Conference programme
09:30 Welcome and introduction - Samantha Chapman, Amy Fredrick and Katie Johnson, Early Years Service Leads (Devon Localities)
09:40 Bigger picture introduction from Early Years
Session to include
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- Redesign outcomes and impacts
- Best start in life
- Settings contribution moving forward
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10:00 Building a culture of belonging - Cultivating Care and Connection across Devon Early Years - Mark Finnis, Founder and Director of L30 Relational Systems
We talk about inclusion. But do we design for it?
Restorative and Relational Practice is about elevating the culture of a school so people are pulled in, not pushed out, about fostering a greater sense of belonging and a sense of community.
It’s about encouraging a willingness to act in the right way for the right reasons.
So, how do you change the culture of an EYFS school or setting? One room at a time. Where do you start? In the one you’re in now.
11:15 Refreshments, networking and exhibition
11:45 Workshop session 1 - see below for workshops
- The role of connection in developing secure attachment
- Building bonds through music
- Connection at meal times
- Best Start in life
- Choosing and using picture books to nurture connections
13:00 Lunch, networking and exhibition
14:15 Workshop session 2 - see below for workshops
- The role of connection in developing secure attachment
- Building bonds through music
- Connection at meal times
- Best Start in life
- Choosing and using picture books to nurture connections
15:15 Comfort break - move back to main room for keynote
15:25 A new era for play: Connection at the heart of learning - Alice Sharpe, CEO Alice Sharp LTD
“We stand at the edge of a new dawn in early childhood education, one that asks us not to tweak around the edges, but to transform from the inside out.”
Your Why is already in your Heart.
For those of you who know, in your heart, that children’s play is not a warm-up for the real world, but the realest thing there is.
We are here to agitate, to innovate, and to redesign the way we see, support, and shape play in early childhood.
As technology accelerates, our job is not to resist it, but to balance it.
To anchor it in play that is active, sensorial, social, and deeply human.
Play that offers:
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- Connection, Curiosity and wonder
- Real materials in little hands
- Conversations that grow empathy and identity
- Spaces where imagination and innovation collide.
- Stillness, presence, and connection to the natural world
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Children grow, learn and thrive through connection. Before they can engage deeply with experiences, persevere through challenges or develop new skills, they need to feel safe, seen, valued and connected.
In this session we will explore why the emotional foundations of learning are as important as the curriculum itself and how both work together to help children flourish.
Using the work of renowned child psychiatrist Bruce Perry, we will examine his six core strengths, Attachment, Self-Regulation, Attunement, Affiliation, Tolerance and Respect, and discover how these qualities are built through relationships, playful interactions and a strong sense of belonging.
Together, we will consider how connection supports focus, self-control, perseverance, empathy and curiosity, making meaningful learning possible.
Through the lens of children’s key emotional needs, we will design rich and joyful play experiences that nurture love and affection, safety and security, belonging, recognition, autonomy, purpose and understanding. Above all, we will explore how connection, to ourselves, to others, to places and to the wider world, creates the conditions in which children become confident, compassionate and capable learners.
Because connection doesn't sit alongside learning, it’s the foundation for all other learning to build upon.
16:30 Close of conference
