I’ve travelled a circuitous route to be here today from an initial History degree, via Montessori teaching qualifications to service development and improvement leadership.

Having worked in mainstream, specialist and ‘inclusive’ early learning and childcare settings in both England and Scotland since the 1980’s I’ve been part of a fast-changing world, particularly in terms of values and ambitions.

Unfortunately, I have yet to see an environment specifically designed and built to enable children with complex communication, learning, health and care needs to play and learn alongside their peers without identified additional support needs; nor the development of a body of best practice and transferable exemplars of inclusion to enable such children to access high quality early learning and childcare regardless of where they live.