Celebrating our first ever cohort of new early years leadership course graduates!

We have something really special to celebrate! Yesterday at our Knutsford Training Academy, we hosted a graduation ceremony for the very first group of students to complete our National Professional Qualification in Early Years Leadership (NPQEYL) course!

This brand-new course, developed in partnership with University College London (UCL), is all about providing experienced early years educators with the chance to further their skills, knowledge, and career prospects. We’re so proud to see 14 students from our own teams, from nursery managers to directors, completing this year-long programme and sharing their incredible findings from their studies.

Our very own Gill Mason, Training Academy Director, has worked closely with UCL to craft this bespoke course, ensuring it supports career progression in the childcare sector, boosts staff retention, and highlights the importance of leadership development. Throughout the course, students have explored key topics like effective nursery culture, child development, curriculum and assessment, professional development, and safeguarding.

It was a day full of reflection and celebration, with final lessons in the morning followed by a lovely cohort lunch. The highlight? Our students presented their research and sharing the real impact this qualification has had on their daily practices. Kids Planet CEO Clare Roberts, Operations Director Lucy Kaczmarska, and our wonderful UCL tutor Lizbeth Bullough, Lecturer in Early Years and Primary Education, and Andy Hodgkinson, Deputy Programme Director at UCL, were all there to mark the occasion.

At Kids Planet, we’re on a mission to change the perception of early years education. Since launching our Training Academy in 2018, we’ve been committed to offering high-quality training to make the sector more attractive to passionate educators. By investing in upskilling, we’re not only improving retention but also ensuring we can support the growing demand for nursery places as Government-funded childcare expands.

Gill Mason, Training Academy Director at Kids Planet commented: “Today at our Knutsford Training Academy, it has been fantastic to celebrate our first ever cohort graduating from our new NPQEYL course. Previously, this status was only available for head teachers, but now, having been part of the national steering group and collaborating with UCL to develop this course, early years educators can continue upskilling and diversifying a really rewarding career.

“As a sector, we must commit to unlocking opportunities and bridging the gap in childcare access. We’re incredibly proud of the success and impact achieving this status has had on nursery practices, retention and motivation, and look forward to further progressing the course with future cohorts.”

We couldn’t have done this without our fantastic partners at UCL, and Andy Hodgkinson, Deputy Programme Director at UCL’s Institute of Education, shared our excitement: “At UCL we recognise how crucial the early years are in ensuring young people get the best start in life. That is why we have been so thrilled to partner with Kids Planet, who share our passion for excellence, to deliver the Department for Education’s National Profession Qualification in Early Years Leadership. It’s been a real joy for us to work on the programme with colleagues from across the Kid’s Planet organisation and we wish them all the best for the future.”

A massive congratulations to our first-ever NPQEYL graduates! This is just the beginning, and we can’t wait to see how this qualification continues to transform early years education.

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