You can download the awards book here
Senior practitioner David has a natural ability to put people at their ease, and it is thanks to this, and his unwavering dedication to his role, that make him such a special member of the Oaks team.
His positive, caring and professional approach has enabled him to take on more responsibility and challenges since he joined the nursery in 2016.
For two years, David has managed eight staff and is currently mentoring a new senior practitioner in the pre-school unit.
His enthusiasm for early years education is infectious and his openness and approachability are key to his success; he isn’t afraid to let himself be vulnerable, which has led to building strong relationships with children, staff and families.
Children see him as a friend and a role model, someone they can confide in and who will always champion them. This means he is able to provide an unparalleled level of support to every child.
As the nursery’s wellbeing champion, David has introduced weekly wellbeing walks, where children and staff can relax and play in nature, and has created a nursery soundtrack – a compilation of the community’s ‘happy’ songs – which is played around nursery to create a fun, joyful environment.
He also puts conversation starters in the staff room to encourage colleagues to get to know each other, as well as ‘staff positivity’ jars in each room. As a result, practitioners are empowered to talk about their achievements, share best practice and develop their skills to enhance the nursery experience as confident, valued members of the team.
In his own time, David researches ways to enhance children’s experiences and wellbeing.
This has led to sensory sound bath sessions – which promote child relaxation and mindfulness – as well as peer-on-peer massage, which is now embedded in the pre-school’s routine. This has helped children understand how to look after each other, listen to their friends and take care of their wellbeing from an early age.
David is an exceptionally receptive and thoughtful person, and very in tune with how others are feeling. He is therefore the first person to identify behavioural changes in children and adapts his activities accordingly to suit both their emotional and developmental needs. He has particularly had a profound effect on families in challenging circumstances (e.g., divorce) by providing reassurance, comfort and stability to children when they need it most. One parent commented that ‘knowing [my child] is being so well looked after has been a real help in the midst of a really difficult time’.
As a proud member of the LGBTQ+ community, David also champions diversity, equality and inclusivity at nursery. He openly talks about his life experiences and Birmingham Pride, which has helped children understand there are all sorts of families and put children with two mums or dads at ease.
As a minority in the early years industry (male and gay), he has had many challenges to overcome. Many of the nursery’s families are from different cultures, and one family refused to pass their child over to David on their first day because of his sex. Due to David’s natural positivity, he didn’t see this as an issue but rather as an opportunity to make positive change. He worked with the family over time to gain their trust and, after receiving such positive feedback from their child, the family changed their perceptions; they now ‘utterly adore’ him.
He knows families so well that, at swap shops – where families exchange old clothes for ‘new’ ones – he acts as a personal shopper, picking out items he thinks his pre-schoolers would love.
David is a true credit to his profession and the perfect ambassador for men in childcare. His aptitude and talent were highlighted repeatedly during the nursery’s most recent Outstanding Ofsted inspection, with one inspector commenting on the ‘joy that emulates from his room’ and that ‘if I could clone David and put him in every nursery in the world, every child would be very lucky’.
FINALISTS
• Jess Fudger, Cherubs Wynndale – Nottinghamshire
• Katy Hicks, Kingswood Day Nursery and Preschool – Hull
CRITERION
Open to any qualified practitioner (Level 2 and above) working in an early years setting, in the maintained, private or voluntary sectors, including Early Years Educators, room leaders, deputy managers, graduate practitioners and Early Years Teachers.
