Dr Alistair Bryce-Clegg MBE is an award-winning Early Years author, trainer, product designer and lifelong advocate for play. After a decade as a headteacher, he set up ABC Does to support schools, settings and educators to create exciting, child-led environments where play is central to learning.
He’s the author of 28 books on Early Years pedagogy and practice and has worked as an advisor on various film and television projects. He delivers training and consultancy across the UK and internationally, working with schools, nurseries, local authorities and families to help bring curiosity, creativity and developmentally appropriate practice to life.
His latest project is The PLAYlist , a research-backed platform packed with content for Early Years professionals. From articles and activities to video training and guest features, it’s all about helping practitioners make informed decisions about how they teach and why.
Alistair has a Doctorate in Education with a focus on Early Years and was awarded an MBE in 2025 for services to the sector. When he’s not knee-deep in playdough, water trays or writing deadlines, he’s at home with Fee, enjoying family life as a dad to three grown-up boys and grandpa to two small (and very energetic) grandchildren.
In this session, Dr Alistair Bryce-Clegg MBE unpacks what continuous provision really means and why so many settings are missing what it can do for children. Alistair offers clear, practical guidance on how to build environments that actively support children’s learning and development, even when no adult is present.
In this episode you’ll:
- Discover why continuous provision is defined by what happens in a space when adults aren’t there, not simply by what resources are available
- Learn how to assess the quality of your provision using the concept of common play behaviours, with sand play as a practical worked example
- Understand the important distinction between continuous provision and enhancements, and how each plays a different role in your setting
- Find out how deconstructed role play gives children the freedom to interpret a space in their own way, rather than being locked into a single adult-led theme
- Explore why research shows play-based kindergarten develops children’s curiosity, resilience and creative thinking more effectively than formal activity-led approaches
Watch this episode to see how aligning your continuous provision with what you know about your children can raise the quality of their learning throughout the day.
Episode Links:
https://abcdoes.com/
Find the PLAYList here:
https://abcdoes.substack.com/
https://abcdoes.com/pages/brilliant-beginnings
Find Dr Bryce-Clegg’s online courses here:
https://abcdoesot.thinkific.com/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-alistair-bryce-clegg-5710321a/
https://www.facebook.com/abcdoes
https://www.instagram.com/abcdoes/
https://x.com/abcdoes
https://uk.pinterest.com/abcdoes/
Some of the research that was referenced during this session can be found here:
https://www.froebel.org.uk/events/froebel-trust-autumn-lecture-2024
https://www.eyalliance.org.uk/minds-still-matter
For more information on Loris Malaguzzi, see our guide here:
https://www.earlyyears.tv/loris-malaguzzi-reggio-emilia/
Episode Content
Episode Includes
- 1 Video
