Early Education Question time: November 2021 members’ event

This year’s Annual General Meeting (12.00-1.00pm on Saturday 13 November) will be preceded by a Question Time-style discussion event.  Send in your questions and join our panel to discuss where the sector is now, what government, practitioners and Early Education should have at the top of their priority lists.

The panel will be chaired by Early Education President, Professor Cathy Nutbrown and the panellists are:

Elizabeth Wood
Nancy Stewart
Laura Henry-Allain
Nathan Archer

Speaker biographies
Elizabeth Wood is Professor of Education at the University of Sheffield. Her research focuses mainly on early childhood and primary education, with specific interests in play and pedagogy; curriculum and assessment in ECE; teachers’ professionalism and professional knowledge; policy analysis and critique. Her work on play has international reach and influence, and she is Visiting Professor at the University of Auckland, and Australian Catholic University Melbourne

Nancy Stewart is a teacher, consultant and writer who served as Project Lead in the development of Birth to 5 Matters – guidance by the sector, for the sector.  She has wide experience across early years in schools, nurseries, local authority, and National Strategies where she was Senior Early Years Adviser with Every Child a Talker. Nancy provided expert advice to the 2012 review of the Early Years Foundation Stage, drawing on her interest in children’s development as self-regulating learners.  Early communication and language for thinking, play, and the quality of adult-child interaction are other areas of particular interest.  Nancy wrote How children learn – The characteristics of effective early learning, and co-authored Development Matters 2012  with Helen Moylett. She is a Vice President of Early Education.

Laura Henry-Allain MBE is an award-winning international writer, speaker and consultant. She is the creator of the well-loved CBeebies characters JoJo and Gran Gran as well as the series’ associate producer. She is also executive producer on a few shows that are currently in development.  She is the vice-president of the British Association for Early Childhood Education, and is an educational consultant for several well-known brands as well as children’s media, television and publishing.  Laura’s new children’s book, My Skin, Your Skin, illustrated by Onyinye Iwu, explores race and anti-racism, and empowers children to be the best versions of themselves. It will be published in October 2021.

Dr Nathan Archer is a Post Doctoral Research Fellow at University of Leeds. He originally trained as Montessori Early Childhood and Primary teacher and has worked in the early years sector for 20 years in practice, policy and research. Nathan has recently completed doctoral research into the agency and activism of early educators in England. He is a committee member of the South Yorkshire branch of Early Education.

Fees and Booking

This event is open to Early Education members only.  Members have been emailed details of how to register.
Not a member?  Join from £10 a term. For more information see Website Link.