Sarah Putland

Walk into almost any early years setting and you will see resources, activities, planning, observations and carefully considered environments. But great early years practice doesn't begin with any of these things. It begins with knowing the child. - Before we decide what a child needs to learn next, what resources to provide or how an environment should be arranged, we need to understand the person standing in front of us. What fascinates them? What makes them laugh? What makes them cautious?...

Getting ready to meet your baby Packing your hospital bag is one of those moments when everything can suddenly start to feel very real! There’s no perfect hospital bag, and every birth and hospital stay is different. But having the essentials ready can give you one less thing to think about when the time comes. As a general guide, aim to have your bag packed by around 36 weeks — a little earlier if you’ve been advised that your baby may arrive sooner. Here’s our Bump, Baby & Beyond checklist...

"Every child finds their voice in their own time. Our role is to give them something worth saying." One of the questions we are asked most often by parents of two-year-olds is: “Should my child be talking more?” It's a completely understandable worry. Social media is full of videos of chatty toddlers, and it's easy to compare your child with others. The truth is that language development between the ages of two and three varies enormously, and there is a wide range of what is considered...