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Felicity Gillespie

Director, Kindred Squared
Felicity Gillespie is the Chief Executive of Kindred2, a private foundation focused on improving the quality of early childhood development. She is currently a member of the independent expert panel advising Sir David Bell’s Review of Early Years, commissioned by the Labour Party. Felicity has been an Advisor to the UK Department for Education since 2011 and the lead specialist Academy Governance Advisor for six years. A board member of Ofsted, previous roles include establishing the Broadcast Training and Skills Regulator and The National Teaching Awards. As the education and training advisor at the Confederation of British Industry, she represented the UK on EU education and training programme boards. A former Associate of the Prime Minister’s Delivery Unit and of the National College of School Leadership, Felicity has served as a national judge of the UK National Training Awards on many occasions and speaks on the British education system at conferences and seminars in the USA, Middle East and UK.
10:00

1 Main programme

Panel: Foundations for learning: Neurodevelopment and school readiness in practice

This session will explore what educators need to know about early child development and the foundations for learning, with a focus on neurodevelopment and school readiness. Felicity will draw on the latest KindredSquared findings and resources, designed to support schools, early years practitioners, health visitors and parents in creating consistent, developmentally informed practice. The panel will offer a trust- and school-level lens, sharing research-aligned insights and practical actions to strengthen early years strategy, improve coherence across settings, and enhance consistency in practice.