Strengthening Practice Through Research – EECERA
LEYF at EECERA 2025 Wrapped up with a Bow for You! Attending an EECERA conference established by the wonderful Chris Pascal and Tony Bertram has become a LEYF ritual. …
LEYF News and CEO Blog
Read the latest news and updates from our CEO and the wider LEYF team.
The Power of Human Connection in a Distracted World
On the 17th of November, I was invited by the Royal Foundation, Centre for Early Childhood to a lecture by Professor Robert Waldinger from Harvard University, who co-wrote the letter…
Sing-along to Bob Marley as you prepare for International Children’s Day on 1st June
Thank you all who responded to my blog ‘Colleagues, it’s time we finally took control’ calling us to stand up together and Reclaim Early Years from the toxic grip…
Dear Colleagues, it’s time we finally took control.
Our Minister has done us a favour, although she may not have realised it. She has thrown down the gauntlet by challenging the sector, so now we need to take…
An inspector calls… and the sector arrives to listen and ponder.
On Friday morning I traipsed up to Camden to hear Sir Michael Wilshaw, Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Education, Children’s Services and Skills announce his…
Get on the train to Brussels and make new friends.
Reading documents from the European Commission require some preparation: firstly a cup of tea and a packet of Fig Rolls; secondly some good music…
The Power of Good Old Fashioned Care: Love, Chat and Adele
A few weeks ago Wave Trust in partnership with the DfE published its report Conception to Age 2 – The Age of…
Can the Genie of the Lamp help us find the best staff in Early Years?
There was a flurry of activity at our Central Office last week because we were interviewing for new staff. We need new staff because we have increased our capacity…
Mr Osborne, go to Ireland and talk Early Years over a cup of tea and a Kimberley
(While I am desperate to blog about our work with Europe and the recent Wave Trust report Conception to age 2 – the age…
To Inveraray for an Early Years Conference with Paul Brannigan…
(Alice Sharp, Mrs Patterson and Mr Patterson – but not Mrs Patterson Mr Patterson – also along for the ride!)…
Nurseries cost more than private schools. Well of course they do – duh..!!
I am breaking my rule of one blog post a week, because tweeting simply cannot give credibility to the confusion in the media elicited by the annual…
A visit from our Minister
This week LEYF hosted a visit for our Minister Elizabeth Truss MP. We were pleased to welcome her and…
Can President Obama supply the Haribo needed to bang out an Early Years investment proposition?
UK politicians and policy makers oscillate between venerating Europe and the US. We all now know of our Minister…
A Happy Valentine’s date in Paris with French nurseries!
Valentine’s Day in Paris. Yep, there I was. Not arm in arm with my beloved, but trudging across the otherwise romantic capital of France visiting nurseries. Part of a group of…