About

Helen has a wealth of experience in teaching. Initially working in the secondary and then the primary sector, she co-founded a preschool in 2005, where she developed a keen interest in early intervention and the positive effect this has on a child’s development and progress.

Helen is an Early Years author, and has written two books, Developing Empathy in the Early Years: a guide for practitioners (Winner of the Nursery World Awards 2018 for Professional Book Category) and Building a Resilient Early Years Workforce, published by Early Years Alliance in June 2019. Helen writes regular articles for Early Years magazines and forums.

Helen is a co-founder and Education Director of Arc Pathway, a sensitive profiling system for early years which assesses and supports all young children aged 12 to 72 months. For more information, go to www.arcpathway.com

Work Experience

Helen is an experienced teacher, working initially in the secondary sector, where she taught English and Drama. She then worked in the primary sector as a class teacher for many years, heading up the music department, and leading the school choir. After the birth of her fourth child, Helen's choice of preschool for her youngest son was sadly closed, and so she co-founded a preschool in West Sussex in 2005, where she taught for 10 years. In 2014 she began to consult for early years, working with Think Equal and Riverston Schools. In 2017 Helen's first book, Developing Empathy in the Early Years; a guide for practitioners was published by Jessica Kingsley Publishers in London. Her second book, Building A Resilient Workforce in the Early Years (Early Years Alliance) came out in 2019.

In 2018 she co-founded Arc Pathway, an early years profiling and next steps platform for both early years providers and parents.

Education / Training

B-Ed Honours Degree in English and Drama at St Marys University, Twickenham

Personal Philosophy

I am passionate about early intervention, and the pedagogy required in each setting to bring about the best possible outcome for each child on the planet.

When early years teachers are confident about their knowledge and understanding of child development and learning, children's outcomes are significantly improved.

I want this particularly for teachers in the UK, where many girls (the workforce is predominantly female, somewhere between 96% and 98%) choose childcare as the 'easy option' and because they do not have the qualifications for anything else.

The first five years of a child's life are key for brain development and future learning. When we get this part of the cycle right, we place children at the best possible place in primary school, and the potential for a positive trajectory for life.