Universities across the UK pledge to embed social and emotional development in early years training

Universities and further education colleges from across the UK have come together to pledge their commitment to embedding a shared understanding of social and emotional development within early years education and training.

The pledge has been made following the launch of Foundations for Life: A Guide to Social and Emotional Development by The Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood. The guide sets out why social and emotional development matters so profoundly and how these skills begin to take shape from the earliest months of life, highlighting the vital role of loving, responsive relationships in shaping children’s lifelong health and wellbeing.

Vice Chancellors and Further Education College Chief Executives have publicly committed to embedding this foundational knowledge into entry‑level training and professional education for early years practitioners. By integrating the guidance into teaching, training and professional practice, participating institutions aim to ensure greater consistency in how social and emotional development is understood and supported across the early years system.

Read the full details of the pledge below:

Foundations for Life: education sector commitment

We, the undersigned, welcome the Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood’s Foundations for Life guide, which brings together a robust, cross-disciplinary evidence base on the critical importance of social and emotional development in the earliest years of life and throughout the life course.

The guide makes a clear and compelling case: that the earliest years are foundational to lifelong wellbeing, learning, behaviour, and opportunity. It highlights that secure relationships, responsive caregiving, and enabling environments are not only essential for healthy development, but are central to building a more equitable, resilient, and prosperous society.

As leaders in further and higher education, we recognise the unique and critical role of education in shaping understanding, practice, and workforce capability across the early years system. Through our education, research, and partnerships, we influence how knowledge is generated, shared, and applied – both now and for future generations of professionals.

We therefore commit to:

• Embedding social and emotional development within curricula, workforce development, and professional training pathways
• Championing the earliest years as foundational to lifelong outcomes, ensuring this is reflected across our institutions and networks
• Translating evidence into action, strengthening the connection between research, education, and practice
• Elevating the early years workforce, recognising the expertise, value, and impact of those working directly with young children and families
• Strengthening cross-sector collaboration, working in partnership with health, education, and community systems to support children and families
• Advocating for sustained focus and investment in early childhood, recognising its long-term societal and economic benefits

Together, we commit to collective leadership across the further and higher education sector to embed a stronger, more consistent understanding of early childhood development within education and training pathways. We will use our role to shape workforce capability, influence practice across systems, and raise the status and value of the early years, helping to ensure that social and emotional development is understood, prioritised, and applied, so that every child has the best possible start in life.

Signed:

• University of East London
• University of Bath
• Birmingham Metropolitan College
• Capital City College Group
• Cardiff Metropolitan University
• Cardiff University
• De Montfort University
• Fife College
• University of Lancashire
• Liverpool John Moores University
• Kings College London
• University College London
• Manchester Metropolitan University
• Newham College
• Oxford Brookes University
• University of Portsmouth
• Sheffield Hallam University
• South Essex College
• University of Staffordshire
• University of Worcester