Laura Hodges has accepted the position after almost two decades working in early years and will combine the role with her commitments with HQ Early Years, which she founded last year and where she operates as a consultant and leadership coach.

Laura has vast experience in early years, from starting her journey as an unqualified practitioner to growing through the roles into regional quality management before making the transition into training and development.

She said: “I’m really excited about this latest challenge with Realise and working with the team to support and enhance the current offering, particularly from a curriculum perspective.

Realise already supports more than 2,000 learners in early years operating out of more than 1,000 settings in the UK every year.

Karen Derbyshire, Operations Director for Early Years at Realise, said: “It’s a key appointment for us and we are delighted to have Laura on board as part of our very talented team.

“Laura has only been with us a couple of weeks but she has already had an impact and the energy and insight she brings to the role will benefit us internally, as well as our employers and learners.

“She will be assessing and adding value to our curriculums across all levels, engaging with external customers to look at current challenges and finding solutions to them and conducting regular research to upskill our employers and inform learners of key legislative changes.”

Laura is set to make a huge impact and there is no doubt that Realise’s early years provision will go from strength to strength with her contribution.