A sense of team spirit spurred on three staff members at Klas Children's Day Nursery in Towcester, Northamptonshire to complete their level 4 NVQ in less than eight months. Manager Patricia Angus says their success came down to supporting each other as they were studying.
'Teresa, our deputy manager, works three days a week and she was able to devote one day a week to her studies, while Lucy and Lisa put in the hours during weekends,' she says. 'All three were incredibly focused and we are already seeing knock-on benefits to our practice, which is becoming more reflective.'
Teresa Lohman reports that although her choice of units differed from her colleagues, it was invaluable to pool thoughts and ideas. 'Because we all work together we have a good rapport and could talk around questions that didn't seem clear at first,' she says.
'It was good to have the opportunity to answer questions in depth and think about our own practice in this context. It made me think about what could be achieved, if we changed things even slightly.'
Family atmosphere
Klas is a 70-place day nursery that currently employs 21 staff, many of whom are mature and have worked together for a number of years.
Patricia says the nursery is particularly noted by parents for its warm ambience - 'everyone remarks on its relaxed, family atmosphere'.
Klas is proud of its open-door policy, which means that parents can drop in at any time to view the nursery. 'Wherever possible, we involve parents and families in the daily routine,' says Patricia. 'Grandparents and other family members are welcome to spend time with us and are encouraged to get involved with topics and activities. We like it when parents come in to share a particular skill or interest with the children.'
Training is a top priority and Klas has just been praised by Ofsted for the way in which it is already implementing the EYFS, describing its practice as 'pro-active and progressive'. To maintain these standards, Patricia recognises that there must be an ongoing emphasis on continuing professional development.
'Staff retention is very good,' says Patricia. 'We like to take on trainees and then help them to train while they gain experience within the nursery. Teresa studied for her NVQ level 3 with us before moving up to the deputy manager role.'
The widening range of training options now available is viewed as positive. 'For example, one of our staff recently completed an NVQ level 3 through the Train to Gain scheme,' says Patricia.
'Early Years Professional status will become increasingly important, and we see this as the next step for some of our staff.'
