D is for Disadvantaged: What Does that Mean?
“Disadvantage” is one of those terms we bandy about in policy papers and conference keynotes, but what do we mean by it? Do we understand the lived reality behind the…
LEYF News and CEO Blog
Read the latest news and updates from our CEO and the wider LEYF team.
The Power of Intergenerational Nurseries
Talking Early Years: June O’Sullivan and Sue Egersdorff The world is changing fast. Technology is accelerating how we live, work and even care, but in that rush, you…
Coaching us into the Year of the Sheep
Popping into our nursery in Soho which neighbours Chinatown I couldn’t help but notice the preparations to welcome the Chinese Year of the Sheep. Since my…
International Random Acts of Kindness Week
I just came across The International Random Acts of Kindness Week and was rather intrigued by the campaign. It stuck a chord for two reasons: Firstly, LEYF recently…
A Trip to Ireland to Meet a New Baby
On St Brigid’s Day, I took to the skies courtesy of Aer Lingus (under threat of being sold at the moment, another icon in…
A celebration fit of a Queen… or at least Her Majesty’s representative
On Friday the 23rd of January, a date that will now be forever embedded in my memory, I received my MBE from Her Majesty’s Representative The Lord-Lieutenant of Greater London, Sir David Brewer…
Doing Business by Doing Good
Last week was a cold and wet week to head to Manchester but I was warmed by the company of social entrepreneurs from across the UK. We come together as…
Let’s Start the Year Together
When I first submitted this blog to Jenny, she read it and then sidled up to me and said, “I see your point but could you not start the year with…
2014 : Blogging Through the Year (on a one horse open sleigh, o’er the field we go laughing all the way…)
Can we have whizzed through another year? Can you remember it all? I can’t remember the beginning of the week let alone the previous months, although with old age comes…
Creating Social Enterprises
Last week I was awarded the Social Enterprise Women’s Champion Award. I was completely shocked as my nomination was as surprising as the win. The award was…
There is Nothing as Practical as a Good Theory
This week we are hosting the launch of a book written by an ex LEYF staff member Mine Conkbayir and her co-writer Professor Chris Pascal CBE, who has been a…
The Ofsted National Consultative Forum: Read, Rage and Respond
Ofsted held its National Consultative Forum on the 12th of November and I was invited. This was my second meeting and I am there (in my mind anyway) to represent…
What Can We Do to Stop the Childhood Obesity Catastrophe?
Food and unhealthy eating is a regular feature on my blogs because what is happening is really scary. One in five children are obese and apparently 11% of toddlers are…
An Open Letter to the Minister, Sam Gyimah MP
Dear Minister I was sorry to miss your Policy Exchange lecture last week but maybe that was a good thing as it’s often better to read the script in…