Vice Chancellor Professor Janet Rose co-authors new sensory wellbeing book as Norland hosts free CPD launch event
11 November 2026
Professionals working in the early years sector are invited to a free CPD (continuing professional development) event at Norland this month to celebrate the launch of a new practical guide to sensory wellbeing, co-authored by Vice Chancellor Professor Janet Rose.
The Sensory Aware Early Years Toolkit: Approaches to Enhance Sensory Wellbeing in Your Setting has been written by Alice Hoyle and Tessa Hyde with contributions from Vice Chancellor of Norland, Professor Janet Rose, and author Charlotte Forrester.
Designed for busy early years teams, the book offers practical strategies to help practitioners understand how sensory experiences influence children’s behaviour, communication, play and learning.
Taking a whole-setting approach, the book explores how sensory wellbeing impacts both children and adults, helping practitioners create environments where everyone can feel safe, regulated and ready to thrive. Packed with resources, including self-assessment tools, environmental audits and practical strategies, it provides realistic, easy-to-implement guidance that can be adapted for a range of early years settings.
To mark the publication, Norland will host the official book launch and free CPD event on Friday 27 November 2026. The event takes place from 2pm to 4pm at Norland’s teaching campus in Bath. The interactive session will introduce participants to the book’s approach and provide practical ideas that can be applied immediately in early years practice. Attendees will explore the importance of the eight senses, consider the relationship between sensory needs, regulation and behaviour, and learn ways to make routines, environments and interactions more sensory-aware.
Alice Hoyle and Tessa Hyde said: “We were delighted by the runaway success of our first book, Becoming a Sensory-Aware School, and it quickly became clear that there was a real appetite for the same practical, whole-setting approach in the early years. Reimagining that work for younger children has been an exciting process, and we hope practitioners will find the toolkit practical, reassuring and easy to use.”
Sensory wellbeing plays an important role in children’s learning, development and emotional wellbeing. This toolkit offers practical, accessible guidance to help early years practitioners think more deeply about sensory experiences across their settings. It is wonderful to be launching the book at Norland and sharing this important work with the early years sector.Professor Janet Rose, Vice Chancellor of Norland University of Early Childhood
Charlotte Forrester said: “It has been a real privilege to bring our early years perspectives to the toolkit, drawing on the knowledge and experience of my wonderful team and the approaches we have developed together. So much of what we have shared comes from watching, listening to and learning from children, and understanding what genuinely helps them thrive.”
The event is aimed at early years practitioners, Special Educational Needs Co‑ordinators (SENCOs), nursery leaders and anyone interested in creating inclusive environments that support both children and adults. Attendees will also can meet the authors and learn more about the toolkit’s whole-setting approach.
Freebooks available to download
Two freebooks are available to download, offering a sample of the practical tools and resources from the authors’ sensory-aware approach:
- Becoming a Sensory Aware School freebook includes resources from Becoming a Sensory Aware School, which supports a whole-school approach to sensory inclusion and wellbeing.
- The Sensory Aware Early Years Toolkit freebook provides a preview of the new early years toolkit, including its focus on regulation, sensory autonomy and understanding behaviour as communication.
Free book launch and CPD event
- Friday 27 November 2026, 2pm to 4pm.
- Norland University of Early Childhood, 39–41 Upper Oldfield Park, Bath, BA2 3LB.
- Free to attend, but online booking is essential.
