Our Journey to Federation: Working Together for Children’s Futures
Back in 2019, three Hertfordshire nursery schools – Heath Lane, Oxhey, and Muriel Green faced an uncertain future. Changes in Maintained Nursery School funding left many wondering how to continue delivering the exceptional education that children deserved. For us, the question was clear: how do we protect quality, create opportunities, and keep children and families at the heart of everything we do?
The answer was collaboration. We chose to federate.
Federation wasn't simply about survival – it was about ambition. By joining forces, we created a stronger organisation built on shared values, shared expertise, and a determination to deliver the very best outcomes for children.
Together, we were able to:
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Stay at the forefront of research and use evidence to inform decision-making.
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Share expertise and leadership, creating new opportunities for staff to develop and lead.
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Pool resources and training, allowing us to offer more support while reducing duplication.
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Provide rich professional development opportunities that ensure every practitioner feels valued and empowered.
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Strengthen systems and operational effectiveness across our schools.
Most importantly, federation has improved outcomes for children. Together, we have introduced a skills-based curriculum, strengthened staff wellbeing, enhanced our learning environments, and created settings where every child can thrive. Our nurseries now offer more than ever before not because of additional funding, but because of a shared vision, collaboration, and collective expertise.
Today, Heath Lane, Oxhey, and Muriel Green stand stronger as a federation. We are proud to give children the best possible start in life, while continuing to innovate, collaborate, and support the wider education community.
What began as a partnership between nursery schools has grown into something much broader. While Early Years remains at the heart of our work, we now support primary schools and educational settings across a range of areas, helping leaders overcome challenges and drive sustainable improvement.
Our expertise includes:
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Early Years consultancy and provision development
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Vocabulary and language development
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School improvement and leadership support
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Finance and resource management
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Site and premises management
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Workforce development and professional learning
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Strategic planning and organisational development
We are not simply a federation of Early Years settings. We are a partnership of educational professionals committed to supporting schools, developing staff, and improving outcomes for children from the earliest years and beyond.
Our Vision
Our vision is for all practitioners, managers, teachers, and leaders to be empowered to provide exceptional education tailored to the needs of every child. We believe this education should be truly holistic developing academic, social, emotional, creative, and physical skills that enable children to flourish both now and in the future.
We want every child to feel safe, valued, and happy within their educational setting, developing confidence, curiosity, and a lifelong love of learning.
We are real people with a genuine passion for supporting those who work in education. Whether through outreach or inreach support, we work alongside schools, settings, and leaders to help drive meaningful and sustainable improvement. We can come to you, or you can come to us, offering practical guidance, tailored expertise, and inspiring solutions grounded in experience.
Our commitment extends beyond Early Years. We work with nursery schools, primary schools, and educational leaders to address operational, strategic, and educational challenges. From strengthening language and vocabulary development to supporting site management, financial sustainability, leadership capacity, and school improvement, we provide bespoke support that makes a lasting difference.
By working together, we create stronger schools, empower educators, and build learning environments where every child has the opportunity to thrive and succeed.
