I am delighted to introduce myself as Hub Lead for the Connected Futures Early Years Stronger Practice Hub.
My name is Lyndsy Killip, and throughout my career—as a teacher, Head of School and now a strategic leader across the Connected Futures Partnership—I have been committed to improving outcomes for children and families.
I strongly believe that every child deserves the best start in life. To achieve this, we need confident, skilled practitioners, strong early years provision and services that work together around the needs of children and families.
About Dorothy Gardner Nursery School
Our Stronger Practice Hub is led by Dorothy Gardner Nursery School, a maintained nursery school in Westminster with a long history of providing high-quality, inclusive early education.
At Dorothy Gardner, we understand how important the earliest years are. Our approach is built around strong relationships, purposeful play, communication, inclusion and meaningful experiences that help children to develop and thrive.
The school is also home to the Treehouse Specialist Resource Provision, which supports children with a range of additional needs. This strengthens our understanding of inclusive practice and our belief that all children should be able to participate, belong and achieve.
Through the Connected Futures Partnership, Dorothy Gardner also leads Queen’s Park Family Hub. This means that our work extends beyond the nursery and into the wider community, bringing together early education, health, family support, inclusion and other local services.
This experience places us in a strong position to lead the Stronger Practice Hub and to contribute to the wider Best Start in Life agenda.
Bringing providers together
There is a great deal of knowledge and effective practice across the early years sector. Our aim is to bring providers together so that this expertise can be shared and developed.
We want to work with maintained nursery schools, schools, private, voluntary and independent settings, childminders, Family Hubs, local authorities and other partners across the seven areas we serve: Westminster, Kensington and Chelsea, the City of London, Islington, Camden, Barnet and Enfield.
We recognise that every area and every provider is different. We want to listen carefully to the sector and build an offer that responds to local priorities and the realities practitioners face.
Our Hub will provide opportunities for practitioners to:
- access evidence-informed professional development;
- build relationships with other providers;
- take part in communities of practice and professional networks;
- share effective practice and learn from one another; and
- explore how evidence can be used practically within their own settings.
We do not want this to be a Hub that simply delivers training to people. We want providers to help shape, test and share the work so that it is relevant, useful and sustainable.
Enrichment and opportunity
We are passionate about enrichment and the difference it can make to children’s learning, confidence and wider development.
Music, stories, movement, creativity, outdoor learning and experiences within the community all help children to develop language, curiosity and a sense of what is possible. These opportunities should be part of every child’s early education, not something available only to a few.
Giving children the best start in life means being ambitious for all children, including those experiencing disadvantage and those with additional needs. It also means recognising and removing the barriers that may prevent children and families from accessing opportunities.
Connecting early education and Family Hubs
Our work through Queen’s Park Family Hub has reinforced the importance of seeing the whole child and the whole family.
Children’s learning cannot be separated from their health, wellbeing, relationships or experiences at home. Families may also need different types of support at different points in their lives.
Family Hubs bring services together and help families access the right support earlier. They also create opportunities for professionals to work in a more connected way rather than expecting families to navigate separate systems.
We want to use our experience of Family Hub leadership to strengthen the links between early years providers, health, local authorities and community services. Connecting this work with the Stronger Practice Hub will help us support both the practitioners working directly with children and the families around them.
Why this work matters
Early years practitioners make an enormous difference to children’s lives. However, we also recognise the pressures facing the sector and the need for support that is practical, accessible and based on evidence.
Our role is to work alongside the sector: listening, building relationships, responding to identified needs and helping practitioners turn evidence into practice.
We want to celebrate what is already working well while creating opportunities to reflect, learn and develop together. The voices of practitioners, children and families will be important in shaping our direction.
I am proud that Dorothy Gardner Nursery School has been selected to lead this work. We have a real opportunity to connect providers across our region and build on the knowledge, commitment and experience that already exist.
By bringing together early years practice, inclusion, enrichment and Family Hubs, we can strengthen the support around children and families and help ensure that every child receives the best possible start in life.
Growing Possibilities. Transforming Futures.