'I don't think you should ever accept being just good enough, you should always try to be better,' says Mrs Birtles, who leads the Poperinghe Pre-school near Reading. 'I didn't think being a level 3, the minimum for my job, was enough. I believe you should aim for the highest levels you can achieve.'
Last year she attained EYPS after completing the Long Pathway at Reading University while topping up her foundation degree to a degree.
'The university is near my home, so I could drop my children at school and then go on to the university,' she says. 'There was a great deal of work involved - the assignments and for the degree, homework every week and a lot of reading. For EYPS, I would be going through the 39 Standards, making sure I was collecting the evidence for each, as well as working full-time.
'I was exhausted at the end of it, but it was definitely worth it. It makes me feel really valued. Often a nursery practitioner is seen as inferior to other professionals in education, but now I have a degree and I have a professional status which tells them I am at the same level as they are.'
Mrs Birtles is now part of an early years focus group with Wokingham Borough Council Children's Services, where there is discussion about changes in local authority services and how those changes will be implemented.
'This gives me a chance to influence not just my own setting but other groups too,' she says.
'The biggest change for me since gaining EYPS is in my reflective practice. If somebody criticises or suggests something I don't take it as a criticism of me, because I have the ability to consider my practice and think that perhaps I could do this or that better. It is about reflecting on what you do rather than taking it personally.
'I am really enjoying going more into the theoretical perspective and reflective practice when I am mentoring the staff, whether they are on foundation degrees or taking their level 3 qualifications.
'The Every Child a Talker programme asked if we wanted to take part. I think we were approached because of the standing I now have as an EYP.'
Before she switched to early years Mrs Birtles had a career in retail. 'When my child started pre-school here I became involved and joined the committee and then became chairperson. When I took that on, I thought I needed to have more grounding, so I did the diploma in pre-school practice and on my placement worked in another group.'
She then took up a post at another setting, but several promotions later returned to Poperinghe as manager.
'I think my retail background helped me. In retail you need to know that the goods you supply are actually what your customer needs. I think I have that ability to get the necessary information from parents to make sure that we are meeting their needs and those of their children. One of the techniques is not to ask questions that require just a yes/no answer. This works with the children too.
'In our pre-school, often we find ourselves supporting parents, giving them information or signposting them to other services. This links in with the work with parents as partners.'
Every Child a Talker is a Government programme to provide training and support to those working with young children on early language development
CV: Anita Birtles
1983: After leaving school post A-Levels worked briefly as a nanny in Germany before returning to England.
Worked in retail and for electronic manufacturers before joining Southern Electric on the retail side.
Worked her way up to manager of the company's store in Marlborough and then was part of the management team of a superstore before stopping work to start her family.
2000: Joined the committee of Poperinghe Pre-School as a parent volunteer and began working in early years.
2004: Became manager of Poperinghe Pre-School.
2004: Began chairing the local branch of Pre-School Learning Alliance.
2007: Began the Long Pathway to EYPS at Reading University.
