Anti-Racist Practice Across Early Years Education

Practical, honest and transformative work through keynote speaking, consultancy and partnerships with early years settings, schools and organisations across the UK and beyond.

Work with Liz

Who I Work With

I work with organisations across the early years and education system, supporting leaders, teams and communities to embed meaningful anti-racist practice.

  • I work with local authorities to support strategic, system-wide approaches to embedding anti-racist practice across early years education services. This includes leadership development, policy reviews, workforce training and long-term cultural change work that goes beyond one-off sessions.

  • I work closely with early years settings and childminders to embed anti-racist practice into everyday provision, culture and decision-making. This includes training, reflective practice, leadership support and practical tools that work in real early years contexts.

  • I support maintained nurseries ,Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 in Primary schools and trusts to move towards meaningful, whole-organisation approaches to anti-racist practice. This includes leadership keynotes, staff development, curriculum conversations and longer-term partnership work.

  • I collaborate with higher education and training organisations on curriculum, professional learning and sector development work focused on race, equity and early years practice, including keynotes, lectures and consultancy projects.

  • I work with charities and third sector organisations whose work intersects with children during their early years, families and education, supporting them to strengthen their approach to anti-racist practice through strategy, learning and organisational development.

  • I deliver keynotes and consultancy for organisations working in or alongside the early years education sector, supporting them to deepen their understanding of racism, equity and systemic change. The aim is to move them from intention to action.

Moving Beyond Tickbox “Celebrations”

In many early years settings and schools, work around race and culture often gets reduced to festivals, food days or one-off “celebrations” of difference. Diwali here, Chinese New Year there, and a culture day once a year.

While these moments can be well-intentioned, on their own they rarely lead to meaningful change. They don’t shift systems, they don’t address inequity, and they don’t support children, families or staff to navigate race and racism in real, everyday ways.

My work supports organisations to move beyond this tick-box approach and towards anti-racist practice that is thoughtful, embedded and woven into everyday decisions, environments, leadership and provision and not just on special occasions..

My work is grounded in a clear, practical framework: the 4Es of Anti-Racist Practice. This framework supports early years educators to move beyond one-off activity and towards thoughtful, embedded and sustainable change across leadership, culture and everyday practice.

The 4E’s of Anti-Racist Practice

  • Embrace all children's racial, cultural and religious/non-religious backgrounds.

  • Embed a culture of belonging and value amongst Early Years Teachers and children.

  • Ensure that your practice is culturally sensitive.

  • Extend learning opportunities for the child by showing interest, expanding conversations and using culturally relevant resources.

About me

I’m Liz Pemberton, Director of The Black Nursery Manager and a leading voice in early years anti-racist practice in the UK.

I’ve spent over 20 years working across education, as a teacher, nursery manager and consultant, and today I work in partnership with organisations across the sector to support meaningful, systemic change.

My work is practical, honest and deeply grounded in the realities of early years practice, leadership and organisational culture. I’m known for combining strategic thinking with clarity, warmth and a healthy dose of humour (because this work needs to be human!), accessible and engaging as well as rigorous.

My work has been recognised beyond the sector. I was named one of the Black Cultural Archives’ 40×40 Future Leaders, featured in the BBC documentary: Will Britain Ever Have a Black Prime Minister? presented by David Harewood, was a Nursery World Trainer of the Year nominee, and I’m a contributing author to the book Let’s Talk About Race in the Early Years edited by Dr Stella Louis and Hannah Betteridge. I’m also a Patron of Inclusive Books for Children, and I work nationally and internationally with early years organisations, leaders and teams who are serious about embedding anti-racist practice in meaningful, lasting ways.

Read more about Liz

Trusted Across the Sector

  • “Liz’s work is intentionally brilliant. She brings clarity, warmth and deep insight to anti-racist practice, helping settings move beyond tokenism in a way that is practical, engaging and deeply thought-provoking. Delivered with energy and great humour, her sessions are a genuine call to action for any setting serious about this work.”

    Tracie Butterfill

    National Education Lead Early Years and families.

  • “Working with Liz in my role as Head of Early Years and Prevention at Anna Freud has been both a privilege and a joy. From communications planning the webinar to the delivery and debrief, her professionalism and knowledge was only surpassed by her warmth and genuine care for others which I believe reflects n the quality of everything she delivers.”

    Dr Abigail Miranda

    Experienced leader, Educational Psychologist and SEND consultant

  • “Liz is honest, courageous, and unafraid to lean into discomfort, asking the questions that truly matter. She creates spaces that invite deep reflection, challenge assumptions, and call people to take responsibility for doing better, so that real change can happen for children and families from the global majority.”

    Elaine Taylor-Brown

    Early Years and Childcare Improvement Manager

    Southend Local Authority

  • “Through a year-long programme of specialist anti-racist training, Liz guided our team to understand how systemic racism can influence early years practice and, in turn, the experiences and future outcomes of all children. Her leadership has strengthened our commitment to equity, inclusion and representation, ensuring every child feels seen, valued and supported to thrive.”

    Charlotte Lucas

    Co-Founder and Owner

    Free Rangers Forest School Nursery

Early Years Expertise

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Anti-Racist Practice

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Systemic Change

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Keynotes & Consultancy

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Practical. Honest. Transformative.

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The 4Es of Anti-Racist Practice

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Culture. Policy. Practice.

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Sector-Level Change

Early Years Expertise ~ Anti-Racist Practice ~ Systemic Change ~ Keynotes & Consultancy ~ Practical. Honest. Transformative. ~ The 4Es of Anti-Racist Practice ~ Culture. Policy. Practice. ~ Sector-Level Change

If you’re ready to move beyond surface-level approaches and start building meaningful, lasting anti-racist practice across your organisation, I’d love to hear from you.

Whether you’re looking for a keynote, a longer-term partnership or something in between, the next step is simply to start a conversation.

Let’s Work Together

Book here