Interview: Julian Grenier talks about his new role and who his ideal dinner guests would be

YOU PREVIOUSLY WORKED AT OFSTED. HOW WILL YOU BE USING YOUR EXPERIENCE IN YOUR NEW ROLE AT THE EEF?

I left Ofsted as early education lead at the end of May, after a year. During my time, I contributed to the Best Start in Life research reviews and other research activity. I’ll continue that focus on research, and helping to make it accessible to practitioners, in my new role at the Education Endowment Foundation (EEF).

WHAT SPURRED THE MOVE TO EEF?

EEF is highly trusted as an independent organisation. It’s committed to improving the ability for all children to fulfil their potential, and breaking the link between family income and educational achievement. Those values chime closely with my own. The EEF is expanding its work in early years so this felt like a really good time join.

CAN YOU TELL US ABOUT WHAT WORK YOU WILL BE DOING THERE?

My first big piece of work will be to continue the development of the Early Years Evidence store. This is a one-stop shop for everyone working in early years to find out more about research and evidence in key areas like supporting children’s communication, physical development, emotional wellbeing and mental health. The Early Years Evidence store is illustrated by video clips showing practitioners in nursery, school and childminder settings putting evidence into action. It’s a really popular resource, but there is more to do to ensure it reaches more practitioners and better meets their needs. One of the great things about the EEF’s resources is that they are trustworthy. They are drawn from robust research, and everything is free.

In my career, I’ve spent more than two decades leading Sure Start Children’s Centres. I’ve seen the difference that high-quality early education, childcare and services for families can make. Through my work at the EEF, I’m hoping to connect with settings and practitioners across the country, learn from their experience and expertise, and make a positive difference to more children’s lives.

YOU WERE HEAD TEACHER OF A NURSERY SCHOOL AND CHILDREN’S CENTRE FOR 11 YEARS. WHAT ENCOURAGED YOU TO MAKE THE MOVE FROM A SETTING TO OFSTED?

As head teacher of Sheringham Nursery School and Children’s Centre, I also worked as an Ofsted inspector. So I’d been out inspecting schools for around eight years before I joined Ofsted full-time as an inspector and early education lead. It was a really big change, not having a base in practice, not seeing children and their families every day. Joining Ofsted was about trying to influence the wider school and early years system to give children a better start to life – which is really what my whole career has been about.

YOU HAVE ACHIEVED A LOT IN YOUR CAREER. WHAT WOULD YOU SAY WAS YOUR GREATEST ACHIEVEMENT?

I am most proud of my leadership at Sheringham, including its designation as a Research School by the EEF.

DO YOU HAVE ANY CAREER REGRETS?

Not really – I’ve always learned a great deal from every job I’ve done, even working on the filet station at McDonald’s as a student!

IF YOU HAD A MAGIC WAND, WHAT IS THE ONE THING YOU WOULD DO TO IMPROVE THE EARLY YEARS SECTOR?

A better deal for early years practitioners – pay, recognition and career prospects.

Getting to know you…

If you were to hold a dinner party and could invite anyone, who would you ask and why? We live in a pretty small house in East London, so I’d only be able to invite a few people to dinner with me, my partner Caroline and grown-up daughter Maisie. I think I’d like to invite the early years pioneer Susan Isaacs because she was so interested in the use of research in early education – and because Caroline edited a book of her Nursery World columns. Then I’d add Jean Piaget, the ground breaking researcher into child development, because he and Isaacs famously disagreed. Finally, I’d invite Valentine Châtenay, who did a lot of Piaget’s research by closely observing their children, but never got credited. She was Piaget’s wife.

If you could collaborate with anyone on a book, who would it be? My favourite author is Kazuo Ishiguro – I’ve no idea how or why we’d collaborate, but I’d love to do it if I could!

If you hadn’t gone into the early years sector, what career would you have chosen? Originally I wanted to be a journalist, and I did a lot of student journalism and edited a student paper and a magazine. I loved it. But, at the same time, I was working as a reading volunteer in a school and I remember one day it struck me that this was the best thing I did all week – so I switched paths and applied to do teacher training focused on children aged three to eight.