I am an outdoor learning officer for the Heart of England Forest, a charity which aims to roll back centuries of environmental decline by planting a 30,000 acre forest for environment, wildlife and people.

My Fellowship is about understanding how other countries address school preparedness in preschool children and how to support families, as a whole, to close the educational inequality and attainment gap. I want to understand what other countries see as key skills for preschool children and compare with UK. I hope to identify what genuinely makes the biggest difference to children when starting school.

I believe that it is essential we help children to get the most from school from their first days, but I know from experience that a large number of children start school missing a number of UK-defined essential skills, affecting confidence and learning. This has worsened since the Covid-19 pandemic. Falling behind at such an early stage can lead to a lifetime of underachievement.

I want to use this knowledge to work with local schools running outdoor key skills based sessions with vulnerable families. The outdoor element is vital because of the link to positive mental health and wellbeing.