I'm sure I'm not the only one who is glad to see the back of January. Although it has been an extremely busy month for all of us here, there is a sense that the year is really about to gather momentum from this point.
As I write, we are just a week away from the Nursery World Show, at the Business Design Centre in London, and with this year's fantastic line-up of seminars and exhibitors, we are hoping it will once again prove a hugely popular opportunity for the sector to come together.
As has been the case for some months now, this event is having to navigate the possibility of strike action which can disrupt travel and impact people's plans. It feels as if we are all having to live with this uncertainty and accept that it could go on indefinitely.
While there is a danger that we may all become inured to this way of life, what is the alternative? In the education sector we are not only seeing teachers planning strikes for February and March, but also protest groups, such as the Early Years Equality Action Group, mobilising with a protest planned for March. When LEYF's June O’Sullivan recently tweeted a poll on whether early years staff would opt for strike action, more than 80 per cent said they would.
All of this seems to be saying enough is enough – but is the Government listening?
As Joeli Brearley, founder of Pregnant Then Screwed, says in her interview on page 13, childcare is a vote-winner, so at some point something has to give.
Meanwhile, we are busy here at NW HQ, getting on with various projects. Next month, our March issue sees the publication of our annual Chains supplement, which provides an exclusive ranking of the big groups by their Ofsted grades. On the events front, our Business Summit in March follows hot on the heels of the Show. I look forward to meeting you in person.