Nursery World - Enabling Environments: National Teaching Schools

The deputy head at a nursery school in Manchester with NTS status tells Annette Rawstrone about its collaborative working ethos, which has benefited the children, their families and staff alike

Collaboration is key to enabling Martenscroft Nursery School and Children’s Centre, a small setting based in Hulme, Manchester, to have a big impact. ‘Collaborative working is not always easy but the benefits are huge,’ says deputy head teacher Lisa Taylor. ‘Our collaborative work, whether that involves creativity, family work, working with training partners or research, all works to enrich the outcomes for our children and families.’ Staff at the 60-place setting also benefit from collaboration by having the opportunity to widen their professional experience.

The ethos of collaborative working is evident from the way that Martenscroft’s different elements – nursery class, childcare provision, children’s centre and teaching school – are fully integrated. The inner-city nursery was awarded National Teaching School (NTS) status in February 2015 (see box) and Ms Taylor says the embedded culture of staff working closely together was crucial to its success.

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