What support will you receive?

If your setting joins the programme, you will be matched with an experienced Early Years Stronger Practice Adviser who will work alongside you to:

• identify areas for development

• provide practical coaching and guidance

• help address challenges quickly and effectively

• support sustainable improvements across your setting

• improve outcomes for children

  
  

Why does the programme matter?

The programme supports the Government’s ‘Best Start in Life’ ambition, including the aim for 75% of children to reach a Good Level of Development (GLD) by 2028.

Who can receive support?

• Support is available to settings:

• Identified by Ofsted as needing to improve

• With higher numbers of children eligible for Early Years Pupil Premium (EYPP)

• Supporting children accessing the Early Learning for 2-year-olds offer

• Supporting children with SEND

A supportive, collaborative approach

Delivered through the Early Years Stronger Practice Hubs, the programme is designed to be supportive, practical and responsive to the individual needs of your setting.

Working alongside you to build confidence, strengthen practice and give every child the best possible start.

I thrive working with new people and I’m really looking forward in this role to develop that professional dialogue with other settings."

Heather x

"I look forward to working alongside you and supporting your setting's journey."

Stephanie x

Throughout my career, I’ve had the opportunity to work across a wide range of settings, from large corporate nursery groups and charity-run pack-away settings to small village schools. I also spent time as Head of Early Years Practice, supporting quality and practice across ten Outstanding settings, before working as an Ofsted Inspector for 18 months.

Although my time with Ofsted gave me valuable insight into the inspection process, I realised that my real passion was supporting and empowering providers to develop their practice and achieve the very best outcomes for children.

I now work as an Education Partner in Essex, supporting early years providers across a range of settings, including schools, PVI settings and childminders. I enjoy bringing together my experience of working within settings, leading teams and understanding quality assurance to offer practical, supportive guidance that makes a real difference.

My areas of expertise...

My experience has given me a broad understanding of early years practice, with particular strengths in leadership and management, curriculum development, teaching and learning across the areas of learning, safeguarding, inclusion and improving quality.

I’m passionate about understanding what makes a difference to children’s experiences and outcomes, and helping leaders and practitioners reflect on their provision, identify areas for development and make meaningful changes.

I also have a strong interest in communication and language, early literacy and supporting children who may experience disadvantage. Through my work with initiatives such as Talk, Listen, Cuddle (TLC) and Making it REAL in Essex, I’ve been able to support settings to strengthen their partnerships with families and create opportunities for children to develop their communication, language and early literacy skills.

My professional passions...

I’m particularly passionate about supporting leaders to achieve their potential. I love helping leaders recognise their strengths, build their confidence and feel empowered to make decisions that improve practice. I understand how challenging leadership can be, especially when there are so many competing demands, and I believe that sometimes having someone to talk things through with, ask questions and offer a fresh perspective can make all the difference.

Curriculum and pedagogy are also real passions of mine.

I love exploring the why behind what we do, thinking about how children learn and develop, and supporting practitioners to create rich, meaningful experiences that build on children’s interests, needs and prior learning. For me, it’s about making sure that what we do every day has a clear purpose and genuinely supports children’s development.

What I enjoy most about supporting the early years sector

For me, it always comes back to the children. I want every child to have the best possible start in life, and I love knowing that by supporting a leader, a team or a setting, I can help make a positive difference to children’s experiences and outcomes.

I’m also very aware of how busy and stretched the early years sector can be. I want providers to feel supported, not overwhelmed by another list of things they need to do. I enjoy finding practical solutions, helping people make sense of guidance and identifying small, manageable changes that can have a big impact.

Ultimately, I’m a people person who genuinely enjoys helping others. I want providers to feel listened to, encouraged and confident in what they do. If I can help make someone’s job a little easier, support a leader to achieve something they weren’t sure they could, or help a setting make a positive change for its children, then I feel I’ve made a difference.

Holly x

Holly

Sarah x

Every day brings a new challenge and I thrive on seeing where the learning journey takes both staff and pupils on a daily basis. The creativity and imagination the children have inspires me to try new things and to constantly think outside the box.

I am keen to support colleagues within the Early Years sector and enjoy discussing and reflecting on best practice, always looking to make improvements and to build collaborative working relationships.

Being part of a team that nurtures and supports each other creates positive, calm and purposeful working environments that will ensure children thrive under our care and I work hard to ensure that any team I work with feels they are listened to and are encouraged to share ideas.

I have nearly 27 years teaching experience and have worked across all key stages within a primary school and am currently EYFS Lead at a primary school, teaching in Reception and overseeing our preschool.

I have experience in performance management, training for BTSA students, and have been a mentor for ECTs and students. I am very excited to be working with the Early Years hub as part of the REACHout program.

My past 20years career in early years has taken me on a journey from Essex to London and back to Suffolk.

I held leadership roles in a variety of settings from PVI to local authority, charity run as well as my early career in schools. In my current role, I am an operation manager, supporting 7 settings in Ipswich.

The majority of my career has purposefully been in settings where there has been high levels of deprivation. I have a real passion in ensuring high quality learning for our most vulnerable families.

I am definitely an outside the box thinker, approaching challenges creatively but with a critical and evidence informed eye. My favourite question is always “well why not?”. I love a challenge and finding new ways to do things.

My particular passions are in staff development and supporting educators to be the best teachers they can be. This could be looking at interactional quality, supporting deep teaching and play or looking at how we can remove barriers to allow educators to get back to teaching.

I thrive working with new people and I’m really looking forward in this role to develop that professional dialogue with other settings.

I like being able to support people on their improvement journey even if just to facilitate discussion about new ideas and ways of thinking, all to bring about better outcomes for children.

My career has included leading a day nursery and an after-school club, where I successfully led settings to achieve Outstanding Ofsted judgements.

I hold a Degree in Early Childhood Studies, am a trained NCB Making it REAL Trainer, and a Trauma Perceptive Practice (TPP) Trainer, supporting settings to develop research-informed approaches that improve outcomes for children and families.

My Areas of Expertise...

• Leadership, management and mentoring

• (Developing positive workplace culture

• Safeguarding practice and training

• Early Help supportand family engagement

• Trauma-informed approaches and children's mental health

• Ofsted preparation, self-evaluation and quality improvement

• Curriculum development and implementation

• 2, 3 and 4-year-old when grouped together experience

• Physical development, Story Dough and Music & Movement

• Free-flow provision and ambitious outdoor learning

• Hygge-inspired environments and wellbeing

• Community engagement and partnership working

What I'm Passionate About...

I am passionate about helping children get the very best start in life by supporting settings to create inclusive, ambitious and nurturing environments where everyone can thrive.

I have a particular interest in leadership, mentoring and organisational culture, believing that when practitioners feel valued and supported, children benefit from the highest-quality experiences.

As a Trauma Perceptive Practice (TPP) Trainer, I am passionate about children's mental health and wellbeing.

I believe that every adult working with a child has the opportunity to make a positive difference through nurturing relationships, understanding children's experiences and helping them feel safe, valued and ready to thrive.

Supporting families is central to my approach. I believe early years settings can be a safe haven for families, particularly those facing disadvantage, through strong safeguarding practice, Early Help support and effective signposting to services.

What I Enjoy Most About Supporting the Early Years Sector...

I love building relationships with practitioners, leaders and managers, celebrating their successes and helping them overcome challenges. Whether supporting curriculum development, inclusion, leadership, safeguarding or quality improvement, my aim is always to provide practical, collaborative and non-judgemental support that makes a positive difference for children and families.

I am a strong advocate for outdoor learning, free-flow provision and creating opportunities that inspire curiosity, confidence, resilience and a lifelong love of learning. I also have a keen interest in creating warm, welcoming environments through Hygge-inspired approaches that support children's wellbeing and sense of belonging.

"Early years settings are villages for what we want the world to be for children."

I look forward to working alongside you and supporting your setting's journey.