Events

Understanding What Children Are Really Telling Us Host: Alice Sharp Speakers: Marc James, Kirsteen Beeley, Sally Haughey What if every behaviour that challenges was actually a message waiting to be understood? In this thought-provoking course, three expert early years educators join forces to explore behaviour not as a problem to fix, but as a form of communication to decode. Together, they’ll guide you through the emotional worlds of young children—revealing what lies beneath outbursts, defiance, withdrawal, and more. Drawing from neuroscience, real-life stories, and informed practice, this course offers practical tools and fresh perspectives that will help you respond with empathy, insight, and confidence. Perfect for anyone working with young children, this session is a powerful reminder that behind every behaviour is a need—and behind every need, a child asking to be seen.   Conversations with Early Years thinkers to inspire your practice. Join our discussions which will excite, inspire and provoke your thinking! The sessions will allow you to gain insight into some of the most successful approaches to teaching and learning in the early years. The Digital Gatherings will be structured in a way that allows you to observe, reflect and comment on the discussions taking place. Each session will centre around a relevant early year's topic, with speakers reacting to provocations and sharing their knowledge and experiences related to the topic at hand. The sessions will last 1 hour 30 minutes each and you can watch the Gatherings live or if you can't attend at the times set, watch later for up to 3days with the link provided from your ticket purchase. Each of the sessions will be co-ordinated by Alice Sharp acting as a catalyst sharer and conversation agitator... Alice Sharp is an internationally renowned early years speaker, trainer, imagineer and CEO of Alice Sharp Training who have just launched Play Futures, a subscription service for all things Early Years. Alice continues to develop methods of training to inspire the best practice in early childhood. Our host will be there to guide the sessions as well as keep the conversation flowing and daring to ask more challenging questions. Introducing the Speakers  Kirsteen Beeley - Kirstine  is an extremely experienced early years trainer, consultant, teacher and author who has previously worked as  senior lecturer at Oxford Brookes University. She is the creator of the Empathy Dolls Approach to emotional awareness in early years, working with local authorities across the UK to increase practitioner awareness of how best to support young children with their emotions every day. She is a real advocate of co-regulation in our very smallest children and as a SEND mum herself has seen first hand that behaviour truly is a form of communication to be understood not corrected. Sally Haughey - Sally is a renowned early childhood education expert and founder of Wunderled, inspiring educators worldwide to create calm, connected classrooms where children feel seen, safe, and ready to shine. An author of books like The Wonder Art Workshop and Nurturing Brilliance: Using Play-Activated Learning to Awaken Children's Potential, she has pioneered play-based learning and empowered educators in over 120 countries. Sally’s global work champions the transformative power of play for children’s social and emotional development. Marc James - Head of Quality at tiney | Chair at Creative Futures UK | Director, Community Early Years Marc is Head of Quality at tiney, a tech-led childminder agency supporting over 1,400 registered childminders across England. He leads on quality and quality assurance and supports regulatory compliance to help childminders maintain high standards of care and early education. He is chair of the Board at Creative Futures UK, a charity specialising in music and arts programmes for early years children, children with special educational needs and disabilities, and care experienced young people. Marc also runs Community Early Years, a consultancy supporting early years and primary settings with all things early years, quality improvement and digital transformation. Supporting and understanding children’s behaviour is central to all his work. Marc’s experience covers nurseries, primary education, SEND, and behaviour support. He was Head of Early Years for the UK’s first nursery group focused on the TV and film industry, where he set up nurseries for Warner Bros. and launched the UK’s first mobile childcare facility for Netflix. He’s committed to inclusion, diversity, and LGBTQ+ representation, with a practical approach to ensuring all children receive the support they need to thrive.