earlyyears.teachwire.net
23
A consultant
is often the
catalyst for
change;
practitioners
know that you’re
serious when
you are paying
for an expert’s
services.
nursery business
help and advise you on this.
It is essential that both you and the
consultant have the same expectations
about the scope of the project. Ideally,
this needs to be recorded clearly in
writing before the consultant starts. This
helps ensure that you have a consultant
who can meet your expectations, that
a realistic price can be agreed and that
time scales can be met.
SUSTAINING
IMPROVEMENT
After the initial excitement and
newness of consultancy collaboration
has dissipated, it is very easy to slip
back into old habits. Sustaining
improvements already made will be
the next challenge. It may be helpful
to draw up an action plan with your
consultant before the end of the project,
so everyone knows that the consultancy
is just the beginning of an ongoing
journey. This can then be added to and
extended as practice improves.
Kathy Brodie is a
consultant and author,
specialising in the Early
Years Foundation Stage
and special educational
needs. For more information, visit
kathybrodie.com
already attended, so the consultant can
ensure the joint work is at a suitable
level – there is no point the consultant
preparing for Level 3 practitioners if the
majority of them are at Level 6! This
may also affect whether the consultant
feels comfortable working at the level
that you need.
Know what you need
The start of the conversation with your
consultant will be about your unique
needs. Even if you only have a vague
idea of the type of improvements you
would like to see, you can discuss these
together. It could be that the experience
that the consultant has will mean he or
she can identify other areas that it may be
preferable to start with, or break down the
consultancy into more achievable stages.
Be sure to ask about previous projects
or experience; this enables the consultant
to demonstrate previous successes and
allows you to assess whether this will
meet your requirements – for example,
if the consultant has done a lot of work
with children’s centres, or has worked
extensively with Reception-aged children,
and how this matches your situation.
The type and delivery of the
consultancy should be discussed. For
example, you may require a report or a
final day’s training. Some consultants may
do this for a separate fee while others will
cost the whole project
Agree payment
Payment structure for the project must be
agreed. For example, some consultants
will request a deposit before starting work,
which may be a major consideration if
you aim to pay after claiming money
back for CPD from the local authority.
It is worthwhile checking to see if VAT,
travel and expenses are included in the
cost quoted, so there are no surprises
afterwards! If the initial cost is more than
you expected, do go back and see if you
can split the project into smaller, more
manageable pieces. Many consultants will
