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,…
Will the arrival of a Royal baby raise the profile of Early Years?
Hurrah, the press finally have something new to focus on now the Duchess is having a Royal Baby. Poor old Kate, suffering not just morning sickness but…
What do women want? Better ask the Spice Girls.
The Margaret Horn Big Conversation happened last week on Social Enterprise…
Could more men in childcare have a real and lasting effect on the inherent prejudices of society (or only as long as the media take an interest)?
What nobler employment, or more valuable to the state, than that of the man who instructs the rising generation. Cicero Was it fortuitous or bad timing…
The importance of Cultural Capital, or how every child deserves a little Water Music more than just now and again.
An invitation to speak at the Early Arts UnConference at the MAC in Birmingham led to my reflecting back on why I started to investigate cultural capital…
LEYF Magic, coming to a nursery near you soon.
Friday saw another fantastic LEYF Staff Conference, once again successfully managed with great aplomb. Like another Chocolate Orange segment…
LEYF Staff Conference: Building a better future for more of London’s Children
Every year we hold our annual LEYF conference when we celebrate our achievements over the past 12 months and present our plans…
Discovering Eva Hart and Ashley Banjo while doing Action Research in Chadwell Heath
Action research at LEYF is a key aspect of how we ensure quality. It’s all about asking questions of ourselves and checking how we can do things better to give children…
Wearing a red coat to a blue Conference
I went to the Conservative Conference because I was invited to speak at a couple of Fringe events. Having done a day and a half at the…
A fine Scottish trinity: Islands, Carnochan and Mr Gove
It was a brave move when Isabel Dunn, recently retired chair of the Scottish Preschool Playgroup Association (SPPA) asked me if I would give this year’s keynote…
Conference talk: more courage and less cliché for two-year-old childcare please
The Conference season is upon us, and so the launch of ideas for manifestos rain down upon our ears. Clichés and soundbites abound as the Party Leaders…
Who was Margaret Horn? Yep, just another modest woman quietly getting on with it…
Every year on 15 November, we hold our Margaret Horn Lecture to celebrate Social Enterprise Day. This year I want to focus on the issues facing women…
Don’t look at me, look at my hands.
Job descriptions for leaders and managers always stipulate a need to communicate. And as a CEO, I am expected to be able to talk to many different…