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 […]
In early years, it is easy to feel that safeguarding is covered once a Designated Safeguarding Lead has been trained. The course has been completed. The certificate is in place. The role is assigned. But safeguarding is not secured by simply attending a course. It depends on the depth and quality of the training behind […]
In Early Childhood, behaviour is rarely random. More often, it is a form of communication. Young children are still developing the language, emotional understanding and self-regulation skills needed to express their needs and feelings. When those skills are emerging, children often communicate through their actions. For practitioners, this means that behaviour should not be viewed […]
In the busy Early Years environments, practitioners are constantly balancing many responsibilities – supporting routines, ensuring children are safe and engaged, and responding to individual needs throughout the day. Within this hustle bustle, it can sometimes feel difficult to slow down and engage in deeper interactions with children. However, these meaningful moments of connection are […]