earlyyears.teachwire.net
15
nursery business
“INVEST IN WELL-
QUALIFIED STAFF”
“STAY SAFE”
When working with children,
a strong understanding of
safeguarding is paramount and
should factor into all staff training
on a regular basis. As employers we must
ensure staff are given the knowledge and
confidence to identify children at risk and
raise the alarm through the appropriate
channels. As practitioners, we must be able to
demonstrate that we are taking appropriate
measures to assess risks to the children in our
care, whether that be in nursery, at home, or
in the wider community. We must ensure all
safeguarding arrangements take into account
the policies and procedures of the Local
Safeguarding Children Board.
Keeping children safe at nursery is our
primary concern, but we also have a duty to
protect them when they are not in our care.
The only way we can do this is through
forging strong partnerships with our children’s
families, communities and external agencies
where necessary.
Lisa Snell, Director of Early
Years, Busy Bees Childcare
As early years providers,
our greatest purpose is to
uplift and inspire the next
generation, and our people
are at the heart of our efforts.
Investing in dedicated, highly qualified
professionals is the key to success –
by doing so we’re able to create
teams who deliver meaningful
learning experiences for each child.
External validation also creates a
benchmark in which families can have
confidence and builds our reputation.
Creating a culture of learning and
development improves recruitment,
retention and employee wellbeing,
too – a competitive advantage!
Gemma Pawson, Head of Early Years
Workforce Development, Bright Horizons
“BE REFLECTIVE”
Reflecting on your
team’s work is
essential if you’re
going to make
improvements. Regular
quality audits of practice
with the children and the
quality of written work (e.g.
observations) can identify
areas of good provision, as
well as where improvement
is required, as can peer
observations. Mutual
support and strong
teamwork encourages
practitioners to discuss
areas for improvement,
either formally in meetings
or informally while
working with the children.
If you’re looking for
feedback about your own
practice from staff, you may
find the ‘two stars and a
wish’ method – where two
pieces of good practice
are emphasised and one
area for improvement
identified – useful.
Kathy Brodie, early years
consultant
Quality
audits can
identify
where
improvement
is required.
