Bespoke training & early years consultancy

In-house courses and INSET days

We provide in-house courses and INSET days to support the professional development of early years practitioners, teachers, leaders and managers working in maintained, private, voluntary, independent and home-based early years settings.  From twilights to full-day sessions, one-off sessions to long-term project-based work.

Conferences & events

We can facilitate and host conferences or events for you – whether in -person or online, including from administration to content delivery from our expert trainers.  Local authorities regularly commission us to deliver anything from one-off sessions to a full term’s programme of CPD.

Bespoke consultancy

Early Education Associates provide early years consultancy, working in schools, settings and local authorities to analyse, advise and identify individual solutions to the challenges that staff face.

Projects and reviews

From small to large scale project work, whether brief or longitudinal, we can meet your needs. We are also able to assist local authorities wishing to take a strategic approach to reviewing the quality of early years provision in their locality, for example to identify and address areas of provision in need of improvement and make recommendations as to how to address these.

Range of delivery models

We can offer online, face-to-face or blended models of delivery to meet your need and your budget.

Find a trainer

We have a range of expert early years consultants who can offer bespoke support. View our Associate profiles below for a brief overview of their specialisms and experience, or click through on an Associate’s picture below to find expanded biographies of their experience and most popular courses. Alternatively, see our sample topics and courses for inspiration, read case studies of what we’ve delivered for clients or get in touch for recommendations.

To make an enquiry about booking an Associate for training or early years consultancy, please get in touch:

  • If you know the course or Associate you would like to book, please complete our brief booking enquiry form and we’ll respond with options and prices to take your request forward.
  • If you would like to discuss options or would like suggestions on how we can best support your vision, please send us an email so we can make recommendations and talk through the possibilities of what we can offer you.

Our Associates

Nathan Archer

Nathan has worked in early childhood education for twenty years, recently becoming the Director of the International Montessori Institute.

Penny Cartwright

Penny is an independent early years consultant and trainer. For over twenty years she worked in an advisory capacity for the London Borough of Lewisham, supporting and promoting quality improvement.

Sharon Colilles

Dr Sharon Colilles is an early years consultant, trainer, and academic working with individual nursery settings, nursery schools, families, local authorities, government departments, and charities.

Caroline Eaton

Caroline has had a career in Early Years Education which has spanned over 20 years. She has worked in a wide range of roles including class teaching, bi-lingual support, parent partnership and consultancy.

Dominic Gunn

Dominic has substantial experience as a teacher and SENCO across all age groups and in a variety of mainstream, special, and alternative provisions.

Vicky Hutchin

Vicky’s work in early childhood education, began with working in playgroups, later becoming a nursery and reception teacher working in both primary and nursery schools.

Veronica Lawrence

Veronica is a qualified educational psychologist who has a particular passion in working preventatively with families and practitioners with infants and very young children.

Julia Manning-Morton

Julia’s career in the early childhood field has included a range of roles across a variety of settings for children aged 0-7 years and also as a senior lecturer in Early Childhood Studies.

Kerry Murphy

With over 15 years of experience in early education, Kerry’s focus is on neurodiversity, play and developmental differences. She currently works as a lecturer in Early Years & SEND at Goldsmiths.

Leslie Patterson

Leslie is a former Headteacher of a maintained Nursery School which she led from Satisfactory to Outstanding and a former National Leader of Education.

Elaine Bennett

Elaine is an experienced EYFS and KS1 practitioner, currently teaching in Southend, Essex. She has also worked as an EYFS adviser at Southend On Sea LA.

Sally Cave

Sally is a Headteacher who has a successful track record in the fields of school improvement and pedagogy which has been recognised at national level.

Carla Cornelius

Carla is a Special Educational Needs Trainer and Consultant who has worked in early years education for the past 17 years, supporting settings to embrace the principles of inclusive practice.

Julie Fisher

Dr Julie Fisher is an independent Early Years Adviser and Visiting Professor of Early Childhood Education at Oxford Brookes University.

Cathy Gunning

Cathy has over 30 years' experience in early years and primary, including in the roles of Headteacher, pedagogic lead, early years lead and SLE.

Debi Keyte-Hartland

Debi Keyte-Hartland is an experienced consultant specialising in expressive arts; creativity; ecological awareness and identity; and the interests, enquiries, and working theories of children.

Helen Lewis

Dr Helen Lewis is an experienced consultant and trainer who is passionate about young children’s learning and development. Her current role is as a Senior Lecturer in Initial Teacher Education.

Anni McTavish

Anni is an experienced workshop leader, trainer, and presenter, with over thirty years in the field of early education.

Anne O'Connor

Anne has more than twenty years’ experience and leadership in nursery, infant and primary schools in inner London

Julie Revels

Julie is an independent consultant, speaker and trainer specialising in inclusion in the early years and understanding the importance of early child development on later outcomes.

Jan White

Working across the UK and internationally, Jan is a leading thinker and writer on outdoor play and advocate for high quality outdoor provision for services for children from birth to seven.

Helen Bradford

Dr Helen Bradford is an independent early years consultant. A lifelong early years educator she has garnered extensive experience through a series of roles.

Di Chilvers

Di is a specialist in young children’s development, education and learning; trainer, mentor, writer, and collaborative researcher.

Clare Devlin

Clare has been working within the field of early years care and education for over 30 years.

Tamsin Grimmer

Tamsin is an experienced early years consultant and trainer, passionate about young children’s learning and development, and works part time as a principal lecturer at Norland College.

Joan Henderson

Joan has worked in education for over 30 years and during this time has developed a sound understanding of early years, primary and higher education.

Denise Kilner

Denise has a wide experience of teaching and management. She is now the Headteacher at Bensham Grove Nursery School in Gateshead.

Jacqui Lewis

With 20 years of experience across early education, including as a Setting leader, Area SENco, Ofsted Inspector, and LA Advisor, Jacqui’s passions are inclusivity for every child and reflective practice.

Ruth Mercer

Ruth has had a rich and varied career, working with the maintained and private sectors of Early Childhood Education. She has been a Headteacher, a Local Authority Advisor, and an Early Years Ofsted Inspector.

Fran Paffard

Fran is a former Senior Lecturer in Early Years at the University of East London and works as a freelance consultant.

Kym Scott

Kym headed up the Early Years Advisory Team in the London Borough of Lewisham, where she was School Improvement Advisor for Early Years for 15 years, following a successful teaching and senior leadership career in London schools.

Helen J Williams

Dr Helen J Williams is an independent educational consultant specialising in the learning and teaching of primary mathematics.

Nicola Burke

Nicola is an early childhood music practitioner, author, strategic leader, researcher, and consultant.

Julie Cigman

Julie is an Early Years consultant, trainer and writer. She has had a varied career in education, working her way up, then down the age range, to find her home in Early Years as a Nursery teacher in Oxford.

Rose Drury

Dr Rose Drury is an Early Years Education Consultant and Honorary Associate at The Open University.

Steve Grocott

Steve is a professional musician, composer and qualified teacher who specialises in music and storytelling in the Early Years.

Jeanette Hiatt

Jeanette’s career in early years education spans more than 30 years, including roles as an LA Senior Advisor, Headteacher, and Executive Headteacher.

Amanda King

Amanda has over 25 years' experience in early years education, as a teacher, head teacher, adviser, inspector, and strategic Lead for an LA.

Stella Louis

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.

Pete Moorhouse

Pete has worked in educational settings for over 20 years and is passionate about encouraging children’s creativity and critical thinking.

Jasmine Pasch

Freelance movement practitioner Jasmine trained as a professional dancer, teacher and counsellor and has worked across the arts, health and education sectors for over 30 years.

Kathryn Solly

Kathryn is now a specialist Early Years trainer and consultant working around Britain and internationally.

Explore our topics and sample courses

Find your next training session, INSET, or bespoke consultancy offer today.

Enquire now

Get in touch to discuss your booking today: we're happy to make recommendations to fit your vision, whether a twilight session, a day course or conference, or a long-term project. Our Associates will bespoke the delivery to your professional context and requirements - whether that's in-person or virtual - to meet your training and early years consultancy needs.  

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