Deborah Udakis Consultancy Ltd

Deborah Udakis

“Every child deserves a champion – an adult who will never give up on them, who understands the power of connection, and insists that they become the best that they can possibly be.” – Rita Pierson

Early Years Specialist Consultant | Former Her Majesty’s Inspector

I have dedicated more than 40 years of my professional life to early years education, driven by a firm belief that every child deserves an exceptional start in life.

Before establishing my independent early years consultancy in 2017, I spent more than 20 years working as an inspector, including as Her Majesty’s Inspector with Ofsted. This gave me an extensive understanding of early years practice, leadership, safeguarding, curriculum and the factors that make the greatest difference to the quality of children’s experiences.

Today, I use that experience to support early years settings, leaders, practitioners, organisations and Local Authorities to strengthen practice, build professional confidence and achieve sustainable improvement.

My work goes far beyond preparing settings for inspection. I want leaders and practitioners to understand whygood practice matters, to think deeply about the experiences they provide for children and to have the knowledge and confidence to make informed professional decisions.

My specialist areas include curriculum and pedagogy, continuous provision, safeguarding, leadership, quality improvement, teaching and learning, and professional development.

Through consultancy, training, practical guidance and professional resources, I provide support that is focused, challenging, supportive and firmly rooted in the realities of working with young children.

At the heart of everything I do is a simple principle:

Children should not simply attend early years provision. They should be known, valued, protected, inspired and given every opportunity to thrive.

Building exceptional childhoods together.

Consultancy, Training & Professional Support

I provide bespoke, individually planned packages of consultancy, training and professional development, designed around the needs, priorities and context of each setting or organisation.

My current areas of specialist support include:

Curriculum Development & Continuous Provision – developing ambitious, inclusive and inspiring curricula that reflect how young children learn, including high-quality continuous provision, responsive teaching and meaningful learning experiences.
Leadership & Quality Improvement – strengthening leadership, professional accountability, self-evaluation and the capacity to identify priorities and secure sustainable improvement.
Safeguarding & Child Protection – developing confident safeguarding practice, effective leadership, professional curiosity, vigilance and a strong safeguarding culture.
Safer Sleep in Early Years – supporting providers to understand current safer sleep guidance and translate this into safe, consistent and professionally vigilant everyday practice.
Inspection Readiness & Professional Confidence – helping leaders and practitioners understand current inspection expectations, articulate their practice with confidence and demonstrate the quality and impact of their provision.
Teaching, Pedagogy & Responsive Practice – exploring how adults observe, interact, respond, question, model and extend children’s thinking, communication and learning.
Play, Exploration & Enabling Environments – strengthening opportunities for curiosity, creativity, investigation, problem-solving, independence and sustained engagement.
Early Years Quality Audits – providing an informed, independent evaluation of practice, leadership, curriculum, safeguarding and the quality of children’s experiences.
Leadership Development & Performance– supporting leaders with supervision, accountability, professional development, challenging conversations and managing performance effectively.
Emotional Well-being, Resilience & Belonging – strengthening relationships, transitions, emotional security and environments in which children feel safe, valued and understood.
Bespoke Training & Professional Development – creating workshops, webinars and development programmes specifically designed around the needs of settings, organisations and Local Authorities.
Professional Guides & Resources – practical, evidence-informed publications and resources that help leaders and practitioners translate expectations and research into high-quality everyday practice.

Support that makes a difference

My approach is not about providing a generic package or telling settings what to do. It is about working alongside leaders and practitioners, understanding their context, identifying what will make the greatest difference and building the knowledge, confidence and professional capability needed to achieve lasting improvement.

Every child. Every day. A curriculum that inspires.

Early Years Training & Professional Development

High-quality, practical training that strengthens practice, develops confident leaders and improves outcomes for children.

My training and professional development programme is designed specifically for early years leaders, practitioners, childminders and organisations.

Training is available live online via Zoom and can also be commissioned for individual settings, groups of settings, organisations and Local Authorities. Sessions can be adapted to reflect your priorities, your team and your professional development needs.

Latest Training

Safer Sleep in Early Years

Protecting babies through safe practice and professional vigilance

A vital safeguarding session exploring current safer sleep guidance, the evidence behind recommended practice, expectations within the EYFS and what this means for everyday practice. The training considers sleep environments, risk assessment, supervision, monitoring, professional vigilance and working effectively with parents.

Continuous Provision Curriculum (CPC)

Creating environments, interactions and experiences where children can thrive

A practical and thought-provoking programme exploring how to develop high-quality continuous provision that is purposeful, ambitious and responsive to children.

We explore key questions including:

What do we mean by an ambitious curriculum?
What is continuous provision – and what should it achieve?
What is pedagogy?
What makes a curriculum inclusive?
What is the role of the adult?
How do observation, assessment and responsive teaching work together?
How can leaders evaluate the quality and impact of provision?

The training complements my Continuous Provision Curriculum: A Practical Guide, providing settings with a strong foundation for developing, evaluating and leading high-quality practice.

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Other Training & Development

My wider programme includes:

Leading a Successful Inspection
Creating a Magical Curriculum: Inspiring Awe & Wonder
Strong and Effective Leadership
Creating a Culture of Well-being
STEM in the Early Years
Managing Poor Performance
Effective Learning Walks
Outdoor Play and Learning
Leading Improvement & Change, including SMART Action Planning
Dealing with Significant Events

Bespoke Training for Your Setting or Organisation

All programmes can be adapted or combined to create training specifically for your team.

Whether you are looking for a single workshop, whole-team development, leadership support or a longer programme of professional development, please contact me to discuss your requirements.

Investing in professional development is an investment in children.

Every child. Every day. A curriculum that inspires.

New Downloads for 2026

Safer Sleep Guide

My Safer Sleep Guide is much more than a handout. It is a comprehensive professional resource designed to strengthen knowledge, confidence and practice around safer sleep — recognising that sleep arrangements are not simply a matter of routine care, but an important safeguarding responsibility.

The guide brings together current guidance from the Department for Education, the EYFS statutory framework and The Lullaby Trust, translating key expectations into clear, meaningful guidance for everyday practice.

Alongside essential safer sleep guidance, it includes inspection questions, reflective activities, audits, checklists, case studies and leadership guidance, as well as important learning from serious safeguarding reviews. It provides practical tools to help settings review their arrangements, identify potential risks, strengthen staff knowledge and ensure safer sleep practice is understood, implemented and consistently maintained.

Ultimately, the guide is designed to help leaders and practitioners move beyond simply knowing the guidance to being able to apply it confidently, challenge unsafe practice and protect every child in their care.

Download

Child poverty - Slipping through the net

I was delighted to have an article published in the July edition of "Nursery World" Magazine.

"Child poverty - Slipping through the net"

In 2018, the UN published a statement on its visit to the UK, by Professor Philip Alston, UN Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights.

He was highly critical of the UK Government’s economic and welfare policies and pointed to ‘the immense growth in food banks and the queues waiting outside them, the people sleeping rough in the streets, the growth of homelessness, the sense of deep despair that leads even the Government to appoint a Minister for Suicide Prevention and Civil Society, to report in-depth on unheard of levels of loneliness and isolation.’ ...

... The number of families being referred to food banks is at an all-time high and continues to rise. For children, the impact on their chances of a decent education and life success is profound.

When children grow up poor, they miss out on the things most children take for granted: warm clothes, school trips, having friends over for tea. Poor children achieve less at school and this affects their future economic success, as well as their health and mental well-being.

You can read the full, thought provoking, article here

see full article here

National Dyslexia Awards 2026

Founded by Elizabeth Wilkinson MBE, the National Dyslexia Awards celebrate the achievements, talents and contributions of dyslexic individuals, while raising awareness and promoting a greater understanding of dyslexia.

I was incredibly proud and privileged to be invited to serve as a judge for the 2026 National Dyslexia Awards.

Being part of the judging panel provided an opportunity to learn about some truly inspiring individuals, entrepreneurs and organisations – people demonstrating innovation, resilience, creativity, determination and a commitment to making a difference in their communities.

As an Early Years Specialist Consultant, inclusion has always been central to my work. I believe passionately in recognising individual strengths, removing barriers and creating environments in which children and adults are valued for who they are and have opportunities to fulfil their potential.

It was an honour to contribute to the 2026 Awards and to help recognise and celebrate such an impressive range of achievements.

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Vaikai Web Design

Deborah Udakis Consultancy Ltd has teamed up with Vaikai Web Design to offer a bespoke service especially for the early years market.

Whether you are a childminder, pre / after school club, a single setting nursery or manage a multi-centre nursery, we have a package to enable you to have an online presence.

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Deborah Udakis Consultancy - Early Years Specialist

Welcome to Deborah Udakis Early Years Consultancy,

Deborah Udakis

Consultancy, Training & Professional Support