Talking Early Years: In conversation with Frank Cottrell-Boyce
If you have been frog marched through books, why would you ever read for pleasure? The award-winning author and screenwriter Frank Cotterell-Boyce is the 13th Children’s Laureate of…
LEYF News and CEO Blog
Read the latest news and updates from our CEO and the wider LEYF team.
Lessons We Must Learn to Better Protect Our Children
In Memory of Genevieve Meehan Tonight, BBC One North West and Yorkshire will air an investigative programme titled How Safe Are Our Nurseries? It follows the heartbreaking story of Genevieve…
We need one early years voice to sing in harmony for good quality childcare.
On Saturday, I read a letter in the Guardian coordinated by Early Education calling on local politicians to protect quality provision for children in…
Early Years where ‘Mary Mary quite Contrary’ is also an Environmentalist and Climatologist
Yesterday, I enjoyed watching a tranquil almost bucolic scene with rowers rowing up the Thames, families walking with their children and dogs and runners and cyclists cruising along the towpath.
The Tale of Two Michaels; ‘Le Ofsted Split’
The breakup of relationship always fascinates us. We are drawn to the details like a moth to light. The intricate relationship between the Secretary of State for Education and Ofsted…
Early Childhood Care and Education must become a Global Issue
This week had an international flavour not because I was travelling to faraway places (my next trip is Walsall) but because I spent quite a bit of time considering how…
Leading a change; a challenge or a headache?
The role of the CEO is a varied one and this week I found myself commenting on assignments LEYF staff had done on change. I was really rather chuffed by…
If you are happy and you know it come to work
Given that January is the month when we have a collective “Blue Monday” and the highest number of disgruntled workers reach for the job vacancies, we need…
My 2014 New Year blog
Many New Year blogs begin with a set of resolutions. I avoid this because I never make resolutions. I have learned to make promises to myself to do some nice…
What happened when Santa got stuck up the Chimney?
When Santa got stuck up the chimney He began to shout, ‘I’ll tell Mr Gove and he will explode if you don’t let me out.
Nelson Mandela (1918 – 2013) The Embodiment of Great Leadership
“A leader. . .is like a shepherd. He stays behind the flock, letting the most nimble go out ahead, whereupon the others follow, not realizing that all along they are…
Will the Chancellor become the Fairy Godmother to Cinderella Childcare on Thursday?
What is important about Thursday? Well, it’s the Chancellor’s autumn statement. I wonder whether he will still need to rely on the bursts of fast food energy which got him…
Stonehenge, Farms and Icebergs: Developing Successful Growth Strategies
I am rarely found up at 6am on a Saturday unless I am on my way back from some lively event but this Saturday I headed off to Paddington Farm…
Will Technology Based Networks Lead to a New Age of Enlightenment and an Early Years Wiki?
Last week was a week of networks and networking. On Wednesday I was at an event organised by the Social Business Trust (SBT.) It was called ‘Social…