Louise Wakefield, head of Pre Prep at St Faith’s School, Cambridge, discusses a local collaboration for early years, of which she is a co-founder
Cambridge has long been a city of ideas – a place where research and practice meet. This year, that spirit of collaboration feels more vital than ever for those working in early years education.
Following the tenth-anniversary conference of the Pedal Centre (Play in Education, Development and Learning) at Homerton College – celebrating a decade of pioneering research into play, wellbeing and early childhood development – and with the government’s appointment of a minister for early education, the national focus on the formative years has never been stronger.
Alongside this sits the work of The Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood, championed by the Princess of Wales, whose essay, The Power of Human Connection in a Distracted World, reminds us that children’s secure relationships are the foundation for all learning.
In Cambridge, that message finds fertile ground. As educators, researchers and leaders, we have the opportunity, and responsibility, to create spaces that nurture connection, curiosity and calm from the start of a child’s educational journey.
Relationships at the heart of learning
Echoing the Princess of Wales’s call for deeper human connection, many schools are re-centring relationships as the true curriculum. Small-group time, reflective pauses and continuity of adults help children feel seen and heard. When trust and belonging come first, curiosity and confidence follow – and with them, the foundations for academic success.
Celebrating growth and reflection
Embedding reflection into daily routines helps young learners to recognise their own efforts and progress, as well as nurture self-awareness and emotional literacy. It reminds children that progress is rarely linear, and that joy and effort deserve
equal celebration.
Creating calm, connected spaces
Here at St Faith’s, our Pre Prep classrooms have been thoughtfully set up to reflect therapeutic and biophilic principles. Gentle, neutral tones, natural textures and plants bring warmth and calm to learning spaces. Displays are purposeful – celebrating effort and individuality – while working walls evolve daily, capturing children’s thinking in real time.
These choices are far more than aesthetic. They help children feel grounded, emotionally safe and ready to engage. They embody what we think of as the soft curriculum; a pedagogy of environment, where the room itself teaches attentiveness, belonging and reflection.
The Cambridge Early Years Best Practice Network
To connect and amplify this work, the Cambridge Early Years Best Practice Network has been launched in collaboration with Jemma Joakim, head of early years and primary at Cambridge University Press & Assessment.
The scheme has four purposes:
- Championing high-quality pedagogy and purposeful play
- Sharing best practice, key insights and resources
- Facilitating peer visits, open classrooms and joint continuing professional development (CPD)
- Bridging research and classroom realities across Cambridge’s diverse educational landscape
Drawing on the expertise of the Pedal Centre, the Royal Foundation and local practitioners, the network seeks to make Cambridge a beacon of early years collaboration – a place where policy, research and practice inform one another.
Looking ahead
As educators, we hold both the privilege and the responsibility of shaping the earliest chapters of a child’s story. By building calm, connected spaces and by nurturing reflective, relationship-centred practice, we can give every child the foundation to thrive.
With more than 20 years of experience in early years education and collaboration, and having recently completed an MA in educational leadership alongside a certificate in understanding children and young people’s mental health, I remain deeply committed to CPD and embedding current best practice into every aspect of our provision.
Cambridge already has the right ingredients: world-class research, creative educators and a deep commitment to community. The Cambridge Early Years Best Practice Network simply brings these elements together.
If you’re an educator, researcher or parent interested in joining the conversation, please do drop me a line at [email protected]