Nanny Sam Chapman, 26, is in the kitchen making lunch for four-year-old Josh, while he plays happily on the floor with a toy stable and horses. In an hour or so, Sam will walk down the road with Josh to collect two of his brothers, Harry, ten, and George, seven, from the local primary school. And when Oliver, 12, the oldest, gets home from secondary school, she'll cook them all tea and help them with homework. The boys' mother, Ann Toynbee, works as a solicitor and their father, Martin, is a family doctor.
A typical day in a nanny's life. But not quite. Josh and Sam have just got home from another morning at the Cottis Playgroup in Hurstpierpoint, West Sussex, where Sam is the manager.
Sam's day began at 8.30am when she arrived at the Toynbee house to take Harry and George to school. Then it was down the road to playgroup, where Josh helped Sam and her co-worker Hanya Lewandowski, 20, to get the toys out and lay out the table display - this week's topic was bugs - before the other 23 children arrived for the morning. The children made pictures of caterpillars, played outside in the small garden, had drinks and snacks, and heard the story of The Very Hungry Caterpillar.
The playgroup operates five mornings a week, from 9.30 to noon, and from next January it will also open on Monday and Thursday afternoons from 1pm to 3pm.
There are four members of staff: Sam, who is in charge, Hanya, who has a BTec in childcare and education, Rose Cottis, the playgroup's founder, and her former colleague Elizabeth Trott, now both in their 60s, who come in on alternate mornings.
Rose ran the playgroup from her own house for 29 years. Last year it moved into the Methodist Church Hall next door. Now taken over by a new generation, the playgroup is still extremely popular - babies born this year already have their names on the waiting list.
'There are several children here whose parents I had,' says Rose, who was on the point of retiring completely when she began looking for somebody to take over. Things had changed so much since she started out, especially the large amount of administration, paperwork and record-keeping now expected of playgroups.
She was delighted that Sam and Hanya, who both grew up locally, agreed to come to work there, and is even happier that she can keep her hand in. Rose says, 'I was touched that Sam continued with the name of the playgroup, and that she wanted us here.'
For her part, Sam is grateful that Rose and Elizabeth, freed of the paperwork, decided to stay on in a part-time capacity. 'I've got back-up because of their experience,' Sam says. 'But they have stood back and given me a completely free hand. They enjoy coming in and playing with the children and not having to worry about the organisational side. Originally they said they'd stay for a year, but recently we talked about next year and they agreed to stay on.'
Sam points out that it is quite unusual to go straight from being a nanny to being a playgroup manager. 'Normally I'd have had to start out as an assistant. That's what made this so appealing to me.'
She spent a term unpaid, shadowing Rose and Elizabeth. She worked every day, getting to know the children and learning the job 'as a fly on the wall'. Josh had been attending the playgroup anyway, since the age of two-and-a-half. Sam also had to learn the legal side of the job. As a nanny she already had her NNEB, a sufficient qualification. And she finally took over the reins in September 2000.
So how did she come to combine the two jobs in the first place?
'I used to bring Josh up here and got to know Rose. In January 2000 she asked me if I would be interested in the possibility of taking over the playgroup.
'Obviously I had to talk it through with the boys' parents, because at the time my priority was my nannying job. They have been very flexible and helped a lot. They have positively encouraged me to further my career and basically said "Go for it, and we'll work it out".
'It is a new challenge and I find it exciting. I love doing the planning and organising. If I had gone in as an assistant, it would not be the same. My husband is a trainee management accountant and has helped me a lot with the bookwork. I spend at least an hour every evening on paperwork.' With Josh due to start school in January, Sam had already been wondering what she would do during the daytimes. She has always combined nannying with other interests. She is active in a local horse club, loves riding in her spare time and has taught other children riding - which was how she first met her employers, the Toynbees. She also recently took an A-level in psychology.
'The average nanny only stays in a job for a couple of years. I have been doing it for seven years,' she says. 'The Toynbees have treated me like part of the family. We've always been very honest and upfront. We've always talked about everything. That's one of the reasons I've stayed here for so long.' Recently Sam and Hanya did a child protection course, and she updated her Red Cross First Aider qualification with a 12-week course. Her aim this September is to do an NVQ Level 3 in childcare and use it as a stepping stone to study for a degree.
Sam feels her nanny experience has provided the perfect basis for her playgroup role. 'If you can cope with four boys, you can cope with anything! I've had them since they were very young and it has given me a wide range of experience. And if they start having friends round, the numbers you are caring for can increase very rapidly!
'At the end of the day there is nothing better than practical experience - being thrown in at the deep end and learning to cope.'
Are there any particular difficulties? 'Well, it can be very hard to be an employer one minute and an employee the next. It is certainly good for making you see things from both sides of the fence!'
Financially, Sam continues to earn a regular income as a nanny. As far as the playgroup is concerned, she has to cover expenses such as wages, equipment, hiring of the hall and materials. She has reached an agreement to give a proportion of the first year's takings to Rose as a contribution for toys and equipment, and what's left gives her a salary at the end.
So what is Sam's advice to other nannies who want to develop their careers? 'I'd say, be upfront with your employers. Tell them about any ideas you might have. At the end of the day they might be supportive.
'It can be done, and the employers can gain, too. Most parents would like to keep their nanny even after their children have started school. But obviously nannies have got to have something to do. A lot of nannies are asked to take on housekeeping and cleaning duties, which they are not prepared to do. So doing something like this can keep everyone happy.'
