Penny Tassoni is a leading author, trainer and consultant in the early years sector. She is also president of Professional Association for Childcare and Early Years (PACEY). Amongst her many publications is a wide variety of early education and childcare textbooks and a best-selling series of handbooks, including Penny Tassoni’s Practical EYFS Handbook and Understanding Children's Behaviour: Learning to be with others.

Julian has taught in inner-London schools since 1990, starting off in primary and then specialising in the early years. He has been the Headteacher of two maintained nursery schools and was the Senior Early Years Adviser to Tower Hamlets from 2010-2012. He has a doctorate in education (EdD) from the UCL Institute of Education and is the Author of several best-selling books on early years education and care.

Julian is the Headteacher of Sheringham Nursery School and Children’s Centre in Newham, which is a National Teaching School, and is the lead on revising the EYFS guidance Development Matters. Sheringham is currently leading an EEF-funded project to improve children’s early communication, Manor Park Talks. Sheringham is also one of London’s three Early Years Hubs, supported by the Mayor of London. Julian is a Founding Fellow of the Chartered College of Teachers and is on the editorial board of their journal, Impact. He has contributed regularly to Nursery World.

Wendy Ratcliff is an HM Inspector. As a qualified Early Years Practitioner, she has extensive experience of inspection and regulation across a full range of early years provisions. She has senior leadership and management experience in local authorities. Her role in Ofsted’s education policy team is focused on the range of inspections of early years provision and any changes for the future. For example, she led the policy work on developing the new Education Inspection Framework (EIF) for early years. As an experienced Inspector and policy Lead, she delivers training to early years inspectors.

Dr Stella Louis is a freelance Early Years Consultant, Trainer and Author working with individual nursery settings, parents, nursery schools, local authorities, government departments and charities. She is particularly interested in observation and its part in developing learning, especially through children’s schemas, and has written extensively about both subjects.

Stella leads a small team of Froebelian travelling tutors in promoting, developing and delivering the short Froebel Trust courses in England. She has worked both in the United Kingdom and internationally, in South Africa, where she worked with teachers to develop a Froebelian approach to teaching and learning.

Anne-Marie is an experienced Speech and Language Therapist. As part of her role, she regularly visits early years settings and works with young children and their parents. She also provides advice for early years practitioners. Her caseload is varied and includes children with selective mutism, learning difficulties and speech sound disorders. She has a particular interest in stammering and bilingualism.

David 'Stickman' Higgins is a world-class, multi-disciplined Drummer, Percussionist, Vocalist, Performance Poet, Educator and Actor. He has 20 years’ experience as a Performer and Musician with a wide global understanding and multi-faceted application of musical inter-action in education and community settings.

Through his work Dave embraces his dual ancestry as an instinctive and intuitive vehicle for artistic expression, exploring and referencing the hidden voices of his African Caribbean/British identity.

David is an Associate Artist with The Spark Arts for Children (Leicester), having worked on and been instrumental in the development of previous early years programmes.

Dr Fufy Demissie has worked at Sheffield Hallam University since 2000 and is currently a Senior Lecturer in early years education. She has recently been appointed as the CPD Lead for the Early years and communities research centre at the Meadow Nursery, Sheffield. Dr Demissie’s research interests are professional learning, enquiry-based pedagogies, early years and student learning.

Following her involvement in student engagement projects, she set up an elective module entitled 'Philosophy for Young Children' on the BA Primary and Early Years courses. The P4C approach is now an integral part of the BA undergraduate course in Teacher Education. Dr Demissie is currently leading a project on using P4C-based approaches with traditional stories in the early years.

Dr Pete King is currently the Programme Director for the MA Developmental and Therapeutic Play programme in the Department for Public Health, Policy and Social Sciences at Swansea University. He is also a Play and Playwork Researcher and has been published both nationally and internationally in journals and published books.

Pete’s recent publications include The Play Cycle: Theory, Research and Application, which he co-authored with Gordon Sturrock, and the forthcoming book Play Across Childhood: International Perspectives on Diverse Contexts of Play, which he is co-editing with Dr Shelly Newstead.

Pete has developed and piloted the Play Cycle Observation Method (PCOM) that enables the recording of the process of play based on the Play Cycle. The method was piloted in ‘real-time’ in a pre-school playground in Oklahoma, USA.

Pete’s professional practice includes working in pre-school playgroups, after-school clubs and open-access play projects. His current research has been looking at the impact of Covid-19 on playwork and playwork practice.

Jon Cree has been training educators from many different backgrounds in outdoor and nature-based learning for 35 years – from whole-school training programmes through to youth services and environmental NGOs – and has a long history of working with groups in Forest School.

He currently runs a variety of training courses throughout the UK in Forest School-related topics and deeper nature connection; from risky play in the outdoors in the early years through to working with people suffering trauma. Jon has also been an earth education trainer with the Institute for Earth Education for 30 years.

While working at the Bishops Wood Centre, as a member of the Forest School team for Worcestershire County Council, he co-ordinated the Centre’s Forest School and environmental education training programmes. He worked with groups from early years through to adolescents, and became increasingly interested in the extent to which Forest School can promote emotional literacy and working with neurodivergent learners.

Jon contributed to and co-edited Storytelling for a Greener World and co-authored The Essential Guide to Forest School and Nature Pedagogy (2021).

He was also the founding chair of the Forest School Association (FSA) UK and remains a director of the FSA.

Marina is a qualified teacher (PGCE) and since 1989 has studied Environmental Education (MA), Environmental Management (BSc) and Social Research (MSc). She is a leading Forest School endorsed Trainer and Practitioner (UK and International) and an advocate for the integration of environmental, education and health and well-being services. Her aim is to share her knowledge and experience with teachers and other practitioners wishing to take their practice into the outdoors.
She has pioneered nature programmes within the health sector, and has received funding from Natural England, Mind and The National Lottery, amongst other grant makers for her outdoor work with teenagers, families and young people with mental health issues, disabilities, dementia and early psychosis. Marina co-founded a working group to bring Forest Kindergarten Level 3 to England.
Marina is co-author of Learning with Nature and The Essential Guide to Forest School and Nature Pedagogy, which contains everything you need to know from theory to practice.
Marina co-chairs a Community Benefit Society which manages a community woodland, used to provide access to nature for marginalised groups. She believes that everyone should have the right to access nature.

Sarah is a Forest School Leader and University Lecturer, teaching child development and inclusion. An ex-head teacher, Sarah knew all the best outdoor hiding places, as it was the school she attended as a child! In the classroom, Sarah specialised in early years and is a columnist for Teach Early Years.

Sarah’s first book, Outdoor Play for Healthy Little Minds, was published recently by Routledge and guides early years practitioners through the best outdoor play strategies for developing young children’s mental and physical well-being.

Before teaching, Sarah managed projects for a national digital media charity, giving a platform to unheard voices.

Kerry is an Early Childhood SEND Specialist and has worked in the early education sector for 15 years. She is currently completing her PhD in early childhood early intervention.

She worked as an early years practitioner and SENCO before becoming a consultant in a local authority focusing on developing whole-team approaches for SEND support and leading the training programme for SEND and inclusion. More recently she has worked as a freelance specialist and a university lecturer for a London university.

She is passionate about challenging ableism within the early years and, instead, embraces a neurodiverse approach to education. She is also a writer and an author with A Guide to SEND in the Early Years being published in November 2021. She is neurodivergent with ADHD and is passionate to change the stereotypes about this condition.

Dr Lala Manners has enjoyed a long and varied career in the field of early years physical development and movement studies – as practitioner, researcher, educator, author and trainer in the UK and internationally. She has designed and delivered a range of accredited courses for physical development in the early years and created the accompanying assessment procedures.

Lala is a member of the All-Party Parliamentary 'Fit and Heathy Childhood' Group and has contributed to four of their reports. She is also a member of the Ofsted Early Education Curriculum Forum. She is a frequent contributor to Nursery World magazine and is author of The Early Years Movement Handbook: A Principles-Based Approach to Supporting Young Children’s Physical Development, Health and Wellbeing (2019).
In 2015 Lala formed www.activematters.org – a website designed as a learning hub to help parents and practitioners support young children’s physical development, health and well-being and in 2019 she was instrumental in creating the new Open University course ‘Supporting Physical Development in Early Childhood.’

Liz Pemberton is the Director of The Black Nursery Manager Ltd, a training and consultancy firm which focuses on anti-racist practice within the early year. With 16 years in the education sector, Liz’s roles have included secondary school teacher (QTS), public speaker and nursery manager. This has enabled her to teach, manage, support and educate early years students, practitioners and professionals in a variety of forums.

Before the national lockdown Liz was the manager of a 46-place private day nursery, which was part of a small family-owned chain of three early years settings in Birmingham. Liz worked hard to ensure that the nursery was rooted in the community and provided authentic and culturally compatible support for its children and families, predominantly of Black African-Caribbean heritage.

Pauline has been in her current role of Nursery Manager within the London Early Years Forum (LEYF) since October 2009 and is based at Ford Road Nursery and Pre-School in Barking and Dagenham. Her first role within LEYF was as a deputy manager.

She left school at 16 to complete her NNEB qualification, which led to her working in a variety of roles within a nursery school, playgroup and teachers’ creche. She also worked from home as a childminder when her own children were younger.

LEYF supported her to complete her Early Years Degree in 2017.

Tamsin Grimmer is an experienced Early Years Consultant, Author and Lecturer. She is the early years director of Linden Learning and passionate about young children’s learning and development. She believes that all children deserve practitioners who are inspiring, dynamic, reflective and loving. Tamsin particularly enjoys planning and delivering training and supporting early years practitioners and teachers to improve outcomes for young children.

Tamsin has written four books – Observing and Developing Schematic Behaviour in Young Children, School Readiness and the Characteristics of Effective Learning, Calling All Superheroes: Supporting and Developing Superhero Play in the Early Years and Developing a Loving Pedagogy in the Early Years: How Love Fits with Professional Practice.

She is currently working on her next two books, Supporting Behaviour and Emotions and Self-Regulation in Early Childhood.

Wendy Geens is an experienced Early Years University Lecturer, Teacher and Consultant and is passionate about young children’s learning and development. She believes in providing the best opportunities for young children so they can achieve their aspirations. She has worked extensively with practitioners and teachers and has a particular interest in mathematics. Wendy is co-author of the forthcoming book Self-Regulation in Early Childhood.

Tim is Director of IT at Heronsgate Primary School in Greenwich, London, an Apple Distinguished School. He taught in nursery for his first two years after qualifying as a teacher in 2008. He then taught as a specialist music teacher across the school whilst developing the use of technology through the curriculum.

Tim led the introduction of an iPad for every child, starting with KS2 in 2016, and now oversees the digital strategy for the school with technology at the heart of teaching and learning. He was recognised as an Apple Distinguished Educator in 2015.

Alison qualified as an NNEB in the early 1980's and has held many early years roles. She has a BA Hons and gained Early Years Professional Status in 2010. Alison works with all kinds of EYFS provider and has been working closely with nursery owner Louise Lloyd-Evans on linking the EYFS to all aspects of sustainability.

As an Early Years Consultant and Licensed SchemaPlay and OMEP-UK ESC Award Trainer, Alison supports settings to overcome challenges, no matter how big or small.

Alison uses her 35 years’ experience, knowledge and skills to develop practice and deepen understanding in all areas of the EYFS. She is passionate about the voice of the child and providing a curriculum that prepares child for lifelong learning. She believes that through teachable moments, a challenging and stimulating environment and high-quality interactions children can grow and develop their uniqueness and make their mark on the world.

Mandy Wilding - nasen’s Early Years lead - holds a B.Ed (Hons) degree and specialised in the teaching of 3-7 year olds at Nene College, Northampton. She has 32 years of primary school experience, teaching children from Nursery to Year 6 and held the position of SENCO for 9 years and Assistant Headteacher for 7 years.

Mandy leads the DfE - funded Early Years SENCO Award Project and nasen’s part of the Early Years SEND Partnership Project. She has produced webinars, webcasts and downloadable resources to support group-based and home-based practitioners and LA teams in the Early Years sector to meet the needs of children with SEND. She has spoken at national conferences and events and joined a DfE workshop in May to discuss the implications of the EYFS reforms on children with SEND.

Eva is a senior lecturer at the Institute of Education, Social and Life Sciences, University of Chichester. Her work seeks to broaden current views on early childhood education and care (ECEC) in England with the aims to produce a more generative, ethical, and political way to enact ECEC. Her research interests focus on exploring the role of emotion in professional practices in addition to examining gender discourses in the ECEC field.

Sigrid Brogaard Clausen is a Danish Social Pedagogue, who works as Senior Lecturer in Early Childhood Studies, University of Roehampton.  

Children’s wellbeing and democratic participation is at the forefront of her work, and she has carried out and published research into young children’s wellbeing (including assessment and professional and parental understandings thereof), early childhood professionalism & identity, and comparative curricula policy studies. Empowering democratic professionalism is part of her aims as academic tutor, researcher and member of the Early Childhood Studies Degree Network (ECSDN), where she currently holds a role a vice chair for Professionalism in Early Childhood.

Prior to joining the University, Su worked as an advisor the for the local authority, led the early years programmes within a further education college in Derby, UK and was the nominee for two early years nurseries, with an ethos of forest school. Su’s interests and research includes the outdoor environment, inclusion and SEND.

Phil Armstrong is Head of International and Regional Development at training and resource company Early Excellence. Previously, Phil worked for over 20 years across the early years and primary sector, including as a teacher and in leader and headship positions. He was also the head of an integrated early years centre. With a passion for collaborative practice and professional development, Phil has worked in partnership with early years settings, schools, teaching schools and local authorities to develop and deliver personalised programmes to meet their needs.

Andy Burt is an experienced EYFS Teacher and School Leader who has explored open-ended, creative and innovative approaches to learning over a number of years. Research done in collaboration with Professor Pat Broadhead, focusing on Andy’s work, led to the exploration of ‘the whatever you want it to be place’ and the co-written text “Understanding Young Children’s Learning through Play” which was published by Routledge in 2011.

Janet is the Sector Manager for Education and Childcare at educational charity NCFE and plays a crucial role in developing new and existing qualifications under the CACHE brand, ensuring they are market leaders. Janet’s previous work has involved management in both Further and Higher Education across care provision and within social services and education.

Dawn has a wealth of experience working to improve outcomes with individuals from all different backgrounds. Before joining educational charity NCFE, Dawn supported people in the Asylum Seekers’ Unit of Newcastle, whilst completing some arts projects with a Young People's Service. Working as a careers advisor for the National Careers Service led to working in homelessness full time at a Young People’s hostel and with adults with multiple barriers. Since then, Dawn has worked in welfare to work, in front line youth work roles and, more recently, in a position which enables Dawn to ‘help the helpers’. As the Communities Manager for CACHE Alumni, Dawn manages careers support, resources and CPD for the collaborative association in care and education.

Life is the greatest adventure, but not all of us start that adventure on equal footing, and the journey is much tougher for some than for others. By developing sustainable global businesses with a focus on empowering educators to empower children, I believe we can give everyone a great adventure and a bright future.

Alistair is an award-winning Early Years author, blogger, product designer and advocate of PLAY. His work has been published in a number of books and magazines and he has worked as an Early Years advisor for various film and television projects. Alongside support and training for a range of settings, schools and parents, he also works internationally and with Local Authorities across the UK. His most recent project is the co-creation of a child development app for parents called My First Five Years (mffy.com). Alistair has an MA in Education and is currently studying for his Doctorate in Early Years.

Liz Roberts became Editor-in-Chief of Nursery World in April 2021, having been editor of the title since 1997. She oversees editorial strategy and initiatives for the Nursery World brand, including print, online, conferences, awards and training videos. Liz frequently chairs and speaks at early years sector conferences and webinars.

With experience in music, health and education journalism, Karen originally joined the Nursery World team as deputy features editor, becoming associate editor before she moved to other titles in the Mark Allen group. She was editor of sister magazine Early Years Educator from 2018, before taking up her current role. Karen has three grown up children and currently splits her time between south London and Hove.

Vanessa Chandler is Business Development Manager at ILT Education, which owns ‘Polylino’ the multilingual digital SaaS book library.  Vanessa began her career as a qualified Early Years teacher, and has since moved into the EdTech sector where she draws on her vast hands-on Early Years teaching experience. Vanessa is an SSC Community Governor, and an advocate of educational inclusion with a strong focus on reading and literacy. At ILT Education, Vanessa works closely with nurseries and primary school settings across the UK, to ‘bring the magic of story time to every child’.

Louise is the passionate owner of The Young Friends Kindergarten, an EYFS setting in Hove, and a highly regarded, leading authority who advises and supports all those working in the EYFS in her approach to sustainability.

Louise is an Early Years Teacher and dedicated to ensuring that children grow up to be confident, informed and communicative citizens, so that the next generation can continue to place an importance on all aspects of sustainability.

Louise has created a nursery experience for children based on sustainability, child-initiated learning and the conviction that every child has the potential to grow into an adult committed to saving our planet. Young Friends aims to help every child to understand that they have a role to play while they are growing up – and that they can make a difference.

Louise supports providers to deepen their approach to child-initiated learning, and offers training, coaching and mentoring to support nurseries in transforming their own learning environments with sustainability in mind.

Matt is writing this bio in the third person because he’s not famous enough to have someone else do it for him (but he'd like to pretend). He spent his first four years at Famly looking after the Famly blog, but now spends his time on the story of what makes Famly different, helping them get to their mission to make early childhood truly valued. More recently, he's been looking after the project to entirely reinvent how people can use Famly to note, understand, and share child development, without interfering in it.

Clare Devlin began her career as a Foundation Stage teacher. In 1995, she became an early years adviser with the education authority and, in 2007, took on the role as Director of Programmes with Early Years – the organisation for young children. Clare has had a lead role in the development of the ‘Sure Start Developmental Programme for Two and Three Year Olds in Northern Ireland’.

In 2009, Clare became an independent trainer, consultant and mentor and has been focusing on the design and delivery of bespoke quality training programmes across the Ireland, UK, Europe and UAE. Clare works with a range of schools, organisations and early years providers delivering a wide range of programmes that draw on lessons learned from research and local and international best practice. Clare is particularly interested in the observation, documentation and assessment of children’s thinking and learning.

35 years ago, I moved to Glasgow. After my own children were born, I started a play group, and also did child minding. Getting divorced led to me studying and working in the local authority, Montessori, fostering many children and giving respite care to those with additional needs. All of these years of experience and study unexpectedly opened a new door of opportunity when 25 years ago I started working with Alice; delivering training world-wide.

Described as the UK’s leading “Super Manny”, Hackney’s Joss Cambridge-Simmons (he/him) is taking modern childcare to the next level. Multi-talented Joss is founder of Jossy Care, a specialist childcare enterprise that focuses on the importance of gender representation. He’s now a spokesperson for the multi-faceted roles men can play in the child care system, speaking on topics such as men’s mental health to best practice in early years education. Since the launch of Jossy Care, Joss has been featured in numerous publications and podcasts and also went on to win The National Diversity Award 2019 for Positive Role Model. He has also appeared on TV’s Men's Talk addressing mental health which was aired on Sky and CBBC.

Julie has worked in the early years sector for over 35 years. She has held a range of roles including leading a Portage and Early Years Area SENCO team. Since starting her own consultancy and training company 17 years ago she has been involved in wide ranging national projects to promote access and inclusion of children with SEND. 

She has been involved as training director and an associate promoting a better understanding of attachment, trauma and resilience in the day to day practice of all those working with young children and families. She is a highly regarded trainer and speaker in the Early Years and SEND sector. She is an associate trainer and consultant for nasen, The British Association of Early Education and Nurture International. Julie is committed to supporting all professionals in the early years workforce to recognise and understand each child’s unique learning and development pathway.