Jan Dubiel, head of national and international development at Early Excellence, a provider of early years resources and training, is one of the most influential people in early years. An assessment expert, he has long defended the expertise that exists within the early years sector and robustly argued for the need for early years to retain its own unique pedagogy.

The former early years lead at the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority also has a deft touch when it comes to dealing with the educational establishment.

It was Early Excellence which, when regulator Ofsted published its controversial Bold Beginnings report late last year, organised a series of free briefings that allowed the report’s co-author, Gill Jones, to discuss her findings with the sector.

But while he may have parlayed an uneasy truce over the report, Ofsted is far from the only front on which EYFS practitioners are feeling besieged and misunderstood. It was Dubiel who noticed that the original plans for a baseline assessment - to be taken by children on entering Reception and used to measure their progress until the end of Year 6 - allowed for an observation-only baseline assessment, which he promptly devised.

The Early Excellence baseline scheme was chosen by about 12,000 schools, but the government’s original plan was scrapped following a damning evaluation report. Now the government is trying again but, this time, schools will not have a choice.

Expect to hear more from Dubiel next year.

Tes’ people of the year 2018

• Jules White - headteacher and school funding campaigner
• Heather Wright - primary teacher and founder, Reading Rocks
• Jan Dubiel - head of national and international development, Early Excellence
• Meg Hillier - Labour MP and chair of the Commons Public Accounts Committee
• Baroness Mary Warnock - life peer and SEND champion
• Professor Becky Francis - director, UCL Institute of Education
• Clare Sealy - headteacher, St Matthias Primary School, and education blogger
• Pepper the Robot - robot that gave evidence to Commons committee
• Shakira Martin - president, NUS students’ union
• The students of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, Florida