The Strong Foundations Series
Six practical books for everyone working in early years
Each book in the series is written in clear, everyday language and explains not just what to do in nursery practice, but why it matters. Together, they’re built around one simple idea, the Influence of Noticing: what adults notice shapes what they think, what they do, and the culture they create, and that culture shapes children’s lives.
The books follow the current EYFS framework and Ofsted expectations, and each includes practical forms and checklists you can use straight away in your setting.
Book One: Professional Curiosity
The Influence of Noticing in Early Years Practice
Good practice starts with noticing. This book helps practitioners look beyond the obvious, spot when something seems different or not quite right, and treat that moment as the start of careful thinking, even when it doesn’t seem important at first. It’s the foundation for the whole series.
View on Amazon: https://amzn.eu/d/0dZ6W3Bh
Book Two: Safe Sleep
Building a Culture of Safety in Nursery Settings
Safe sleep is now a specific Ofsted requirement. This book explains what it means in practice, why it matters, and how to make safe sleep part of everyday routines so that safety becomes something the whole team does without thinking, not just a policy on the wall.
View on Amazon: https://amzn.eu/d/0dS5po3L
Book Three: Trusted Partnerships
Working with Families Around the Child
Children thrive when the adults around them work together. This book shows how practitioners and parents can build real, trusting partnerships, sharing what they notice so that every child is surrounded by consistent support at nursery and at home.
View on Amazon: https://amzn.eu/d/03IV4J5c
Book Four: Safeguarding Culture
Beyond Compliance in Early Years Settings
Safeguarding is more than paperwork. This book shows how keeping children safe is built every day through a culture where everyone notices, questions and speaks up, so that protection becomes part of who the team is, not just what the policy says.
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Book Five: Every Child Seen
Inclusion, SEND and Belonging in Early Years Settings
Every child deserves to be truly seen. This book supports practitioners in including children with SEND, neurodiversity or additional needs, focusing on what each child can do and how settings can make sure every child belongs.
View on Amazon: https://amzn.eu/d/0heXd9LE
Book Six: Leading What Matters
Strong Teams and Continuous Improvement in Early Years Settings
Strong nurseries are built by strong teams. This book is for leaders and managers who want to create safe, well-run settings where staff keep learning and growing, and where good practice is supported, shared and sustained.
View on Amazon: https://amzn.eu/d/0g3amhlt
Coming Soon: Planning in the Moment (PIM)
Some of the best learning happens in the moment, when a practitioner notices what has caught a child’s interest and responds there and then. This book shows how to plan around children’s own curiosity, and how noticing, wondering and responding can turn ordinary moments into rich learning.
