Come on an adventure!
Our annual Early Years conference is an exploration of how the concept of adventure can create a deeper and more impactful connection both with children and the pen.
Join Greg Bottrill as he shares a variety of simple yet powerful toolkits that can turn up the dial of co-play and shape an even brighter culture of elevated childhood. Discover how 'The Great Unlocking' of your own inner child is the real starting point for the adventure with childhood and how we can embrace this so that the pen magnetises children within their play. The session will also look at how an immersion in make-believe and nonsense is a portal to increased oracy and play itself.
You'll leave with a bank of ideas to implement in their practice so they can go on their own adventure.
Welcome to our speaker - Greg Bottrill
We are delighted to welcome Greg Bottrill as our keynote speaker.
A former Early Years Lead and Assistant Headteacher, Greg is passionate about education being an adventure not a pre-drawn route for children. He believes that children need to experience something special within our settings, but also be given time and space to reveal their own understanding and magic.
Greg works internationally with settings supporting their own adventures into the world of play and the magic of children.
Greg's work
Greg is the author of the bestselling ’Can I Go And Play Now?’, ‘School of the Magic of Children’ and ‘Love Letters To Play’. A passionate advocate of childhood and education done with children not to them, he is also the creator of Drawing Club, The Message Centre, Play Projects and Adventure Island. His work and thinking is deeply embedded in joy, adventure, marvel and play, four things that he believes are equally as important for adults.
You can find out more at Greg's website, canigoandplaynow.com
Venue
North Tyneside Council Chamber, Quadrant East, Cobalt Business Park, North Tyneside, NE27 0BY
Outline of the day
Friday 5th June 2026.
9:00 - Coffee and photos on show
9:30 - Conference opening and welcome
9:45 - Session 1
What does childhood want? Exploring the concept of adventure and how we can immerse children in to ‘story dreaming’ to unlock imagination.
10:45 - Break and refreshments
11:15 - Session 2
How we can embrace ‘Play Plots’, a simple graphic that we can share with children, our teams, subject leaders, parents and even Ofsted, to powerfully tell the story of childhood
12:15 - Lunch and raffle
13:25 - Session 3
Discover a mini treasure trove of toolkits to add energy and motivation to children’s experience of writing. What do children want to feel about themselves when they pick up a pen and how can we offer it them in abundance?
14:55 - Evaluations and close
Costs and booking
Schools
Prices and bookings for schools are for the full day.
- NT and External Schools SLA delegates - £200.00
- NT Schools non SLA delegates - £225.00
- Schools non SLA external delegates - £275.00
