Supporting children with SEND has always been an important part of early years practice, but for many settings it is also an area that feels increasingly complex. Teams may be supporting children with a wide range of needs, navigating referrals and waiting lists, working alongside different professionals and trying to make sure families feel supported […]
When safeguarding guidance changes, nursery leaders have decisions to make. Which policies need reviewing? What does the team need to understand? How will leaders know that the changes are being followed when the nursery is busy?The EYFS framework has strengthened welfare and safeguarding requirements, and Ofsted has clarified how inspectors consider safeguarding and the quality […]
Strong parent partnerships have always been at the heart of high-quality early years practice. They are not simply an expectation of the Early Years Foundation Stage; they are fundamental to helping every child feel safe, secure and ready to learn. When parents and practitioners work together, children benefit from consistency, shared understanding and positive relationships. […]
Every term, nurseries across England go through the same process: collecting Parental Declaration forms, chasing parents who have not responded, checking eligibility codes, and entering data into their Local Authority portal. It is time-consuming, repetitive, and when something goes wrong, the financial consequences can be significant. Claiming 15 hours instead of 30 for a child […]
Behind every successful nursery is a strong leadership team. Whilst practitioners have the greatest impact on children’s daily experiences, effective leadership creates the culture that allows excellent practice to flourish. High-performing leadership teams do far more than manage rotas, policies and paperwork. They inspire others, develop confidence and create environments where both children and adults […]
Every nursery has an improvement plan. Actions are identified, training is booked, policies are updated and deadlines are set. But writing an improvement plan does not improve practice any more than buying new resources automatically improves children’s learning. Real improvement happens when leaders understand what is working, what needs to change and, most importantly, whether the changes they […]
Over the past few weeks, safeguarding has once again become a national conversation within the early years sector. The BBC documentary Nursery Scandals: What Went Wrong? brought to light several tragic and deeply distressing cases, including the death of toddler Noah and historic abuse carried out by individuals working within nursery settings. Alongside this, reports […]
When the doors to the outdoor area open, children often head outside with energy, excitement and a real sense of freedom. For many, it’s a chance to move, explore, communicate, solve problems and connect with others in different ways. The outdoor environment offers countless opportunities for learning and development. But it’s also a useful moment […]
Welcome to the final blog in our three-part series on elevating leadership in the Early Years sector. We started by redefining delegation as a tool for capability building, and then we explored how to use accountability as supportive scaffolding rather than a harsh spotlight. Today, we are bringing it all together. We are looking at […]
Welcome to the second blog in our three-part series on elevating leadership in the Early Years sector. In our first post, we explored how true delegation is about building capability, not just offloading tasks. Today, we are tackling the natural next step – and often the hardest part of leadership: accountability. In my work coaching […]
Welcome to the first in a three-part series exploring how we can elevate our leadership in the Early Years sector. In my work coaching Early Years leaders and developing the 9-Step Management Mastery program, I often see managers and deputies wrestling with the same core challenge: time. We are constantly balancing the immediate needs of […]
There has been a clear shift since the introduction of the Ofsted Early Years inspection toolkit. What is coming through in inspections now is not that settings are getting everything wrong, but that practice is not always secure across all areas. It is entirely possible to demonstrate a strong standard in one area, meet expectations […]