Editor's view - Looking back and forwards as 2013 ends

It's been another very eventful year for the early years sector, with 'More Great Childcare' and 'More Affordable Childcare for a start - and all the changes that they have prompted and that are still to come.

Our news section on pages 4-7 looks back at some of the major stories of the year and flags up the next moves as well.

Just as the old year winds to a close, London Mayor Boris Johnson and Childcare Minister Elizabeth Truss unveiled £8m of funding to boost provision in the capital, with the emphasis very much on expanding hours and capacity in school nurseries.

The intention to move more young children into school-based provision has been evident already, and there are various concerns, including inspection, as Nancy Stewart discusses opposite, and the suitability of provision.

A school with a nursery class, in a standard classroom, is not necessarily the right place to care for children from 8am to 6pm.

Looking forward to the new year, Nursery World will continue to bring you all the news, as well as some fantastic features to enhance your practice.

Some of our favourite authors will be present - Helen Tovey on risk; Marion Dowling on vulnerable children; Nancy Stewart on children as storytellers; and Julie Mountain with a series on high-quality outdoor provision with the 7 Cs approach.

New names will include Birkbeck's Natasha Kirkham on the importance of boredom, and Dr Jo Van Herwegen from the University of Kingston with a two-part series on mathematics.

And don't miss our great new poster series, focusing on materials.