Good News: Apprenticeships are Back in the Spotlight
All three main parties used their conferences this year to talk about apprenticeships, which is good news for businesses like LEYF where apprentices are the rightful pipeline of future Early…
LEYF News and CEO Blog
Read the latest news and updates from our CEO and the wider LEYF team.
Talking Early Years: In converation with Catherine Lippe
Why Nursery Chefs Are Our Unsung Food Champions We talk endlessly about phonics, play, and pedagogy in Early Years — but how often do we talk about peas, pulses,…
Let’s Hear it for the Early Years Teacher!
I am always happy to support Early Years Alliance and NDNA campaigns but, right now, I think they are both missing a trick. They want to raise the…
50 Fantastic Ideas to Encourage Diversity and Inclusion
When we started to think about writing a book on diversity, Nausheen and I agreed that inclusion begins from the premise that if you build an inclusive approach you will…
Zoom Zoom to the OBC
Thank you to everyone who attended the Zoom OBC on Monday 6 June. It was a great turnout given so many of you were still recovering from eating a…
Refugee Day – Giving Everyone the Right to Safety and an Education
When the war in Ukraine started, many LEYF staff were really upset about the children. In fact, one conversation which stuck in my mind was: “June, they could be at…
It’s time for a post-pandemic OBC
In preparation for this meeting and because time is simply speeding past, I looked over all the minutes of the previous Ofsted Big Conversation (OBC) blogs. The OBC kicked…
Talking Early Years with June O’Sullivan: in Conversation with Karen Lynch
Do you enjoy listening to an honest, funny, down to earth conversation? That sums up my chat with serial social entrepreneur Karen Lynch. I met Karen many…
Save Our Staff: Child Ratios
In 2013, then Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education) Elizabeth Truss decided to pursue a plan to reduce staff:child ratios. It was very unpopular and was roundly rejected by the sector…
Talking Early Years with June O’Sullivan: in Conversation with Katherine Hill
Child Poverty Affects Us All Why is child poverty not on the agenda? It’s a horrible situation that doesn’t just affect the child but the wider…
Tackling the Early Years Recruitment Crisis Head On
A sober outlook The mood across the Early Years sector seems to be suggesting that recruiting and retaining staff is one of our biggest challenges. It was certainly the biggest…
Talking Early Years with June O’Sullivan: in Conversation with Charlotte Riley
Time to Put Childcare in the Spotlight When do you hear the words ‘actor’ and ‘childcare’ in the same sentence? Rarely, according to actor Charlotte Riley, Founder of The…
Why the Early Years MUST be ‘Levelled Up’ Without Delay
With all the fuss about ‘Partygate’ and too many unpleasant images of our Prime Minster being shared by angry, vindictive ex-colleagues – you may have been forgiven for missing the…
Talking Early Years with June O’Sullivan: In Conversation with Helen Garnett
Time to Put Empathy at the Heart of Pedagogy I first got to know Helen Garnett when I met her at an Empathy Lab event and was…