Nannies and nursery nurses have a long tradition of wearing uniforms. The image of the nursery nurse dressed in a demure cotton dress and starched white pinafore endures from Victorian times when a uniform was considered essential to give the wearer an air of authority and reinforce the notion that 'nanny knows best'. Today the image has changed and the emphasis is on an informal, relaxed appearance, but uniforms are still worn in many nurseries.
One of the main reasons for wearing a uniform is to make the staff instantly recognisable to both children and parents. There are some situations where this is essential such as in a busy creche in a shopping mall where new children are dropped off every day.
Baljinder Poonian is manager of the Academy creche in the Bluewater shopping centre in Greenhithe, Kent which provides childcare cover for up to 200 children a day and she is very keen on the staff uniform.
Staff wear a yellow polo shirt with the Academy logo, navy blue trousers and a blue fleece with the Academy logo on it and, as she says, 'When parents come into the room they know who to go to. The children also know who to go to if they want a drink or to go to the loo, so it is easier for them to approach somebody, and the uniform itself is very wearable and very comfortable.' She also finds it gives a sense of identity to the staff, 'We have the same uniform for all the staff at the Academy and if... go to another site with my uniform on it gives a feeling that we are all part of the same team.'
The Academy provides the uniforms free of charge to its staff and tries to provide clothes that the staff will want to wear. Nigel Collins is the marketing manager for Academy nurseries. 'When you are employing younger people the uniform mustn't stick out like a sore thumb,' he says. 'There is no point in having a uniform that looks nice if no one wants to wear it.' He approves of the uniform because, he feels, 'it gives parents a feeling of confidence to see staff in uniform - it shows a level of professionalism.'
Nathan Archer is the communications officer for the National Day Nurseries Association and he agrees. 'It is good practice for nursery staff to have a uniform - it identifies them to staff and parents, and also gives a sense of belonging to the organisation.'
Uniform styles vary between a polo shirt and fleece, a coloured top or the more old-fashioned tabard or button-up nurses' coat. In 1990 Kinder Groups became the first chain to provide its staff with tracksuits, because, as founding director Janet Bishop says, 'we wanted an easily identifiable uniform which was modern, casual and essentially practical since staff would often be crawling around on the floor with the children.' Staff at Happy Times wear coloured T-shirts with funky designs on them but most nurseries tend to emphasise the corporate approach with embroidered logos. Most nurseries provide at least one change of uniform free of charge to their staff.
The Birrell Collection is a chain of nurseries in Edinburgh and staff there wear a yellow tabard-type uniform. Christine MacDowel, the quality and marketing manager, says, 'Girls do like the tabards because they can wear what they want underneath.' But she adds that they are thinking of changing over to polo shirts and sweats. 'If it changed, we would introduce some system of colour coding to differentiate different levels of experience in the staff, for example to show who has done management training.'
She thinks the function of a uniform is 'to depict staff when they are in the nursery, it also helps children instantly to recognise their nursery helper and it looks good when showing visitors around.' Kathy Nazer is the area manager for Just Learning, which has 21 nurseries throughout England and Wales, and she also thinks the uniform is very important for advertising the nursery. 'It is good for promotion if we are just popping out to the shops.' Her staff like wearing their uniform and, as she says, 'they don't have to worry about what to wear and if food or paint gets spilt over their clothes it doesn't matter. For girls who are not earning a lot of money, it is nice to have a uniform provided.'
Of course, not all nurseries wear a uniform and not all staff want to wear one. Buffer Bear is a private nursery chain that has taken over the running of six Westminster Council nurseries. Buffer Bear wanted to introduce uniforms but staff vigorously opposed the idea. Rahul Patel is the assistant branch secretary of Unison at Westminster and he explains the staff reaction. 'Staff feel that a uniform is not necessary for good nursery care. The nurseries performed to an exceptionally high standard without the uniform and they feel they don't need to start wearing one now.'
Jacky Roberts is director of operations for Nurseryworks Family Solutions, a chain of nine nurseries in London, and none of its staff wear a uniform. As she explains, 'A uniform can sometimes feel like a barrier between children and their carers and we aim to take down as many barriers as we can. Some children are nervous of uniform and the authority of uniform.'
She also thinks that sometimes people can 'hide behind their uniforms'. Their nurseries have 'a very strong policy of encouraging staff to step forward and talk to parents, our staff have to have the confidence to show themselves.' She doesn't find there is a problem with recognition because the nurseries have an active policy of introducing all new staff to parents, or vice versa. 'Children know the person, rather than the uniform, and I think that is very important.'
