woman standing in front of a building with a Cosy Direct Logo

When Agata Marciniak won a £100 voucher from Cosy during her time as an early years’ teacher at a school in Bethnal Green, little did she know that a decade later she would create 250 product ideas a year for the reigning Education Resources Awards’ Supplier of the Year and Nursery Management Today Awards’ Supplier of the Year for Equipment and Services.

Now Head of Product Development, Agata initially began working one day a week at Cosy alongside four days in school, having been approached by CEO Peter Ellse on the back of her personal social media feed highlighting teachers’ ideas for the classroom. Fast forward to today, and Agata is responsible for product development, liaising with a team of three designers to develop concepts, and bring these to market.

“When I was working in school, I spent a lot of time playing and observing how children engage with resources and that sparked my interest in creating my own products as I couldn't find things that I wanted in my classroom to enhance children's learning and challenge them”, Agata said.

“I don't like overspending on resources, and this was often a case, that my school bought something that either children didn't engage with or the product was very expensive for what it was. When I discovered Cosy I quickly realised that this company is different. They listen and really sought to understand what children like and how children play and I like how Cosy focuses on open ended resources.”

For Agata, her working year is split into two: “January to June is our research phase, going into settings, showing them what we are thinking, inviting leaders we know for planning sessions, and also looking at practice in Outstanding schools; July to December is about putting new ideas on the system that we want to develop, and creating prototypes, samples and photography, and then we produce our catalogue.”

So how does Agata come up with the ideas? “It really is a range of ways,” she explained. “I work closely with teachers and professionals who play with children and understand the importance of unstructured play,” she explained. “We are always interested in ideas that are original, things which stand out, and are different. For example, making a tray out of pallets stood out, so you then continue those ideas, and create them here. Above all, we take time to research problems and opportunities, invite teachers to development days, and we work with them to create designs for areas of their classrooms or settings.”

With Cosy’s new range for 2025 launched, Agata is excited about the extended provision for under 3s, as well as additional resources for nursery and early years’ children in what now totals around 30,000 product ideas since Cosy began.

“'There are always new nurseries and school leaders that have no time to decide what resources and furniture they really need. We are here to help utilise those spaces and create environments that are for children and that are right for their development considering both outdoor and indoor learning' Agata said: “I'm truly passionate about outdoor learning and I would love to see more settings promoting the importance of being outdoors and connecting with nature. I'm excited to see more schools and nurseries taking on Forest School approach and training their staff including teachers and teaching assistants. I'm proud to promote outdoor learning through Cosy products and I opened my door to a local community to share my passion and provide real experiences for children without screens or directed play.