Michael Pettavel: 'Value isn't just about what something costs'
All of the main political parties have lost sight of what ‘value’ means beyond its connection to...
Michael Pettavel
Michael Pettavel: 'My advice would always be to complain at the time of inspection'
Michael Pettavel gives his response to concerns raised by nurseries and childminders about some...
Michael Pettavel: Government policy is still failing families
Increasing the ‘free’ childcare offer does not address the need for family support that was...
Michael Pettavel: Government's 'golden hello' for early years recruits is backwards thinking
The Government’s pilot of offering a cash bonus to new-starters in early years shows how desperate...
Michael Pettavel: 'Ofsted has to change now'
Ofsted must engage in deep reflection and re-direction following years of controversy and its role...
Michael Pettavel: 'A fresh start is needed'
If Labour win the next election, they will have a lot of work on their hands to repair more than a...
Michael Pettavel: Seen and not heard?
The debate around whether or not parents should take their children to the pub misses a wider issue...
Michael Pettavel: Putting research into practice – there is no ‘right’ way
Research-driven practice and ‘influencer-informed’ approaches all have their place, but settings...
Michael Pettavel: How to live in turbulent times
It’s all feeling a bit extreme in the world at the moment, says Michael Pettavel, but solutions...
Michael Pettavel: 'We need to talk about quality instead of money'
Positioning the early years sector as a conduit to boost employment highlights the Government's...
Michael Pettavel: Is Ofsted really putting children first?
If Ofsted were truly independent, as it claims to be, then would it not be criticising an early...
Michael Pettavel: Why early years settings need to be accessible to all
Early years settings should be inclusive of all children no matter what their complex needs are –...
Michael Pettavel: Why profit can be toxic in education
The monetisation of all care-giving sectors, including the early years, cannot be sustainable when...
Michael Pettavel: Working in early years contributes to a higher cause
Early years practitioners can’t solve the sector’s issues right now, but they can make a difference...
Michael Pettavel: 'A Wetherspoons model for school improvement'
The Government’s recently published Schools White Paper lacks imagination and ambition in its...
Early intervention is vital
The early years is the perfect time to intervene as it prevents problems becoming more serious, so...
The power of words
Moving away from the deficit model of difference means more than enabling diversity, so that...
Smoke and mirrors
The Government’s communications around the early years and teaching could have been written by a...
Give yourself some time
After 18 months of pandemic and other work-related stresses, many of us would benefit by stepping...
Catching up to what?
Education is not a race, and children need quality time invested in them, says our columnist Michael...
We must not be divided
The early years sector needs to stick together to fight for its rights, says our columnist Michael...
Model behaviour in trying times
Times may be tough, but we need to demonstrate resilience to children says Michael Pettavel
Shifting the blame
Nobody is in charge, or is accountable, if nobody takes responsibility, says our columnist Michel...
Different values
The return to nurseries and schools is being mishandled by Government, says Michael Pettavel
The coronavirus crisis gives us a time for reflection
How we can find hope and positivity in this period of uncertainty
Who is your hero?
The young children we care for and educate help us to keep things in perspective in a world of...
Feeling overwhelmed by data
The wealth of information at our fingertips has its uses, but too much data and opinion can make us...
New year’s resolutions
The early years sector needs to keep on fighting for proper funding and children’s rights in the...
Mixed priorities
Our political parties need to put children, families and ‘life-long learning’ back at the centre of...
Falling on deaf ears
It doesn’t make sense for policy-makers to consistently ignore the latest research about the early...
Public services, such as early years, should be outside politics
Taking public services such as education and the early years out of politics may be the only way of...
Inspired by Gussin Paley
What we can learn from the late early years teacher, researcher and author Vivian Gussin Paley
Why do we do it?
Amid all the doom and gloom, it is important to remember why we work in the early years and what we,...
Children’s choice
Gender stereotyping needs to be tackled, but we shouldn’t take choice away from children in the...
Changing the mindset
As a caring profession, the early years sector can play a role in shifting priorities away from...
Explaining status
For how much longer can we rely on the goodwill and vocation of early years professionals while...
Take back control
Assessing children against a framework intended to promote good practice doesn’t make sense –...
In the same boat
Extra funding for nursery schools should not divide an early years sector united by inadequate pay,...
It’s all a bit of a muddle
Do parents stand a chance of doing the right thing for their children when Government and business...
Not a different species
Just like adults, children’s personal preoccupations and troubles, no matter how trivial they seem...
Trust children to lead
Some subjects can be a challenge to approach in the classroom, but are made easier by looking at...
Feeling overwhelmed
Too many statutory requirements mean we are busy demonstrating compliance rather than getting on...
Happy doing nothing
We should resist putting screens in front of children, and instead encourage them to entertain – and...
Top down, back to front
We sometimes need to take a step back, away from the politics, negativity and fear, in order to...
One size doesn’t fit all
The Government is making empty policy claims when it should let those in the early years decide how...
Friends indeed
For young children, friendships help them to blossom in nursery and can encourage them in their...
Old enough to learn
We need to look at the problem of summer-born children moving up to school from a different angle,...
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