Well, it’s Friday evening, after another long but very interesting week. On Tuesday I attended the ‘Children’s Plan 2 Years On’ meeting at the Department for Children, Schools and Families, where about 25 experts briefed Ed Balls on how the Children’s Plan had actually worked to date and what the real challenges were for the future. It is always inspiring to hear the views of a whole host of very committed people who are working to make life better for children across the UK. I came away feeling that in the Early Years sector we are moving in the right direction, but as a nation we need to do so much more, not least to tackle child poverty.

I called into the Faringdon nursery today and it was great to see the Christmas decorations up and all the activity which preceeds Christmas - painting, glittering, glueing and making shiny things to send home. It seems hard to believe that our first nursery Christmas was 7 years ago - until I look at my lovely 11 and 9 year old children and remember that they were pretty small when we first opened! The staff all work so hard over the next few weeks, so don’t forget to tell them how much you appreciate them on occasions - I always smile when I see a lovely ‘thank you’ card when a child leaves the nursery after several years, but wish that more people told them what a good job they do as they go along.  Keep smiling team, there’s that lovely break between Christmas and New Year to look forward to!

Finally, I had a great e-newsletter from Melanie Greene at Grovelands, which struck a chord and I thought it might be a good note to finish the week on. Have a lovely weekend.

Here some wise words from Ralph Waldo Emerson….

‘To laugh often and much; to win the respect of intelligent people and affection of children; to earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends; to appreciate beauty, to find the best in others; to leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch or a redeemed social condition; to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded.’