Talking Early Years: In Conversation with Howard Roberts
The Curiosity Code What makes people tick? Why do we care about certain brands—or causes—more than others? And how do we spark genuine emotional connection, not just polite head-nods?…
LEYF News and CEO Blog
Read the latest news and updates from our CEO and the wider LEYF team.
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. …
Getting down to business: survival tactics for any good social enterprise
It’s always interesting to meet television journalists up close and personal – and that’s exactly what I did on Wednesday, when LEYF Chair of Trustees, Tim Willis…
Early Years inspiration amidst the gathering of the clans in Leeds
I have just come back from a two day NDNA conference in Leeds, accompanied by two of our nursery officers – Audrey Grant from Lisson Green and…
Science, culture and the great outdoors: the rights of every child
We have it in our power to build the world anew.” Thomas Paine 1737 -1809 To celebrate 25 years of wedded bliss (well, most of the time), my…
Early Years, Dragons and Dolly Parton… or how bankers became our new best friends
The last few weeks have been a bit of an intellectual whirlwind, which always gets me really excited. So for those people who think working with children is all about…
So we are all Social Enterprises Now? LOL!
I read in this week’s Third Sector magazine that Kevin Carey chair of the RNIB told the Charity Finance Directors Group that the charity…
Child poverty: will this new strategy finally make progress stick?
This weekend, I spent some time helping my sister (also in Early Years!) go through her old teaching resources in readiness to move them into a new space. Amongst the…
Is happiness the greatest gift we can give our children?
This weekend the TV presenters continually referred to the joy and happiness created by the Royal Wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton. Images…
Social franchising and the LEYF Experience
For those wonderfully supportive people who follow this blog, you may have noticed a gap in production; this is because I have been staying in the Shropshire…
EYFS: the real values behind our ‘nappy curriculum’
This week we received the official recommendations from the Review of the Early Years Foundation Stage led by Dame Clare Tickell. It’s quite a…
No half measures when it comes to social impact
There is much talk at the moment about the importance of measurement, including a reference to it in many of the speeches I listened to during the…
Big society grants: plus ça change…
I have learned that if I am to truly avoid all contact with the world of work, then I need to go abroad without a phone or internet access. To…
Down on the farm, cultivating an organic approach to Big Society
Alongside the delight of being Chief Executive of LEYF, I am also chair of Paddington Farm Trust. Established as a charity 20 years ago…