Upcoming events

“Listening is an active verb that involves giving meaning and value to the perspective of others” – Prof. Carla Rinaldi

In this open meeting we will be celebrating the work of Carlina Rinaldi by exploring the concept of ‘listening’ in early years practice. As a pedagogista in Reggio Emilia, and later president of Reggio Children, Carlina developed a profound legacy of thinking in relation to young children’s education. Together we will explore the idea of ‘listening’ as an active, engaged process of recognition and consider connections to practice by reflecting on what listening looks like in our own settings, how we might listen deeply and attentively to children’s ‘hundred languages’, what to do with our noticings, and potential challenges involved in such an approach.

There is a short suggested pre-reading for this meeting, looking at key elements of Carlina’s ‘Pedagogy of Listening’, which will be sent to those registered. Please also come with examples and/or questions you have relating to listening in your own practice.

The session will be led by Dr Penny Lawrence, Associate Professor of Early Childhood Education at UCL Institute of Education, who formerly worked in Reggio Emilia’s video documentation centre, supported by the London ReFocus network.

London ReFocus is part of the Sightlines Initiative network, bringing together educators, artists, researchers and others interested in developing a creative and reflective approach to early years education, inspired by the practice of Reggio Emilia.

Please contact Melanie O’Leary if you have any questions about the event: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Join Chris Merrick and RobinDuckett and the NEU for an inspirational day discussing all things early years at Hamilton House, WC1H 9BD. The day will be packed with CPD, networking, organising and activism.

Early years expert Ruth Swailes will be the keynote speaker and the NEU general secretary Daniel Kebede will open the day’s proceedings.

We’ll be hosting a workshop on Reclaiming Quality as part of the programme.

The notion of ‘quality’ is referenced regularly as if we then don’t need to question it. On the contrary, questioning is essential – what do we mean by quality?

Our difficulty goes back at least to the forming of the National Curriculum / Foundation Stage documents in the early ‘90s. And before that, as early childhood educators did not sufficiently articulate principles (we often simply said ‘we start where the children are at.’) The conversation around ‘Quality in Diversity’ was an excellent attempt at defining quality in the current UK context, but it was overshadowed and lost under the tide of the Foundation Stage expectations and ‘desirable outcomes.’

Since then, despite the best efforts of the broad spectrum of early childhood advocates, ‘quality’, ‘learning’ and ‘curriculum’ in the UK has been progressively dominated and defined by measurement-mentality. Measuring and instruction rather than informed environments for rounded human enquiry and learning.

So – how should we understand, reclaim and articulate quality? What should ‘quality education’ look like? What are core tenets? What is it Not?

The conference welcomes both NEU members and non-members.

Read more: NEU Early Years' Conference

Apply for your free space here. 

'The National Education Union stands up for the future of education. It brings together the voices of half a million teachers, lecturers, support staff and leaders working in maintained and independent schools and colleges across the UK, to form the largest education union in Europe.'

This is a one-week study visit to learn about and be inspired by the world renowned educational approach of the preschools and infant toddler centres of Reggio Emilia. We will be a 25-strong contingent as part of a large international study group. 

The preschools of Reggio Emilia have for more than a half-century been an international beacon for educators seeking to form enlightened education.

The vision and determination of a local community to create places of warm convivial learning for their children, enriched by a tenacious, researchful vision for education is a lasting and powerful contradiction to the idea of placing children in a uniform environment of passive instruction.

These are times of possibility. Many have seen that other ways of living and learning are indeed preferable. Multitudes of educators, head teachers, parents and advocates are striving to protect and develop possibilities for educational experiences with children’s rights, wellbeing and proclivities for natural enquiry at the heart.  Internationally we can see the development of education with principles informed by the intelligent work of Reggio’s preschools.

Sunday 19th - Friday 24th April 2026

Loris Malaguzzi International Centre, Reggio Emilia, Italy.

This course will explore the key principles underpinning the Reggio approach to early childhood education including:

• History and background
• Creativity and expressive languages of children
• The pedagogy of listening
• The environment as 'the third teacher'
• Parents as partners
• Democratic citizenship
• Children as the subjects of rights
• Children and educators as researchers
• Observation, interpretation, documentation
• Making learning visible
• Professional dialogue

Read on for further details and booking, including how you will receive our help and support before, during and after the study week.