Natasha Young

Early Years Lecturer and Programme Manager BA Early Years Education and Care (3 year) and BA Childhood, Education and Society

Youth Work and Early Years Studies

n.young@uwtsd.ac.uk

Background

Natasha has a wealth of experience in the early childhood education and care sector, having worked in both the non-maintained sector and maintained sector. She has worked in a range of positions, including the manager of Welsh medium nursery setting and also as a childminder.

Natasha holds a First-Class honours degree in Early Years Education and Care and a Post Graduate Certificate in Teaching in Higher Education. She is currently in year 3 of her Professional Doctorate in Children’s, Young Peoples and Community Services wit a focus on Safeguarding.

Natasha has been actively involved in curriculum design with the Welsh Government and has contributed to Welsh Government working groups, developing early years enabling learning guidance for the New Curriculum for Wales and shaping the curriculum for the funded non-maintained sector. She is dedicated to raising the importance and effectiveness of co-collaboration in policy making.

Specialist Subjects

Natasha's particular areas of interest and specialism are Safeguarding, Play Pedagogies and elements of Leaderships such as the impact of Quality Provision and Teamwork.

Professional and/or Research Experience

Natasha is an Early Years lecturer on the Early Years Education and Care programmes at the university. She is also the programme manager for the traditional 3-year BA undergraduate degree, both with and without Practitioner Status. These roles include all aspects of the day to day running of an HE programmes. Natasha has recently been heavily involved in the development of a new undergraduate programme, specifically designed to meet the ever-evolving needs of the care and education sector. The new BA in Childhood, Education and Society is set to start in Sep 2026 and is a very exciting prospect.
Natasha is new to the field of research but has a keen interest in developing this. She has recently become interested in the use of Conversation Analysis as a methodology and its use in identifying and analysing the minutiae of interactions that support children’s development.

Qualifications

BA
PGCertHE

Languages Spoken

English and Welsh

Professional Membership or Roles

UWTSD representative for the Welsh Government consultation on Assessment Arrangements for Funded Non-Maintained Nursery Settings.

Contributor to the Welsh Government playlists and resources for the Curriculum for Funded Non-Maintained Nursery Settings.

Co-deliverer bespoke professional learning for the early years in the form of Sustained Shared Thinking, pre-language skills, play and maths and science.

Researcher on the Sustained Shared Thinking research team at UWTSD, contributing to ongoing research projects in this area.

External Recognition or Rewards

Natasha has presented at EECERA conference in relation to research.
Natasha is working toward Senior Fellowship and hopes to complete this in the coming months.