Nursery World Awards 2015 Judges

Julie Coackley is head of Chelsea Open Air Nursery School. She has worked in the early years sector for 18 years and has experience of running private, voluntary and maintaining settings – supporting children from birth to the age of eight. Julie, who has written a number of articles for Nursery World, has also run community projects to support families and children, along with opening a pre-school in an area of deprivation.
She is a member of the Early Education London branch.

Jane Comeau is chair of PACEY. She volunteered for the organisation for many years and joined its board as a trustee in 2011. Jane has been a registered childminder since 1995 and was awarded outstanding in all areas in her last two inspections. She graduated with a BA in Early Years in 2010 and gained Early Years Professional Status in 2011.

Judith Dancer (formerly Stevens) is an independent early years consultant and a prolific author based in Devon. Following many years working with children and in local authority advisory roles, Judith became Senior Adviser for the Every Child a Talker (ECaT) programme. Judith has a passion for all aspects of mathematics, particularly exploring maths outdoors and through stories and rhymes and works across the UK.

Mary Dickins is a senior lecturer at London Metropolitan University and an independent consultant and author.
Mary has worked with practitioners, young children and families for 39 years. She has extensive and varied experience as a trainer of early years professionals at all levels of expertise and on a wide range of issues, specialising in equality and inclusion.

Caroline Eaton is an early years consultant, trainer and associate of Early Education. She is author of Enabling environments on a shoestring: a guide to developing and reviewing early years provision (2015) and is currently working with Early Education on a Department for Education-funded project to help settings make best use of the Early Years Pupil Premium. Her varied roles within the early years include class teaching, bi-lingual support, parent partnership and consultancy.

Jane Harrison is Director of Red Hen Day Nursery which has gained national accolade for providing outstanding provision on a working farm. Jane has a first class degree in Early Childhood and is an advocate for children’s healthy lifestyles. Her nursery has won numerous awards including Nursery World’s Nursery of the Year, Enabling Environments and Food awards. Jane was also a finalist in BBC’s Food and Farming Awards Caterer of the Year.

Linda Keats is a workforce development consultant with Essex County Council, supporting the early years workforce and, in particular, Early Years Professionals /Early Years Teachers. She started her career in early years in Australia more than 20 years ago and had worked in occasional, sessional and full-day care in a number of roles including nursery manager in both Australia and the UK.

Neil Leitch is chief executive officer of the Pre-school Learning Alliance, which supports children and their families in England through its membership of more than 14,000 day nurseries, sessional pre-schools, and childminders. In 2013, he led the Alliance’s Rewind on Ratios campaign, which successfully lobbied against Government plans to relax childcare ratios. Neil was recently elected a Fellow of the Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce (RSA) for his work within the early years sector.

Beatrice Merrick is chief executive of Early Education, leading the organisation’s work on developing professional opportunities and resources for practitioners, as well as campaigning on behalf of members to improve early years policies across the UK. 
Beatrice also sits on a number of national policy forums. 
She previously worked for a national charity advising on international further and higher education policy and practice.

Dr Patricia Mucavele is head of nutrition at the Children’s Food Trust. Patricia led on the development of the Voluntary Food and Drink Guidelines for Early Years Settings in England and the Trust’s early years food and nutrition programme ‘Eat Better, Start Better’. Patricia joined the Trust in July 2006 having spent 17 years working overseas for international development agencies.

Catriona Nason is director of consultancy Daycare Doctor. She holds an Early Years Teacher qualification and has over 25 years experience working in the sector.
Also chief executive of NEyTCO, a social enterprise for early years trainers and consultants, Catriona co-founded the #OfstedBig Conversation and is a member of the All Party Parliamentary Group on a Fit and Healthy Childhood.

Anne O’Connor taught in early years settings in London primary schools for more than 20 years before becoming an independent consultant, trainer and writer. She contributes regularly to Nursery World and is an associate of Early Education. She co-founded and is a principal consultant with Primed for Life Training Associates, providing innovative training for physical development and the prime areas of the EYFS.

June O’Sullivan is chief executive of the London Early Years Foundation (LEYF), a childcare charity and social enterprise, which runs 31 nurseries across 11 London boroughs.
June is also a council member of the Early Intervention Foundation and founding member of International for Early Years.
She was awarded an MBE in 2013 for her services to London’s children, and this year was given an honorary doctorate from the University of Middlesex.

Sue Robb joined the charity 4Children as head of early years in May 2011 with the specific brief to lead the development of the Department for Education’s new early years strategic programme, Foundations for the Future.
She has worked as an Ofsted inspector and is recognised nationally for her work on early years quality improvement. She has also worked at schools and local authorities.

Sarah Rotundo is regional director for Childbase Partnership. An Early Years Professional, she has worked in childcare settings in quality, training and operational capacities.
Last year, Sarah won Nursery World’s Operations Manager of the Year. She has also written several articles for the magazine.
Sarah chairs the Ofsted Big Conversation in the South East and is a co-chair of NEYTCO.

Gail Ryder Richardson holds a masters in Early Childhood Education and has worked in the early years sector for more than 30 years. She currently focuses on promoting the value and use of outdoor environments. Her understanding of the issues practitioners face in improving their outdoor practice is combined with a practical and creative approach to overcoming problems.

Wendy Scott received the Nursery World Lifetime Achievement Award in 2009.  She is a Froebel-trained teacher and was head of a demonstration nursery school. Wendy is president of TACTYC and served on the Nutbrown Review. She was chief executive of the British Association for Early Childhood Education and chair of the Early Childhood Forum. She has worked with the DfES, the British Council and UNICEF.

Kathryn Solly is an early years consultant, trainer and former head of the historic Chelsea Open Air Nursery and Children’s Centre. Her first book, Risk, Challenge and Adventure in the Early Years: A practical guide to exploring and extending learning outdoors, was published in 2014.
In 2006, she was awarded the Unilever Fellowship for research into aspects of Early Years Leadership and Management. 

Nancy Stewart is a trainer, consultant and writer with extensive experience in schools, children’s centres and private provision. She advised the Tickell Review, and co-produced the revised EYFS Development Matters. At National Strategies, Nancy led Every Child a Talker in central England.

Lyndsey Tanner is manager of Snapdragons Grosvenor nursery in Bath, one of eight settings operated by Snapdragons Nurseries. The 70-place nursery is rated outstanding by Ofsted. Lyndsey has a degree in Early Years Education, and in 2013 won the Nursery World Manager of the Year award.
She is known for her innovative use of ICT, both to enhance children’s learning and to support partnerships with parents.

Purnima Tanuku is the chief executive of National Day Nurseries Association, a charity and membership association for nurseries across the UK. Recognised as an authority on early years and childcare, Purnima works closely with ministers and senior civil servants and is a major contributor to the policy debate in all three nations.

Penny Tassoni s an education consultant, author and trainer. She previously worked as an early years and primary teacher before lecturing on childhood studies. Penny has also worked as the UK education and training manager of a large nursery chain. She has written more than 30 books including the best-selling Practical EYFS Handbook. Penny is also president of early years organisation PACEY.

 
Kate Tyler is a social media expert and director of Shake Social - an online marketing agency with expertise in the early years sector. Kate, who writes a monthly column for Nursery World, works with nurseries across the UK to help them implement digital strategies that work, and raise their online presence.

John Warren is the director of childcare for Fennies Day Nurseries. John has spent over 30 years working in the childcare sector and says he is still as passionate about it now as he was back in 1983 when he started his NNEB.

Nicole Weinstein is a freelance journalist specialising in early education, childcare and under-threes development. She spent five years writing news and features in-house for Nursery World and continues to be a regular freelance contributor. She has extensive links throughout the childcare sector. Since becoming a mum she is even more passionate about what’s on offer for children in the early years.