Creating space for creative pedagogy in the Early Years Foundation Stage

CATHY GUNNING, EDUCATION COACH AND MENTOR, PARTNERING WITH NEWHAM LEARNING, SPACE TO FLOURISH AND EARLY EDUCATION WINSY FLORES, GLOBAL DIRECTOR OF EDUCATION & INNOVATION, ROCKET PRODUCTIONS Introduction  Cathy and Winsy are two teacher leaders empowering early childhood educators in London and abroad, sharing a mission to advocate and ignite creative inclusive practice. They met at the international creative pedagogies post-graduate diploma with Dr Lisa Stephenson at Leeds Beckett University, connecting in their desire to integrate creative pedagogies into Early Years pedagogy and curricula. Cathy and Winsy share reflective fragments from their studies, weaving analysis and findings into pedagogical implications for reigniting and rewilding the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) (DfE, 2025). They advocate for courageous ‘re’thinking and the enabling of brave spaces of possibility for learners and educators, while promoting agency, wellbeing and flourishing. Winsy’s r