Throughout the grind of the Conservative Party leadership contest, there has been remarkably little discussion about education and early years. Actually, of course, there has been remarkable little discussion about anything other than Brexit – our political system and our society are doomed to remain paralysed until some sort of resolution is achieved.
Also low on the agenda is climate change and sustainable development, about which none of the contenders has had anything of substance to say.
We are in a state of national climate change emergency and urgent action is needed.
Children and young people are proving to be the most passionate and effective advocates for change to save their planet from disaster, and many nurseries are playing their part in educating young citizens and running their businesses in a more sustainable way.
Cheryl Hadland, managing director of Tops Day Nurseries, has really led the way in this area, implementing many measures such as getting rid of single-use plastics in her settings, and campaigning as chair of GECCO, a charity set up to promote sustainability in early years childcare and education.
In our news section, we report on GECCO’s real nappy campaign and its efforts to gain support for the newly launched Nappies (Environmental Standards) Bill (pages 8-9).
And our annual Nursery Equipment supplement, published free with this issue, has the theme of becoming a sustainable setting, with some must-read articles including how to create and manage a sustainable setting, ideas for introducing environmental issues in the early years, a guide to resourcing across your setting, a look at eco-friendly buildings, and a keynote introduction by Professor John Siraj Blatchford.
We need to remember that we must focus on the future despite the travails of the present!