Early Excellence Podcast

Early Excellence

Early Childhood Education

Child Development

Early Years Education

Outdoor Learning

Education

Continuous Provision

EYFS

Self-Regulation

Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS)

Physical Development

Key Stage 1

Ofsted

Early Excellence

Professional Love

Storytelling

Characteristics Of Effective Learning

Forest Schools

Mathematics

Language Development

Special Educational Needs and Disabilities

Join us as we discuss a diverse range of EYFS and KS1 best practice and provision, resourcing your Early Years environment and keep you up to date news and reviews from Ofsted & the DfE

56 ratings

Publishes	Weekly	Episodes	224	Founded	5 years ago
Number of Listeners		Categories	CoursesEducation

Listen to this Podcast

Guests Host Reviews Charts Talking Points

Latest Episodes

Navigating Ofsted Inspections: Insights from a Pilot School with Leanne Foster

What's it actually like to go through a pilot Ofsted inspection — and what did the focus on EYFS look like in practice?

Re-release: Originally aired on 30 Jan 2026

Leanne Foster shares her first-hand experience of a pilot Ofsted inspection, includi... more

7 Aug 2026 • 36 min • Popular

Navigating Change in Mixed-Age Classes: Challenges for Schools and Leaders with Anne Brass and Kate Gingles

Mixed-age classes can work brilliantly — but what happens when change is driven by necessity rather than vision?

Re-release: Originally aired on 13 Feb 2026

Anne Brass and Kate Gingles join us to discuss the complexities schools face with mixed-age... more

31 Jul 2026 • 49 min • Popular

Going Screen Free in the EYFS with Lucy Fox

Lucy Fox from Stoke Primary School in Coventry joins us for this week’s episode, as we explore the impact of screen-free practice in the EYFS.

Episode Links

• Read the Blog: Block Play Alongside Small World Resources

• Read the Blog: Navigating th... more

10 Jul 2026 • 49 min

Closing the Communication Gap: Early Talk for York with Rachel Shearer and Martin Cumming

What does it look like when a whole city gets behind children's communication and language?

Re-release: Originally aired on 17 Apr 2026

Rachel Shearer and Martin Cumming join us to explore Early Talk for York — a citywide initiative aimed at closin... more

3 Jul 2026 • 48 min

Key Facts

Accepts Guests

Contact Information

Podcast Host

Number of Listeners

Find out how many people listen to this podcast per episode and each month.

Similar Podcasts

People also subscribe to these shows.

Head-to-Head PodcastEarly Excellence

Two Mr Ps in a Pod(Cast)Two Mr Ps in a Pod(Cast)

Great Company with Jamie LaingJampot Productions

Parenting Hell with Rob Beckett and Josh WiddicombeKeep It Light Media / Spotify Studios

The Romesh Ranganathan ShowRanga Bee & Platform Media

Recent Guests

Leanne Foster

Early years lead for Parkview Academy and Black Clover Brown; pilot inspector for the Ofsted framework

Parkview Academy; Black Clover Brown

Episode: Navigating Ofsted Inspections: Insights from a Pilot School with Leanne Foster

Lucy Fox

Early years lead at Stoke Primary School, Assistant Head Teacher and Head of Foundations

Stoke Primary School

Episode: Going Screen Free in the EYFS with Lucy Fox

Rachel Shearer

Speech and Language Therapist

NHS, Early Talk for York

Episode: Closing the Communication Gap: Early Talk for York with Rachel Shearer and Martin Cumming

Martin Cumming

Assistant head teacher, Comet specialist speech and language teacher

St Paul's Nursery School, York; Early Talk for York

Episode: Closing the Communication Gap: Early Talk for York with Rachel Shearer and Martin Cumming

Becky Hoare

Founder of Pop Up Play Village, author on role play and children's mental health

Pop Up Play Village, Author

Episode: The Power of Role Play with Becky Hoare

Ed Finch

Head teacher, storyteller, and co-author of Storacy

Storytelling Schools (co-author)

Episode: The Wonder of Storytelling with Ed Finch

Eugene Minogue

Representative from Play England; advocate for children's right to play

Play England

Episode: Making Space for Play - A Conversation with Eugene Minogue

Dixie-Louise Dexter

Reception class teacher and assistant head teacher at Ashby Hill Top Primary School

Ashby Hill Top Primary School

Episode: Exploring Transition and Pace with Dixie-Louise Dexter

Caroline Woodman

English Lead for the Spire Academy Trust in Cornwall

Spire Academy Trust

Episode: Premature Birth, Development and Early Support with Caroline Woodman

Host

Andy Burt

Host of the Early Excellence Podcast

Reviews

4.8 out of 5 stars from 56 ratings

So helpful
All of your podcasts are so helpful and informative. I actually look forward to listening to them and coming back to them. Thank you for the time you take to put these together. Amy Banks, East Haddon Primary School
Apple Podcasts
5
Mrs Banks EYFS KS1
United Kingdom3 years ago

Embed These Reviews on a Website

Listeners Say

Key themes from listener reviews, highlighting what works and what could be improved about the show.

High-quality guests with real-world experiences.

Regularly useful resources and insights for EYFS teams.

Concise, actionable ideas you can try next week.

Informative and practical for school improvement.

Chart Rankings

How this podcast ranks in the Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube charts.

Apple Podcasts	#13	United Kingdom/Education/Courses
Apple Podcasts	#229	United Kingdom/Education
Apple Podcasts	#33	New Zealand/Education/Courses
Apple Podcasts	#69	United Arab Emirates/Education/Courses
Apple Podcasts	#184	Netherlands/Education/Courses
Apple Podcasts	#241	Switzerland/Education/Courses

Talking Points

Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.

The Can Do Approach to Supporting Speech, Language and Communication Skills with Joanne Jones

Q: How has delivering therapy online changed your practice and what are the key benefits?

Online delivery allowed viewing hundreds of home interactions, which revealed patterns like late talkers' need for more pauses and back-and-forth exchanges. It also enabled scalable feedback and empowering parents to act as co-therapists, a shift from the hands-on NHS model to a more relationship-centered, accessible approach.

The Can Do Approach to Supporting Speech, Language and Communication Skills with Joanne Jones

Q: Can you describe the can-do approach and what its heart is?

The approach centers on understanding what the child can do, using simple screening to place children into groups, and equipping parents with practical, in-the-moment strategies. It emphasizes visuals, analogies, and a memorable framework (airspace) that keeps the focus on building interaction and confidence rather than chasing developmental norms.

Early Talk for York with Rachel Shearer and Martin Cumming

Q: What impact has this approach had on children and staff, especially post-pandemic?

There has been a substantial turnaround in language development and related outcomes, with staff becoming empowered through training, leading to better identification, earlier interventions, reduced need for specialist services, and lasting positive effects on children's learning and life chances.

Early Talk for York with Rachel Shearer and Martin Cumming

Q: How does the three-step process work in practice for schools and settings?

Screening all children annually to identify needs, followed by training staff to become communication champions using L-Clan, and finally achieving a communication-friendly setting status that requires ongoing support and audits, with a focus on whole-setting engagement and collaboration with parents.

Early Talk for York with Rachel Shearer and Martin Cumming

Q: Can you explain what Early Talk for York is and why it was started in York?

It's a citywide, jointly commissioned approach between NHS and the local authority intended to close the language development gap by boosting communication skills in children from birth to five, starting with a pilot in the most disadvantaged areas and expanding citywide after compelling evidence of its impact.

Audience Metrics

Listeners, social reach, demographics and more for this podcast.

Listeners per Episode
Gender Skew
Location
Interests
Professions
Age Range
Household Income
Social Media Reach

Frequently Asked Questions About Early Excellence Podcast

What is Early Excellence Podcast about and what kind of topics does it cover?

A practical, practitioner-focused show that centers on early years (EYFS) and lower primary practices, with a strong emphasis on play, language development, and environment design. Episodes feature school leaders, EYFS staff, and local authority experts discussing real-world implementation—from Ofsted readiness and mixed-age provision to screen-free classrooms, storytelling, forest school, and family-centered language programs. Noteworthy are the hands-on Case studies, cross-site leadership insights, and resources that help schools translate theory into tangible classroom improvements. The format tends to blend leadership strategy with classroom-level tactics, making it a valuable resource for educators, school leaders, and policy-minded pr... more

Where can I find podcast stats for Early Excellence Podcast?

Rephonic provides a wide range of podcast stats for Early Excellence Podcast. We scanned the web and collated all of the information that we could find in our comprehensive podcast database. See how many people listen to Early Excellence Podcast and access YouTube viewership numbers, download stats, audience demographics, chart rankings, ratings, reviews and more.

How many listeners does Early Excellence Podcast get?

Rephonic provides a full set of podcast information for four million podcasts, including the number of listeners. View further listenership figures for Early Excellence Podcast, including podcast download numbers and subscriber numbers, so you can make better decisions about which podcasts to sponsor or be a guest on. You will need to upgrade your account to access this premium data.

What are the audience demographics for Early Excellence Podcast?

Rephonic provides comprehensive predictive audience data for Early Excellence Podcast, including gender skew, age, country, political leaning, income, professions, education level, and interests. You can access these listener demographics by upgrading your account.

How many subscribers and views does Early Excellence Podcast have?

To see how many followers or subscribers Early Excellence Podcast has on Spotify and other platforms such as Castbox and Podcast Addict, simply upgrade your account. You'll also find viewership figures for their YouTube channel if they have one.

Which podcasts are similar to Early Excellence Podcast?

These podcasts share a similar audience with Early Excellence Podcast:

1. Head-to-Head Podcast
2. Two Mr Ps in a Pod(Cast)
3. Great Company with Jamie Laing
4. Parenting Hell with Rob Beckett and Josh Widdicombe
5. The Romesh Ranganathan Show

How many episodes of Early Excellence Podcast are there?

Early Excellence Podcast launched 5 years ago and published 224 episodes to date. You can find more information about this podcast including rankings, audience demographics and engagement in our podcast database.

How do I contact Early Excellence Podcast?

Our systems regularly scour the web to find email addresses and social media links for this podcast. We scanned the web and collated all of the contact information that we could find in our podcast database. But in the unlikely event that you can't find what you're looking for, our concierge service lets you request our research team to source better contacts for you.

Where can I see ratings and reviews for Early Excellence Podcast?

Rephonic pulls ratings and reviews for Early Excellence Podcast from multiple sources, including Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Castbox, and Podcast Addict.

View all the reviews in one place instead of visiting each platform individually and use this information to decide if a show is worth pitching or not.

How do I access podcast episode transcripts for Early Excellence Podcast?

Rephonic provides full transcripts for episodes of Early Excellence Podcast. Search within each transcript for your keywords, whether they be topics, brands or people, and figure out if it's worth pitching as a guest or sponsor. You can even set-up alerts to get notified when your keywords are mentioned.

What guests have appeared on Early Excellence Podcast?

Recent guests on Early Excellence Podcast include:

1. Leanne Foster
2. Lucy Fox
3. Rachel Shearer
4. Martin Cumming
5. Becky Hoare
6. Ed Finch
7. Eugene Minogue
8. Dixie-Louise Dexter

To view more recent guests and their details, simply upgrade your Rephonic account. You'll also get access to a typical guest profile to help you decide if the show is worth pitching.

Find and pitch the right podcasts

We help savvy brands, marketers and PR professionals to find the right podcasts for any topic or niche. Get the data and contacts you need to pitch podcasts at scale and turn listeners into customers.

Try it free for 7 days