hons) PGDip Expert Dietitian, Southampton Early Years and Childcare Team and Southampton Oral Health Educators. HEYA resources were adapted for the Healthy Mouths theme by Dr Devika Vadher (Clinical Fellow in Dental Public Health) and Dr Jeyanthi John (Consultant in Dental Public Health).
The HEYA quality assurance panel is made up of a selection of representatives from these various organisations.
Are you a school interested in HEYA?SHOW
Reception classes are welcomed and encouraged to participate in the Healthy Early Years Award. We work closely with the Healthy High Five team and your school can work with both schemes. Find out more about Healthy High Five.
Promoting active travelSHOW
Active travel is good for health and wellbeing as well as increasing focus at work. It’s also good for the environment and may reduce costs.
My Journey is also working with early years settings to encourage alternatives to car travel when travelling to an early years setting. By promoting walking and scooting for journeys to a preschool, nursery or childminder, you can keep children active and reduce congestion and pollution in your local area. You will find some ideas and activities in the early years section.
Mental health and wellbeingSHOW
In autumn 2022 a new award was introduced, focusing on the mental health & wellbeing of children, staff and parents. This award is only mandatory if a setting wants to achieve a Gold award.
Looking after your staff’s health and wellbeing can improve their attendance, productivity, and support the retention of staff in the longer term.
