Edinburgh - Gifts for Our Future 14: Being and Belonging

Edinburgh Froebel Network Conference 2025

◇ Gifts for our Future 14 - Being and Belonging ◇

In Partnership with the Froebel Trust

"Every child should be accepted as an indispensable and essential member of the human race."– Froebel in Lilley, 1967:57

Join the Edinburgh Froebel Network, with the Froebel Trust, for the 14th annual conference exploring Being and Belonging through a Froebelian lens. This full-day event brings together early years professionals, researchers, and advocates committed to inclusive, child-centred education rooted in Froebel’s enduring principles.

Programme

🔹9.30am | Registration and Refreshments

🔹10.00am | Welcome and Introduction

🔹10.20am | Keynote 1 – Seeing, Unfolding and Flourishing: A Froebelian Approach to Inclusion and Belonging

With Catriona Gill. A powerful exploration of inclusion and belonging through a Froebelian lens, focusing on seeing each child for who they truly are.

🔹11.00am | An Author’s Perspective

With Eve Mawby Whistler. Insights from the Froebel Trust pamphlet: Supporting children with additional support needs.

🔹11.20am | Coffee Break

🔹11.50am | First Seminar Session (choose from 5 options)

a. Slow Pedagogy: What is the Offer for Every Child? - with Donna Green and Shirley Couser

b. Playing with Power: How a Froebelian Approach can Support Anti-Racism and Decolonisations - with Simon Bateson and Dr Shaddai Tembo

c. Reflection with Guidance to Get it Right for Every Child - with Sally Cave, Tess Dean, Chantal Talary and Angharad Gilmore

d. A Sense of Belonging in New and Established Communities - with Janaki Wood & Sharon Imray

e. Using Froebelian principles to support children and young people with complex additional support needs beyond ELC - with Catriona Campbell & Caitilin Thomlinson

🔹 1.00pm | Lunch

🔹 2.00pm | Second Seminar Session (choose from 5 options)

🔹3.05 pm | Keynote 2 – Becoming Who We Are: Ripple Effects Through Relationships and Time

With Rachna Joshi. A reflective talk on identity, relationships and the wider world through a Froebelian frame.

🔹3.45pm | Closing remarks and evaluation

✅ Lunch and Refreshments Included ✅

About the Keynotes

🔑 Keynote 1

Seeing, Unfolding and Flourishing: A Froebelian Approach to Inclusion and Belonging

Catriona Gill, Education Scotland and University of Edinburgh

As our settings becomes increasingly diverse and the needs of our children increase, this keynote will explore the ways a Froebelian approach can help us to deeply see each child for who they are. Catriona will explore how Froebel’s principles and his ideas on unfolding, can ensure that every child flourishes and feels seen, heard and valued as an essential “member of humanity.” (Froebel in Brehony, 2001:16-17).

🔹Author’s Perspective

The Froebel Trust Pamphlet: Supporting Children with Additional Support Needs

Eve Mawby Whistler, Nursery Teacher, Cambridge

Eve shares reflections from her Froebel Trust publication, drawing on her experiences in nursery schools. She offers practical insights into supporting children with additional needs through Froebelian practice.

🔑 Keynote 2

Becoming Who We Are: Ripple Effects Through Relationships and Time

Rachna Joshi, Early Years Educator and Writer

Sharing stories from her life, research and the wider world, through a Froebelian frame, Rachna explores the ripple effects of how individuals become who they are through relationships with others and the world around them.

Seminar Options🌱

A🔹Slow Pedagogy: What Is the Offer for Every Child?

Donna Green and Shirley Couser, Falkirk Council

This seminar will consider how our continuous provision in early learning and childcare settings enables inclusive practice supporting personalisation and choice and starts with what children can do. It will give examples of how taking time and considering the pace and the rhythm of the day can offer something for everyone. It will draw on Alison Clark’s (2023) four key elements of slow pedagogy.

B🔹Playing with Power: How a Froebelian Approach Can Support Anti-Racism and Decolonisation

Simon Bateson, Edinburgh and Dr Shaddai Tembo, Bath

Race and its intersections with power are present right from the beginning of young children’s lives, no matter the setting. This seminar will provoke new thinking and practice in support of children’s rights, laying the foundations for tomorrow’s anti-racist society. Based on research funded by the Froebel Trust.

C🔹Reflection with Guidance to Get It Right for Every Child

Sally Cave, Tess Dean, Chantal Talary, Angharad Gilmore – Guildford Nursery School and Family Centre, The Froebel Partnership

Let’s reflect together and get it right for every child. Come and discover how the Reflection with Guidance toolkit is supporting and transforming our practice and the wellbeing of our children and educators. Learn how you could use it to guide your reflective discussions and flourish. This session will explore how we can continue or rediscover our love of our work with young children despite the current challenges the sector faces.

D🔹A Sense of Belonging in New and Established Communities

-Supporting a Froebelian sense of belonging, equity and inclusion for children and families seeking asylum through the occupation of cooking-

Janaki Wood, Race Equality and Minority Achievement Team, Surrey

This workshop shares a collaborative project with an Early Years (EY) setting in Surrey, centred on fostering inclusive and equitable practices inspired by Froebelian principles. Janaki was invited to support children and families seeking asylum in the UK, with a particular focus on nurturing a strong sense of belonging.

The occupation of cooking was used as a meaningful and culturally relevant learning experience to help children feel welcomed, valued, and connected within the setting. Jankai worked closely with families to understand their unique cultural backgrounds and needs, ensuring that the experiences were both inclusive and supportive. She guided the educators in organising smaller snack preparation groups, creating opportunities for children to build autonomy, engage in positive social interactions, and develop a deeper sense of inclusion and community.

-A sense of belonging- recognising the importance of being truly inclusive: The Princess Boy, “no more boys and girls”-

Sharon Imray, Poppies Preschool, Laurencekirk, Aberdeenshire

This seminar will focus on the journey from the comfortable to uncomfortable of a nursery team and wider community who navigated the difficult conversations and deepened their understanding of gender equality. The initial project was funded by a grant from the Froebel Trust.

E🔹Using Froebelian principles to support children and young people with complex additional support needs beyond ELC

Catriona Campbell, East Park School, Glasgow

Pupils attend East Park in Glasgow’s Maryhill from all over Scotland – our young people have complex additional support needs, including autism and a learning disability, and require significant support to enable them to access the curriculum and lead fulfilling lives. This seminar demonstrates how Froebelian principles have underpinned curriculum change, leading to improved quality of life and better relationships.

-Block Play, My Way: Block building behaviours of primary school pupils with additional support needs-

Caitlin Thomlinson, Glasgow

This seminar will share practical experience and findings following the introduction of blocks to pupils and staff of a standalone additional support for learning primary school in Glasgow. There will be discussion on existing research into additional support needs and block play; rationale and practical implementation of the project and of the findings uncovered including observation of schematic play and advanced block building behaviour. The project illuminates why access to blocks and block play is significant for children and young people with additional support needs but consideration of their individual authentic needs and interests is essential.

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Speakers and Contributors (A–Z)

🔹 Simon Bateson

Seminar B – “Playing with Power: how a Froebelian approach can support anti-racism and decolonisation” (11:50/14:00)

Simon Bateson is a practitioner at Cowgate Early Learning Centre in Edinburgh and was co-director of Froebelian Futures, an international training and research programme based at the University of Edinburgh (2021–2024). He is also the founder of Take One Action, a Scottish social change charity. Simon’s work focuses on children’s rights and the foundations for anti-racist practice in early childhood education.

🔹 Catriona Campbell

Seminar E – “Using Froebelian principles to support children and young people with complex additional support needs beyond ELC” (11:50/14:00)

Catriona Campbell has been Head of Education at East Park School in Glasgow for seven years. Pupils at East Park come from across Scotland and have complex additional support needs, including autism and learning disabilities. Catriona's professional interests include autism, outdoor learning, play, and educational leadership. Originally trained as an art teacher, she has worked across diverse educational settings. Her leadership has guided curriculum change underpinned by Froebelian principles, improving quality of life and strengthening relationships for children and staff alike.

🔹 Shirley Couser

Seminar A – “A Slow Pedagogy – what is the offer for every child?” (11:50/14:00)

Shirley Couser is Senior Early Years Officer at Inchlair Early Learning and Childcare Centre in Falkirk. She completed the University of Edinburgh’s Froebel in Childhood Practice course in 2024. Shirley worked towards gaining Falkirk Froebel Flagship status for Inchlair alongside a committed team and wider community. She is passionate about inclusive practice, creativity, and supporting children with additional support needs.

🔹 Sally Cave, Tess Dean, Chantal Talary & Angharad Gilmore

Seminar C – “Reflection with Guidance to get it right for every child” (11:50/14:00)

This team of educators from Guildford Nursery School and Family Centre—Headteacher Sally Cave, Assistant Headteacher and SENCo Tess Dean, Senior Teacher Chantal Talary, and Teacher Angharad Gilmore—are part of The Froebel Partnership, working with the Centre for Research in Early Childhood (CREC) and colleagues in New Zealand. Guided by Froebelian principles, they developed and implemented the Reflection with Guidance toolkit, which is now supporting and transforming practice and wellbeing in early childhood settings. Their work fosters reflective discussions and sustains professional passion, even in challenging times.

🔹 Catriona Gill

Keynote 1 – “Seeing, Unfolding and Flourishing: A Froebelian approach to inclusion and belonging” (10:20)

Catriona Gill is an Education Officer (Early Years) at Education Scotland, supporting quality and improvement in early childhood education (ages 0–8). She is also an Associate Tutor on the Froebel in Childhood Practice course at the University of Edinburgh, a committee member of the Edinburgh Froebel Network, and a Trustee of the Froebel Trust. From 2016 to 2021, she was Head Teacher at Greengables Nursery School and Family Centre in Edinburgh, a setting grounded in Froebelian pedagogy. Catriona contributed to The Bloomsbury Handbook to Friedrich Froebel (2023) and the award-winning Putting Storytelling at the Heart of Early Childhood Practice (2020). With a background in psychology, theatre, and person-centred counselling, she is currently undertaking a part-time Doctorate of Education at the University of Strathclyde.

🔹 Donna Green

Seminar A – “A Slow Pedagogy – what is the offer for every child?” (11:50/14:00)

Donna Green is Head of Woodlands Early Learning and Childcare Centre in Falkirk and founder of the Falkirk Froebel Family Network. She holds an MSc in Early Childhood Practice and Froebel (2021) and has led two Froebel Trust–funded slow pedagogy projects. Donna co-authored Time for Childhood: Slow Pedagogy, a Froebel Trust pamphlet with Professor Alison Clark, and contributed a chapter to The Bloomsbury Handbook to Friedrich Froebel (Bruce, Nishida, Powell, Wasmuth & Whinnett, eds., 2023).

🔹 Sharon Imray

Seminar D – “A sense of belonging – recognising the importance of being truly inclusive: The Princess Boy, ‘no more boys and girls’” (11:50/14:00)

Sharon Imray is a graduate of the University of Edinburgh’s Froebel in Childhood Practice course and leads Poppies Preschool in Laurencekirk, Aberdeenshire. Her reflective and inspiring leadership guided her team and community through challenging conversations on gender equality and inclusivity, deepening their understanding and practice. The project, originally supported by a Froebel Trust grant, gained national recognition, and Poppies Preschool was a finalist for Nursery of the Year at the Nursery World Awards 2024.

🔹 Rachna Joshi

Keynote 2 – “Becoming who we are: ripple effects through relationships and time” (15:05)

Rachna Joshi is a teacher and writer who works with children from birth to five and their families. She is an endorsed Froebel Travelling Tutor for the Froebel Trust and a member of its Education Subcommittee. She is also a trustee of Second Hand Dance, a disabled-led children's dance company. Rachna completed her MA in Early Childhood Studies at the University of Roehampton in 2020. Her current interests include children’s identity formation, movement and dance as forms of expression, and anti-racist and socially just practices in early education.

🔹 Eve Mawby Whistler

Author Perspective – “Supporting children with additional support needs” (Froebel Trust pamphlet) (11:00)

Eve Mawby Whistler worked for six years in a maintained nursery school in Peckham, London, and is currently a nursery teacher in a primary school in Cambridgeshire. She completed an MA in Early Childhood Studies at the University of Roehampton and became a Froebel Trust Travelling Tutor in 2023. Eve authored the Froebel Trust pamphlet Supporting Children with Additional Support Needs, which offers practical and reflective guidance for inclusive practice.

🔹 Dr Shaddai Tembo

Seminar B – “Playing with Power: how a Froebelian approach can support anti-racism and decolonisation” (11:50/14:00)

Dr Shaddai Tembo is a lecturer in Early Childhood Studies at Bath Spa University (UK and China) and an associate lecturer at the Open University. He is also the founder of Critical Early Years, where he works as an independent speaker, trainer and consultant. His work explores race, power, identity and decolonisation in early childhood education, drawing from both academic research and practical experience.

🔹 Caitlin Thomlinson

Seminar E – “Block Play, My Way: Block building behaviours of primary school pupils with additional support needs” (11:50/14:00)

Caitlin Thomlinson is a primary school teacher who holds GTCS registration in additional support needs. Her formative experiences were influenced by having a younger sibling with complex and profound needs, leading to the study of an undergraduate degree in Learning Difficulties and Disabilities. She has taught in both local authority and independent ASN settings and quickly developed a passion for enhancing her knowledge of inclusive and authentic play. During a period of acting leadership in session 22/23; she completed the Froebel in Childhood Practice course at University of Edinburgh which enabled her to support the development of meaningful and developmentally appropriate play experiences within her classroom and wider setting.

🔹 Janaki Wood

Seminar D – “A sense of belonging in new and established communities” (11:50/14:00)

Janaki Wood is an early years educator with extensive experience across early childhood and primary education. She has held roles such as Project Manager for the Froebel Partnership and Early Years Lead for Surrey County Council’s Race Equality and Minority Achievement (REMA) team. In this seminar, Janaki shares her work with an ELC setting in Surrey supporting children and families seeking asylum. Using the occupation of cooking as a culturally meaningful approach, she fostered belonging, autonomy, and inclusion. Janaki was recently endorsed as a Froebel Trust Travelling Tutor and continues to lead with curiosity and reflective practice.

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