Early Years CPD Training and Consultancy
Helen Battelley is an internationally renowned consultant, trainer, author and speaker in Physical activity/movement in Early and Primary Education with an MA in Early Childhood Physical Activity and Movement Studies. Her training style is energetic, passionate and highly motivational. She has been working as a dance and movement specialist for over 19 years and continues to work directly with children. Helen is respected globally for her valued contribution to raising the profile of early years physical activity and reducing sedentary behaviours.
Helen also chairs NEYASP, the National Early Years Active Start Partnership – uniting leading voices in early childhood development to promote movement play for under-5s.
Helen’s consultancy now takes her all over the world, from Malaysia to Dubai, from China to Romania. The movement philosophy Helen promotes is to embed movement within the curriculum and framework to enable a movement philosophy. “Young children learn through movement, early years practice must adopt an approach which is accessible to all”. The embodiment of her practice is to raise confidence in the areas of movement play and physical activity. The training Helen delivers ranges from supporting educators in developing activities to support the Early Years Framework, to working with coaches and PE leads to create a PE scheme of work and methodology suited to young children.
Helen’s work with families and communities has been exemplary in exploring perceptions around movement and physical activity and subsequently the development of various initiatives and schemes to increase movement potential utilised across the world.
The underpinning principles that align Helen’s work as a consultant and Director of Music and Movement are:
- Children’s earliest experiences form the foundation for future development
- Family attitudes and engagement in physical activity influence future salutogenic behaviours
- Learning should be joyous, regardless of your age and the content
- Community cohesion can boost movement play opportunities
- Perspectives are fallible, replace with certainties
- Circumstances constantly evolve, be flexible
- Learning is not linear but an interwoven process of development
- Children are of equal worth, but they are not born equal
Movement Matters
Movement Matters has been developed by NEYASP to support the Early Years sector in understanding, valuing, and providing high-quality movement opportunities for all young children. Grounded in current research and aligned with national frameworks, this advisory document offers practical guidance and theoretical insight into the vital role movement plays in early childhood health, learning, and development.
This publication brings together expertise from across the National Early Years Active Start Partnership (NEYASP), whose partners collectively explore the breadth of early movement and its intersections with health, education, and play.
Chair of National Early Years Active Start Partnership (NEYASP).
“My daughter has been taking lessons with M+M since she was 3 and has absolutely loved every minute of it. She has performed with such confidence and has had such fun, it has been a joy to watch. Helen is a great teacher, the kids love her and so do we, and music and movement have provided two brilliant kiddies parties for us, Thank you Music + Movement!
Monica”
“My daughter has been taking lessons with M+M since she was 3 and has absolutely loved every minute of it. She has performed with such confidence and has had such fun, it has been a joy to watch. Helen is a great teacher, the kids love her and so do we, and music and movement have provided two brilliant kiddies parties for us, Thank you Music + Movement!
