Learn about some of my past projects below and get in touch to see what I can do for you.
Current projects
Achieving high-quality provision in the baby room of English nurseries
This project brings together evidence on what quality provision looks like in the baby rooms (for children aged 0-2 years) of English nurseries. Funded by the Nuffield Foundation, and carried out in collaboration with Dr Mona Sakr and Kayla Halls at Middlesex University, the research project runs from July 2024 to August 2026. Visit the project website at for more information and to stay up to date with our work and publications.
Past projects
Independent review: Registration of the childcare, play and early years workforce in Wales. (Welsh Government report, July 2022)
Commissioned by the Welsh Government, the aim of this research was to provide an independent review of the childcare, play and early years (CPEY) workforce in Wales, and to inform actions and next steps for introducing a workforce registry.
Funded by the Education Endowment Foundation, this project aimed at understanding the experiences of pupils starting school (reception year) in September 2020, after the first Covid-19 lockdown, and how this cohort might differ from those entering school in previous years. The study examined the factors influencing socio-emotional wellbeing and educational outcomes, including the experience of the pandemic, home learning activities and family demographics.
The Covid-19 pandemic and the early years workforce – quarterly surveys about the impact of the pandemic on workforce’s issues, recruitment and retention. The surveys run between August 2020 – July 2021 in collaboration with the National Day Nursery Association.
A systematic review of early years degrees and employment pathways. (University of Plymouth and EPI report, December 2020, with Verity Campbell-Barr, Felix Bunting and Katherine Gulliver)
Funded by the Nuffield Foundation, this study examined the full range of early years degrees in England along with the employment trajectories of early years graduates.
An analysis of the early years workforce and its impact on children’s outcomes
Funded by the Nuffield Foundation, the primary goal of this study was to improve our understanding of key characteristics of the early years workforce, and the link between workforce qualifications and children’s outcomes. We conducted an in-depth analysis that helped us paint a detailed picture of the early years workforce and potentially identify which elements should be considered when assessing the relationship between quality of provision and children’s outcomes.
Report #1: The early years workforce in England: A comparative analysis using the Labour Force Survey. (EPI report, January 2019)
Report #2: Early years workforce development in England: Key ingredients and missed opportunities. (EPI report, January 2020)
Report #3: Understanding the early years workforce: Qualitative research findings (NatCen report, February 2020)
Report #4: – Early years workforce qualifications and children’s outcomes. An analysis using administrative data. (EPI report, December 2020, with Prof. Jo Blanden)
The stability of the early years workforce in England. An examination of national, regional and organisational barriers. (Social Mobility Commission Report, August 2020).
This study examined key factors associated with the instability of the early years workforce and provided recommendations on how to address the most pressing issues.
Structural elements of quality early years provision: a review of the evidence. (EPI report, August 2018, with Kristen Brown)
The goal of this review was to look at theory(ies) and practice(s) related to structural elements of the early years provision to produce a clear and accessible summary of current research on structural quality, and to identify areas where the evidence base is already strong and where significant gaps exist.
The early years workforce: A fragmented picture. (EPI report, March 2018)
An analysis of several administrative datasets and/or surveys aimed at creating a picture of early years provision and the workforce in England.
Other contributions, advisory group memberships and collaborations
Member of the Department for Education’s Working Group for the Early Years Teacher Degree Apprenticeship
Member of the Department for Education’s advisory group for the drafting of the National Professional Qualification (NPQ): Early Years Leadership Framework
Member of the Early Years Commission, chaired by Sharon Hodgson MP and Edward Timpson MP
Member of the Early Years Workforce Commission, a steering group made up of leaders from across the sector convened by NCFE
Education Select Committee Life Chances Inquiry – written and oral evidence (August 2018)
Sara Bonetti Research 