The Nursery Management Show takes place at the end of June at Birmingham’s NEC. Find out more about an event that can help you, your business and your career flourish

The UK’s largest event for nursery owners and managers, the Nursery Management Show, is opening its doors on Friday 27 June at Birmingham’s NEC. With more than 100 exhibitors, four content streams and more than 40 sector-leading speakers, it’s the ideal opportunity to stay ahead in a rapidly evolving industry, make new connections and explore solutions that will help you lead with confidence. 

Not only that, it’s free to attend. Whether you want to get the latest updates from Ofsted and the Department for Education, share ideas with other nursery owners and managers, or hear from experts on law, finance, safeguarding, curriculum, market trends and more, there’s something for everyone. 

The Innovation Theatre is set to host an interactive Family Fortunes-style quiz with Eden Training. Meanwhile Angelica Celinska, content and partnerships director at The Voice of Early Childhood, is chairing a discussion on change management and embedding innovation in your setting. 

At the Leadership Stage, get an update from the Department for Education’s Chris Armstrong-Stacey and talk all things recruitment with Claire Sephton, chief operating officer at Storal, and Jordan Tully, managing director of Toots Day Nursery. Sophie Hayter, qualification lead at Kido, will talk through new developments in the qualifications landscape, including changes to apprenticeship programmes and the new early years teaching apprenticeship. Panel discussions will focus on men in childcare and SEND and inclusion, while Lucy Lewin, founder and owner of The Profitable Nursery Academy, will share her expertise around building a sustainable business and strategies for growth. 

Over on the Nursery Management Today Owners Club Theatre, Sarah Collins, head of SME industries at Barclays, will be taking you through the issues around raising finance for nurseries, while Arun Kanwar and Madeline Alcock from Cairneagle will focus on nursery market trends and the outlook for investment. Kush Birdi, co-founder of Birdi & Co, is covering all things legal in a session entitled ‘the law of the land’, while Gary Croxon and Tracey Hobbs from the Early Years Alliance will give their tips on being business-smart. 

At the Operational Excellence Theatre, Jayne Coward, deputy director for early years regulatory policy and practice at Ofsted, will provide insights into planned changes to the inspection process. With new guidance on nutrition coming into play in September, Nursery Kitchen’s registered nutritionist Catherine Lippe will discuss ‘food – the next big thing in early years’ with Ruth Pimentel, chief executive of Kindred Education, Charlotte Roberts, director of operations at Kinderzimmer and Yusuf Huseyin, head of food at N Family Club. Clare Stead, founder of Oliiki, and Janet King, sector manager for education and childcare at NCFE, will talk about working with babies, and Mandy King, managing director at Naturally Learning will focus on building your own curriculum. 

Alan Gardiner, early years lead at ECP, will provide an essential overview of the new EYFS safeguarding reforms, which come into force in September, along with practical advice and strategies for preparing your team and reviewing your current policies. Meanwhile, Adam Marycz, early education consultant at TTS Resources, will cover nurturing purposeful play through your provision. Between sessions, be sure to visit our 100-plus exhibitors.

Find out more about some of our speakers below – for the full list of speakers and exhibitors, and for session times, click here.

Meet the speakers

Chris Armstrong-Stacey, director early years, childcare, families and analysis, Department for Education 

Since December, Chris Armstrong-Stacey has been the director responsible for the DfE’s work on early years childcare, including the expansion of childcare entitlements for working parents and the government’s commitment to deliver 3,000 school-based nurseries. Before this, he was the deputy director responsible for policy on teacher and school leader development and delivery of the Teacher Development Reform Programme. Armstrong-Stacey has held a range of policy roles at the DfE since October 2008. 

Joanna Benko, nursery manager, Toots Day Nursery 

With more than 20 years’ experience in the early years sector, Jo Benko has worked with practitioners as well as local authorities on enhancing inclusion practices. As an advocate for the inclusion of children with special educational needs and disabilities, she strives to promote better practices and share her knowledge on how to achieve inclusivity in early years educational settings. Currently working as a nursery manager, Benko brings a unique perspective as a neurodiverse individual with English as an additional language, allowing her to understand and appreciate diversity in all its forms. Her commitment to fostering an inclusive environment for all children drives her to look continually for innovative solutions and champion the importance of diversity and inclusion in early years education. 

Jayne Coward, deputy director for early years regulatory policy and practice, Ofsted 

Jayne Coward has worked for Ofsted for 16 years, both as an inspector and senior manager. She previously worked in local authority, heading the development of a variety of early years initiatives, including the Sure Start programme. 

Gary Croxon, business manager, Early Years Alliance 

Gary Croxon has been with the Early Years Alliance for nearly 17 years. His role is to lead on business support for early years providers and he’s worked on a number of projects including the Strong Early Years London programme, which was funded by the mayor of London. Alongside this, he is involved in the Alliance’s membership offer, continuing professional development, events, nutrition support programme and partnership links with external bodies such as TTS. Before joining the Alliance, he worked for the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Children’s Information Service (when it was being developed) and prior to that he worked in banking and retail management. 

Tracey Hobbs, early years development manager, Early Years Alliance 

Tracey Hobbs is a qualified early years teacher who has postgraduate qualifications in business. She has been an early years development manager with the Early Years Alliance for four years, writing and facilitating early years and business training sessions, and leading on the coordination, management and development of projects that deliver stay and play sessions for children and families, meeting the needs of the local community. Hobbs also provides consultancy sessions, helping to support providers and settings on an individual basis. She previously owned and managed seven early years settings and was a provider for 32 years. In her spare time, she teaches yoga, mindfulness and wellbeing. 

Yusuf Huseyin, head of food, N Family Club 

With more than 20 years’ experience in the early years sector, Yusuf Huseyin is the head of food at N Family Club, where he leads the development of nutritious, balanced and inspiring menus for young children. Passionate about early childhood development and the effect of food on learning and wellbeing, Huseyin combines deep industry knowledge with a creative approach to mealtimes, ensuring every child enjoys a positive and enriching food experience from the very start. 

Kathy Leatherbarrow, early years consultant, Eden Training Solutions 

Kathy Leatherbarrow is a early years consultant with more than 25 years’ experience in the field. She is committed to ensuring every child receives the best start in life through high-quality childcare and education. With a background in coaching and supervising staff, Leatherbarrow has a track record in improving the quality and performance of early years settings, often exceeding Ofsted standards. Her expertise includes quality inspections, staff mentoring, and delivering bespoke training, all aimed at fostering exceptional care and educational outcomes in early years environments. 

Lucy Lewin, founder and owner, The Profitable Nursery Academy

 Lucy Lewin is an entrepreneur who has dedicated her career to providing high-quality education and care for children and coaching and training educators. She has more than 15 years’ experience in the early childhood education industry and takes an innovative and child-centred approach to teaching. 

Catherine Lippe, consultant registered nutritionist, Nursery Kitchen 

Catherine Lippe is a registered nutritionist specialising in early years nutrition. She has worked across both public and private sectors, championing better nutrition for young children through practice, policy and advocacy. Lippe began her career in the NHS, working in infant and maternal nutrition. As an early start community nutritionist, she led public health initiatives across East London, supporting families and early years settings. She later joined Public Health England, contributing to national policy. Her work supported the ‘Feeding in the first year of life’ report. Currently, she is the early years nutritionist for Nursery Kitchen, overseeing the nutritional quality of meals and helping nurseries implement whole-setting approaches to healthy eating.

Jon O’Boyle, director of operations, Eden Training Solutions 

Jon O’Boyle is an expert in the apprenticeship field with a background in work-based learning and leadership. His career has expanded across several industries, including hospitality, sales, education, and transport over the past 30 years, leading several education providers through Ofsted inspections, Matrix assessments and DfE financial audits as nominee. O’Boyle started out in the hospitality trade as an apprentice commis chef in the late 1980s, progressing through the ranks to become one of Yorkshire’s youngest head chefs at just 24 years of age. As one of the biggest advocates of apprenticeships, O’Boyle is passionate about helping people to optimise the training and development opportunities available to them. 

Ruth Pimentel, chief executive, Kindred Education 

Ruth Pimentel is currently chief executive at Kindred Education, a private equity-backed acquisitive group of 48 children’s nurseries and pre-schools predominantly based in the East Midlands, London and the Home Counties. Pimentel was the early years national director with the government’s National Strategies from 2006 to 2009 and was instrumental in managing the development and the implementation of the first Early Years Foundation Stage. Pimentel has provided advisory support to investors and providers for many years. A teacher by background, she has worked in nurseries, schools, local authorities and Ofsted before working in roles at Toad Hall Nursery Group, Spring by Action for Children and now Kindred. 

Claudio Sisera, head of diversity and inclusion, Male Childcare & Teaching Jobs 

With more than 12 years’ experience in early years education, Claudio Sisera rapidly advanced from apprentice to manager after becoming Level 3 qualified. He owned his setting for two years before transitioning into roles that included early years recruiting and marketing. Sisera found his passion in the field of diversity and inclusion and in his current role advocates for more men to work in the early years industry. He focuses on encouraging men to join, supporting those in the sector through mentorship, and aiding nurseries in attracting and including more male professionals in their teams. 

Jordan Tully, managing director, Toots Day Nursery Group 

Over the past 13 years, Jordan Tully has taken various roles, advancing to senior levels of group setting management. In these roles, he worked diligently to uphold standards of quality and operational efficiency. Leading teams across different regions, he has overseen operations for numerous nurseries. Beyond these managerial responsibilities, Tully has a passion for contributing to the advancement of the early years sector, through sharing insights at conferences, facilitating seminars and hosting webinars. Recently, he launched the ‘Exploring Early Years With Jordan Tully’ podcast to facilitate meaningful discussions on topics shaping the sector.