And the winner is…

This year’s Belle Tutaev Lifetime Achievement Award winner, Dr Julia Manning-Morton, is passionate about the early years. Having dropped out of school as a teenager, she started her career as an early years nurse in Bath and gained a NNEB at Clifton Nursery Nurses College, Bristol. Since then, her experience has spanned 50 years in diverse roles as an educator, manager, adviser and inspector, working across many different types of settings, mostly in London.

Recently she became a lecturer in early childhood studies at London Metropolitan University and completed a PhD at Bath Spa University. Julia is also an author, an independent consultant and training group facilitator, an associate trainer for early education, a Froebel travelling tutor and a member of the Pikler (UK) Association.

And despite all this, she still manages to donate her time as the committee chairperson of Happitime Playgroup and is “always available to give support for both parents and staff at the group”.

Hailey Clavier, Julia’s nominee and manager of Happitime, says: “I can't stress how much Julia has done to support the setting holistically and professionally.

“I am grateful to have her as a mentor to staff, as a friend of the group and for [...] all the love and support she gives.”

When asked why she volunteers her time at the setting, Julia said: “I was raised in this community, and I believe it's important to give back.” And she does that in spades – her role at the setting has expanded from a silent chair to becoming a mentor, educator, emotional support person and odd-job person.

Julia believes it is important to share her experience and knowledge, especially at a time when the sector is under so much pressure. She knows that children cannot thrive if their educators are under immense system pressure, describing the wellbeing of young children and educators as “inseparable”.

And she knows this from personal experience. While she was working at a setting in Islington in the mid-80s, local authority settings went on strike for 16 weeks protesting poor staff to child ratios and exploitative conditions of service. “This experience was life changing for me” Julia said. “I began to understand the politics of childcare and women’s emotional and caring labour, which spurred me on to [...] do a BA in sociology and women’s studies. I found my voice, becoming publicity officer on the strike committee.”

Speaking at the presentation of her award recently, Julia quoted the phrase “a mark of a civilised society is how it treats its most venerable citizens” and she believes there is still a long way to go when it comes to truly supporting young children and their communities:

“Community settings such as this playgroup are dying and that’s nationally. These are the settings that are in the heart of their communities, that support vulnerable families...

“It’s really important that the early years sector and practitioners really use their voice at the moment and that’s something that the Early Years Alliance does, so thank you for that and thank you for this award.”

Julia’s advocacy has continued throughout her career and into the Happitime setting. She has campaigned continually to get funding for the group on various projects, the most recent being a proposal to build a sensory garden to support children with SEND. She also organised a community street party for Happitime friends and family, offering parent support and giving tailored advice to families.

Two years ago, the playgroup experienced a major emergency when a burst sewage pipe under the building resulted in the setting having to vacate for a year while building works took place.

Happitime manager Hailey said: “That incident should have been the end of the group. However, with Julia's support [we were] able to help find a suitable temporary building and have the group up and running again within two weeks.

“Julia was then able to negotiate with landlords to ensure Happitime had the best outcome despite the circumstances, and the group remained open for children and their families.”

Julia is known to her colleagues “as a team member, who bends over backwards to ensure staff and families are supported [...] and that the care we provide is as thoughtful and attentive as the children deserve”.

Parents of the group know Julia "as a member of the community who is passionate about early years rights and quality learning, a person they can approach any time to have a chat or get advice from”.

And the children know her “as the lady that brings in fun things to play with, such as big boxes, tubes and tyres to bounce on”.

Hailey added that Julia has been a huge support to her personally, especially in recent months:

"I recently felt that I needed to give up my role [...] due to menopausal issues and the emotional uncertainties that go alongside that time of change, but Julia was able to support me by listening to my fears and being available for a chat when I needed it. [She also gave me] practical tips to cope with my foggy days and reminded me of my worth within the setting.”

Although she is finally beginning to reduce her workload, Julia has described her work in the early years as “a lifelong commitment” explaining: “Professionally, my greatest pleasure is in observing babies and young children, and seeing educators learn and grow. [...] I am committed to enabling, empowering and enthusing practitioners to make positive contributions to the lives of babies, young children and their families.”

To maintain a work-life balance, Julia loves to spend time with family and friends. She also enjoys physical activity and creative, mindful pastimes: “I make stained glass panels, sing in a choir and practice yoga. And most recently, revel in the joy of my new grandson.”

Reflecting on her career, Julia says: “Not bad for a girl from Hackney who dropped out of school early is all I can say! [...] I didn’t become the teacher that I was supposed to and do my teach training, I went off and did my NNEB [and this] took me down a career path that I wouldn’t change for anything.”