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.  The number of people who can attend depends on the available budget and money earned from previous speaking and conferences the year before!

It matters to us, and that’s why we’ve hardly missed a single conference since we first went to Malta back in 2004. This year we invited six people. It has become such a tradition at LEYF that staff now say, “I’d like to write a paper for EECERA.”

The expectation is simple: prepare a paper that may stay as a PowerPoint for our Policy and Practice meeting, be shared with staff, become part of our pedagogy, or even be developed for publication. That last step is always a challenge, as navigating journal submission platforms takes practice.

Whatever happens, we always do an overall report to introduce the keynote messages and some of the presentations. It is a way of building a praxeological bridge.

This year, the themes covered:

• Inclusion is complex but essential. From multilingualism to neurodiversity, true inclusion goes beyond token presence. Children’s home languages, unique learning styles, and different ways of thinking must be recognised, celebrated, and supported.

• Psychological safety matters for children and staff. Neurodiversity and minority stress highlighted the importance of belonging, respect, and voice in the learning environment. Creating safe spaces for staff as well as children strengthens engagement and wellbeing.

• Workforce wellbeing and resilience are central. Research shared at the conference highlighted both risk and protective factors for teacher burnout. Strong teamwork, supportive leadership, social-emotional learning (SEL), and moments of joy are essential for sustainable practice.

• Parental partnerships are invaluable. Inclusive home learning strengthens children’s development and fosters positive relationships between families and educators.

The idea that resonated the most with us was that research should always drive action. Practitioner-led research, action research structures, and reflective practice remain key tools for embedding improvements into everyday Early Years provision. And so say all of LEYF!

Therefore, this year we are trying something new. Instead of just keeping the summary conference report to LEYF, we decided to share it as a little Christmas gift. We wrapped it with the London Institute of Early Years (LIEY) bow so it is attractive and easy to read and could be a useful teaching tool.  To access it, click the link below and leave us your details. We will be publishing regular handbooks that turns research into practice. Become a friend of the Institute and stay in touch!

EECERA Conference Report 2025