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Mission opportunity: turning early-years policy into practice

In A fairer start

4 Mar 2025 12:00 – 13:00

Online

Free

The new Labour government’s ‘opportunity mission’ sets out an ambitious vision: breaking the cycle between a child’s background and their outcome, and giving every child the best start in life. With 80% of parents struggling to access services, childcare costs rising, a teaching retention crisis and growing school absence rates, there’s never been a more urgent time to act.

The mission’s milestone is bold. By 2028 the UK government aims for the proportion of 5-year-olds who start school ready to learn to 75% – that means an additional 40,000-45,000 children a year hitting developmental goals. How can this vision be turned into reality and improve young children’s lives?

On Tuesday 4 March 12:00-13:00, we’ll be joined online by Dr Julian Grenier CBE a leading voice in early-years policy and practice debates, to explore the practical policy solutions and on-the-ground approaches needed to achieve this milestone. Julian brings a wealth of expertise, including frontline experience working in a Sure Start centre and leading integrated family support initiatives.

Together with Nesta’s fairer start mission director Sarah Cattan, Julian will delve into the importance of integrated family support in the early-years system, exploring how it can be better designed and funded, and how Nesta’s work on a new era for integrated services in England can offer practical pathways forward.

It offers a vital opportunity to discuss how policymakers and practitioners can work together to ensure disadvantaged children have access to high-quality early education, professional development for the workforce, and the support they need to thrive.

Why you should attend

This event is ideal for policymakers, early-years professionals, educators, local authorities and anyone passionate about creating equal opportunities for children.

Drawing on his frontline experience as a Sure Start Centre leader and as an Ofsted early education lead, Julian will explore the actionable steps needed to ensure that all children can start school ready to thrive.

Simply register to attend to receive event details, joining links and reminders straight to your inbox.

Sarah Cattan

She/Her

Sarah leads Nesta's a fairer start mission. Sarah is an economist with over a decade of experience conducting policy-relevant research on early childhood development and policy. Before joining Nesta, Sarah worked at the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) for 11 years, where she led their work on education and skills. Sarah has conducted influential work on key national early years policies in the UK, including Sure Start, the free entitlement to childcare and the Family Nurse Partnership. She has also worked closely with a number of local authorities and children's charities to adapt and experimentally evaluate interventions aimed at improving the outcomes of disadvantaged children and young people. During Covid-19, Sarah also led a major study looking at the impact of the pandemic on children's learning and wellbeing. Sarah has written widely about inequalities in children's outcomes and published research in top scientific journals. While at the IFS, Sarah also worked as a teaching fellow at University College London. She has a PhD in economics from the University of Chicago.

Dr Julian Grenier CBE

He/Him

Julian Grenier is the senior content and engagement manager for early years at the Education Endowment Foundation. Previously, he was one of His Majesty’s Inspectors of Schools (HMI) and early education lead at Ofsted, was the director of East London Research School (funded by the EEF) and headteacher of Sheringham Nursery School and Children’s Centre in Newham, East London. Julian is a member of the editorial board of Impact, the journal of the Chartered College of Teaching. He is a member of the Expert Advisory Group for Mobilise, an innovative project from PEDAL at the Faculty of Education, University of Cambridge, and a trustee of the charity Thrive at Five. He served as a member of the Early Education route panel at the Institute for Apprenticeships until 2023. Julian was a national leader in education and was awarded a CBE for services to early-years education in 2022.

Mission opportunity: turning early-years policy into practice

About Nesta

Mission opportunity: turning early-years policy into practice