Director Natasha Kirby knows every one of her 93 staff by name and happily acknowledges that she couldn't make a success of the business without them.
Having worked her way up from a nursery nurse at the age of 16 to nursery manager and now owner of a nursery group at 28, she believes that identifying with staff, understanding the issues they face every day, and fuelling their passion for practice are all key to long-term success.
It is certainly a very good time to be working at Boys & Girls Nursery, which is run by Mrs Kirby and her husband Jon. It is just about to open its third site in Croxley Green, Hertfordshire and has a fourth planned for Rickmansworth next year. The new openings are providing opportunities for staff to develop their careers and spread their wings across what will be four very different settings.
'Location is absolutely key,' Mrs Kirby says. 'We have had more than 400 enquiries for Croxley Green and have 50 children on the waiting list. We are very much focused on commuter areas with good access to central London or other towns, and with our strong local reputation we anticipate that the new sites will fill very quickly.'
FAMILY FEEL
Mrs Kirby acquired her first 62-place nursery in Watford in 2007, followed in 2010 by the 100-place site in Stanmore, north London.
Both sites have been rated good by Ofsted with inspectors particularly noting the warmth and enthusiasm of staff. Strong partnership working with parents and with local schools has helped build both nurseries' popularity and parents testify to children feeling secure, happy and confident during their time there. At Stanmore there is also good provision for children with additional needs.
Mrs Kirby is keen to maintain the personal feel of the company as it grows, and stay true to her original mandate, which was to have a business with a family feel.
She explains that the decision to start the business was made jointly with her husband, and it fits well with the responsibility of looking after their two young children. She says, 'At the time Jon was fed up with working in the City and we decided that by combining his business skills with my childcare experience, we had the potential to launch our own nursery. We haven't looked back since.'
All SET FOR GROWTH
The impetus for the new site in Croxley Green came from the owner of the business park where the 72-place nursery is to be located.
Mrs Kirby says, 'We were approached to open a nursery there at the beginning of the year and subsequently went through the process of planning permission to convert existing office space. We are very happy with the refurbishment which provides free-flow outdoor play for the older children and babies also have a small outdoor area they can access. We've opted for pastel colours in the baby room while the toddler and pre-school rooms are painted bright and vibrant colours.'
The business park location makes the provision ideal for working parents. 'There is a mix of large national corporate companies and smaller businesses on the site,' she says.
'This makes it very different from our other two nurseries. In Watford we are between two residential houses while in Stanmore we are on the Broadway.'
A total of 16 new staff are being taken on at Croxley Green, of which three have been promoted from other sites. This includes a room leader at Stanmore who has been promoted to deputy manager.
Mrs Kirby highlights that she is already on a recruitment drive for the nursery in Rickmansworth. 'At Rickmansworth we will be looking to employ 45 staff for what is a 100-place setting,' she says. 'We have a lot of staff interested in moving over there and we are already getting them trained up to do so,' she says.
'We offer ongoing training to all staff.
We take on some school leavers and train them from Level 2 up to degree level, and we like to use the Childcare Company. We also ensure staff are up to speed with CPD, particularly in areas such as observation and assessment.'
Despite the steady growth path, like all businesses, Boys & Girls has experienced some challenges. 'We have seen a slight decline in numbers at our Watford nursery which is due to the single school intake in Hertfordshire,' she says. 'We are now very much looking forward to the opening of our new sites. I am passionate about childcare and the business, and can't see myself doing anything else.'
Mrs Kirby remains clear on the company ethos. 'I've had experience of working in a large nursery chain where the managers did not know the people who were working for them,' she says. 'It really isn't a very nice feeling and I have always ensured that all of my staff are known and appreciated because it makes such a difference to the way you view your job.'
CHRISSY O'CONNOR, ROOM LEADER
Chrissy has been working as a nursery nurse in the toddler room at Boys & Girls in Stanmore and has now been promoted to room leader in the three-to-fives room at Croxley Green.
'I started as a nursery assistant at Stanmore and have worked my way up, achieving my Level 3 while working for the company.
'I'm really looking forward to moving across and it's a great opportunity. Three-to-fives is my favourite age group and I am planning to undertake SENCO and leadership training.
'I'd like to stay as room leader for quite a while, and ultimately move up to a deputy management position.'
