Coffee. For £3 per film (inc. tax and booking fee) you can use my reflective questions to help develop your team's understanding of effective practice. The first film is about how to develop your learning environment. Available to buy for 1 month. eventbrite.co.uk/e/early-years-…

Having spent the day with Ruth Swailes we know why developing a curriculum and making sure a child centred approach needs be a focus for our children. This book is going to position that approach. Ruth’s knowledge of writing the Oxford EY curriculum is central to this book too.

Having high expectations and ambitions doesn’t mean you have to take stuff from the curriculum in the next key stage and do it earlier. It means you give children rich, deep meaningful and appropriate learning experiences with challenge appropriate to their stage of development.

Been focusing on spending more time with my family. Even though my 2 teenage boys may think I’m a little annoying 😆 they have been chatting more 😊. Feeling much happier.

‘Child protection cases that would have resulted in an intervention a couple of years ago are now “routinely being passed back to schools to deal with themselves”. The situation for many schools has been that when they identify a child with urgent safeguarding needs, they are

Wow totally amazing!

Something very exciting to share with you all. We have developed a new edited book Philippa Thompson & Ruth Swailes with some amazing people focusing on a manifesto for Early Childhood focusing on what is needed for the next 10 years. We are excited and hope you will be too.

Play is learning PLAY IS LEARNING Play is strongly linked to learning in young children, especially in areas such as problem-solving, language acquisition, literacy, numeracy, and social, physical, and emotional skills.

I'm running this free webinar on 4th June. Perfect for trainees, ECTs and anyone looking for inspiration on behaviour. Tickets are free with the option to make a donation. Please retweet! Thank you. eventbrite.co.uk/e/positive-beh…

I'm running this webinar about adaptive teaching on 18th June. Donate whatever you can to attend. Hope you can join me! Please retweet. Thank you. 🙏🏻 eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-ultimate…

Goodbye Allan. You were a pioneer of great children's literature, both in picture books and poetry. You were clever, funny and wise. My children loved your books. So did and so DO I. theguardian.com/books/2025/jul…

Early Years Children are not checklists. They are individuals, brimming with potential, right here and right now. That’s my post, that’s it #EarlyYears

I've had lots of requests to rerun my adaptive teaching webinar, so I'm hosting another one on 20th January. See the link below for details. Lots of practical advice on strategies for an inclusive classroom. Pay what you can to attend. Please RT. Thanks! eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-ultimate…

Jamie Barry rob kelsall So sorry the report doesn’t reflect all that you do. Sadly, I’m hearing the same from so many heads and leaders. Nothing has changed except the bar has been raised. Keep doing what you do for the children, They’re what matter, not Ofsted, who are well past their sell-by date!

To imply that there is a culture of low expectations is infuriating, insulting & unfair to everyone who’s giving their all in an increasingly pressured system and already doing so much more with so much less. Thank you to every person working so hard to get our chn over the line.

School leaders are fed up with the lack of respect, understanding & appreciation from DfE & Ofsted. I resent the extra pressure & its toll on me, colleagues & our wellbeing. We're working extremely hard in uncharted territory facing unprecedented challenges in a changed world. We

I’ve been away for a bit. We haven’t been having the best time, to be honest. I’ve noticed a few things happening with Ofsted and their supporters recently, and I’ve written about it. Ofsted, of course, are driving on regardless. difficultlessons.wordpress.com/2026/03/17/dri…