Leadership Under the EIF: In partnership

How you are engaging with others – from children and parents to those in your community and local services – is scrutinised under the new Education Inspection Framework (EIF).

‘Working in partnership is an important part of working with children,’ says early years trainer and consultant Stella Louis. ‘If you are developing and promoting children’s behaviour and positive attitudes to learning then you have got to work with others and not do it on your own. Practice has to be holistic and take into account children’s different cultures, needs, values and beliefs in order to support their well-being and development.’

Partnership working demonstrates a shared understanding and responsibility of children’s care, welfare and protection, adds Kay Heaford, National Day Nurseries Association early years adviser.

‘Creating those effective partnerships will allow early years practitioners to cultivate a deeper knowledge of children and their families and to develop capacity for sustainable improvement,’ she says.

Ms Heaford, who has previously been involved in the Ofsted inspection process, believes that inspectors want to see:

• how the views of parents, carers and other professionals have been considered when making changes to the provision and to the overall development of each child
• the impact that partnership working has had on children’s outcomes in all seven areas of learning
• how practitioners act with integrity to ensure that all children, particularly those with SEND, have full access to their early education and how the provision effectively engages local services.

‘Leaders can demonstrate their partnership working though creating opportunities for parents to be involved in the learning and development of their children. They need to ensure that the key person establishes a positive and supportive relationship with the parent or carer,’ Ms Heaford says.

‘Being able to create strong links with schools means that children are well prepared for the next stage in their learning.

It is also important to demonstrate how local services such as health, education and care have an input into the overall planning and development of the provision. This can illustrate to Ofsted how well children and their families are cared for and considered to be a priority.

Ms Heaford adds, ‘Sharing the culture and ethos of the setting with all stakeholders will support excellent practice and demonstrates an overall commitment to being reflective, inclusive and evaluative.’

Dr Louis also recommends sharing good practice with other settings, rather than regarding them as competition. ‘Being a leader can be very isolating,’ she says. ‘People need to be proactive and not just read good practice but become part of the community and link with people with similar views or beliefs and ideology to network with and gain support. Take the opportunity to visit local schools and settings and start a dialogue with them.’

THE CHILD AT THE CENTRE

‘Ultimately, the whole point of partnership working is to have the child at the centre. It is about thinking what experience children have and how we can enhance those and work together with everyone in the child’s life,’ says Trudie Walker, director of Holly Grange Montessori Nurseries in Cheshire. ‘So, partnership working is always individual, it is not one-size-fits-all. Each year, we have a different cohort with new experiences and we have to adopt a new approach as we go along.’

Practitioners actively build links with parents by being interested in them, talking and asking questions:

• ‘Have you got a moment?’
• ‘What do you think?’
• ‘Could I have your opinion?’

‘Parents are the experts in their own children and often know more than we do,’ Ms Walker says. ‘If we are approachable then parents are happy to talk and to give opinions. Parents and children help to shape our service, but we have to show that they are listened to and that their feedback has had an impact, even as simple as making changes to the menu.’

Through building strong links with families the nursery has been on visits to an organic farm owned by nursery parents and a garden centre. They have also formed a partnership with a local residential home and regularly invite other nurseries to visit or share information and advice.

‘Ofsted want to see the impact of partnership working,’ says Ms Walker. ‘It is all well and good being tokenistic and saying that we do these things, but we also have to assess the impact and reflect on what we are doing.’

Advice for leaders

When working in partnership with parents, Dr Louis advises:

• Involve families wherever possible in the life of the setting.
• Greet parents by name, using correct pronunciation.
• Recognise that parents play a vital role in their child’s development and learning.
• Ensure resources reflect the different types of families attending.
• Establish communication systems that enable a two-way flow of information.
• Provide regular opportunities, both formal and informal, for parents to discuss their child’s learning.
• Commit to attending CPD training in equality and diversity.
• Provide workshops to enable parents to become more involved in their child’s learning.
  
  

CASE STUDY: Puddleduck Nursery in Peckham, south east London

‘I’ve always seen the benefit of working together with other nurseries rather than working against each other,’ says nursery manager and owner Carol Bromley. ‘It is good to see how we share ideas, approach various issues, keep up to date on initiatives and what Ofsted wants, as well as child development, pedagogy and developing management skills.’

Ms Bromley admits that not all attempts to work in partnership with other organisations are successful, but she is open to trying to forge links. For example, requests for staff from the local primary school to visit have not worked, but they have managed to arrange for children to visit the school so they can become familiar with it.

At the beginning of lockdown Ms Bromley found it particularly beneficial to communicate with the leader of a neighbouring nursery. ‘We were able to share our fears and anxieties, as well as supporting each other with information and sharing ideas. Although all nurseries are different, we share many of the same issues and it is good to have someone to talk it through who understands,’ she says.

The nursery aims to start developing strong partnership working with parents from before the child starts attending. ‘We make it clear that it is not just the child that we are here to support but the whole family,’ says Ms Bromley. ‘As the saying goes, it takes a village to raise a child, and we are available to guide and do it together.’

By knowing each family, staff can have individual approaches and know where help is needed. This was especially useful while the nursery was closed due to the Covid-19 outbreak. Weekly Zoom sessions were held with small groups of children, and their parents and staff also rang around families every fortnight.

‘We wanted to ask how they were getting on,’ Ms Bromley says. ‘Sometimes parents would be fine, but at other times they would confide that they were struggling and discuss how their child was not eating properly, or they were stressed because they were not managing to get their work done.’

Since reopening, the nursery staff are working with parents to accommodate their altered childcare needs in the best way possible.