Nursery World - A Unique Child: SEND Code of Practice

Supervision discussions are an important and useful contributor to
high-quality provision, but there is a lack of clarity in the sector
about what they should involve. Dr Kay Mathieson offers some
guidance.

Supervision is, in essence, a professional 'safe' space to raise and explore issues of concern and effective (inclusive) practice, to continually improve the quality and safety of each child's experience in the setting.

Supervision is not a new idea in early education, but has a longer history in health and social care. Any professional role that involves dealing with the emotions, struggles and worries of children and families benefits from an inbuilt process for reflecting and thinking about the impact on the professional, as well as strategies and approaches that may be helpful.

However, talking about supervision in the company of early years practitioners elicits a wide range of responses - from 'Do you mean appraisal?' and 'My manager doesn't do that' to 'It has been the most effective tool in improving my practice.' The variation in experience and understanding of what supervision is suggests that there is significant inequality in the support received by practitioners.

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