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…
London OBC 2023
In 2013, I set up the Ofsted Big Conversation #OBC because I was so dismayed at how our relationship had deteriorated with our regulator. I was beyond angry at what…
The Three Sides of the Red Box Budget
Hurrah, the importance to invest in the Early Years has finally filtered deep into the Treasury and the Chancellor responded in the Budget. So that is the good bit, but…
Ordinary Women Doing Extraordinary Things on International Women’s Day…And Beyond
Each year we celebrate International Women’s Day in our own special way. The day was the idea of Clara Zetkin back in 1910 and was only recognised by the…
Dear Chancellor
A letter to the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Jeremy Hunt
Early Years settings are key to building children’s health – and their chefs can be the catalysts
Research shows that the experiences young children and babies have during their first five years has a long-term effect on their cognitive, emotional and physical development and their life…
The Continuing Saga of the Childcare Cost
We have been raising the issues of childcare funding for over 10 years. It has been so long, I am amazed at how patient I’ve remained – and…
Time to Help Sustain Our Children’s Future
Never has the word ‘strategy’ been quite so exciting! That’s because it is THE Sustainability Strategy. A strategy is the plan, the road map or whatever cliché you want…
Shaping Us Campaign – shining a light on Early Years
Ten years ago, the Princess of Wales started noticing that a poor Early Years’ experience was the common denominator across all the young people using the mental health charities she…
A Big Green Win for LEYF at The Planet Mark Awards!
Here at London Early Years Foundation (LEYF) we are so proud to share that on the 19th January we won the award in the ‘Employee Engagement’ category at The…
Talking Early Years: June O’Sullivan and Krupesh Hirani
I kicked off this year’s podcast chatting to the well-informed Krupesh Hirani, London Assembly Member for Brent and Chair of the London Assembly Health Committee and the Health…
To Strike or Not to Strike? – That is the question!
Last week, I posted the question on Twitter asking the #EarlyYears if they were prepared to join the teachers and strike? 6,073 people responded and 287 voted. The…
12 Days of Christmas – Early Years Wrap
In the beginning of 2022 So here we are. The final blog of 2022. And hey, we’ve managed to get through what has been a year of discontent and foolishness.