In this inspiring episode of ScaleUp Radio, Kevin Brent sits down with Hayley Peacock, a pioneering educator and entrepreneur who is reshaping the way we think about learning, leadership, and scaling purpose-driven businesses.

From a single mother navigating life on benefits to building multi-million pound education ventures, Hayley's story is as powerful as it is practical. She is the founder of Little Barn Owls Nursery Group, with five thriving settings across West Sussex, and the trailblazing Atelia 21 Future School, offering inquiry-based education for children aged 4 to 16. Her approach is grounded in the Reggio Emilia philosophy, viewing children as capable, curious learners who can shape their own educational journeys.

We cover Hayley’s entrepreneurial evolution, her innovative educational methods, and the challenges she’s faced scaling both culture and operations across her organisations.

🔍 In This Episode:

• The bold leap from journalism to education – and buying her first nursery with a loan using her house as security
• How Reggio Emilia and play-based learning can transform outcomes from birth to 16
• The shift from command-and-control leadership to collaborative, culture-driven growth
• Systemising for scale: lessons from expanding from one to five nursery locations
• Building a legacy: her mission to impact a million children's lives

Make sure you don’t miss any future episodes by subscribing to ScaleUp Radio wherever you like to listen to your podcasts.

For now, continue listening for the full story from Hayley.

 

Scaling up your business isn't easy, and can be a little daunting. Let ScaleUp Radio make it a little easier for you. With guests who have been where you are now, and can offer their thoughts and advice on several aspects of business. ScaleUp Radio is the business podcast you've been waiting for.

If you would like to be a guest on ScaleUp Radio, please click here:

https://bizsmarts.co.uk/scaleupradio/kevin

You can get in touch with Kevin here:

[email protected]

 

Kevin's Latest Book Is Available!

Drawing on BizSmart’s own research and experiences of working with hundreds of owner-managers, Kevin Brent explores the key reasons why most organisations do not scale and how the challenges change as they reach different milestones on the ScaleUp Journey. He then details a practical step by step guide to successfully navigate between the milestones in the form of ESUS - a proven system for entrepreneurs to scale up.

More on the Book HERE - https://www.esusgroup.co.uk/

 

Hayley can be found here:

https://hayleypeacockeducation.co.uk/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/hayley-peacock-208b26264/

[email protected]

https://www.facebook.com/LittleBarnOwlsForestFarmSchool/?locale=en_GB

 

Resources:

What’s The Point Of School? By Guy Claxton - https://uk.bookshop.org/p/books/what-s-the-point-of-school-rediscovering-the-heart-of-education-guy-claxton/3806777?ean=9781851686032

Reggio Emilia - https://www.reggiochildren.it/en/reggio-emilia-approach/

The CoCo Note app - https://coconote.app/