Nursery World - Nursery Management: Staff

Confidence is an essential ingredient for quality childcare provision. Katy Morton looks at why it matters and what to do when it falters.

Confidence is a key requirement for early years practitioners and a quality most parents look for in staff when choosing a nursery.

'A confident member of staff is secure with the knowledge and skills required of them,' says Rebecca Miller of Oscar Resource Coaching. 'They have received the right training on the EYFS and support from the setting in which they work.'

But what happens when a practitioner lacks or loses their confidence? 'These practitioners are less likely to engage with children and will struggle with letting them explore, particularly their outdoor environment,' explains Ms Miller.

'They can also be reluctant to try new things with children in their care and to take initiative, requiring more support from their peers,' she says.

The importance of leadership

Alice Lewes, who runs AL Consultancy, says she has seen very confident practitioners come to a setting and lose their confidence because they are poorly managed, but also that this can work both ways.

'The level of confidence a practitioner has comes down to effective management and how well staff are led,' she explains. 'The best nurseries assess practitioners' learning styles so they can give them tasks that work to their strengths, which helps to build self-esteem and confidence.'

A similar practice is followed by Kids Planet Beamont in Warrington, where senior practitioners carry out peer observations of staff once a month and all team members are given the opportunity to have a one-to-one with the nursery's manager Jill Dutton.

She says, 'New starters are also given a six-month induction and paired with a "buddy", a senior member of staff, in the same room.'

At Nutfield Day Nursery in Surrey, potential employees who do not appear very confident during the interview process are assessed during a day's trial, says manager Emily Sturt.

'Often, practitioners lack confidence in communicating with parents, particularly those who are inexperienced and fresh out of college,' she explains. 'To help these staff build relationships with families, we hold intimate parent group meetings, which give practitioners the chance to talk to mothers and fathers away from the children.'

The team at Busy Bees Nursery in Wollaton, Nottingham, plays out different scenarios through role-play to help those who struggle with talking to parents.

'Confidence in communicating with parents often comes with experience,' says manager Michelle Lovell. 'At the nursery, we work together and provide role-play situations during training sessions to help staff who lack confidence when speaking to parents. Staff are also given the opportunity to shadow a more confident, experienced practitioner.'

Working to strengths

Safeguarding is another area in which staff can lack confidence, says Jill Dutton, who offers new starters to the nursery the chance to attend training on this if they require it.

'At Kids Planet Beamont, we give our staff ownership of their own learning and encourage them to access training.

'Our baby and tots leader came to the nursery fresh out of university. We enrolled her on a leadership and management course, which also gave her the opportunity to meet practitioners from other settings. Another member of staff who wasn't confident with her writing skills is now taking her GCSE in English.'

The nursery manager says senior staff are often given projects that enable them to work to their strengths as a means of improving their confidence. Projects have included creating a sensory room and garden.

John Cassidy, manager of Busy Bees Nursery in Peterborough, says that in his experience staff are often least confident in working with other agencies and can feel anxious during inspections or audits.

He recalls, 'Once during an internal audit, a member of staff was asked what should have been a very basic question and she totally froze on the spot. The staff member said she knew the answer, but was momentarily petrified by the pressure. We both learnt from the experience.'

A member of staff at Busy Bees in Woking also had a sudden crisis of confidence, which led her to question her career in childcare, says Natalie Lee, manager of the setting.

She explains, 'In our pre-school room, a key person felt there were some children who were not thriving in certain areas of development and assumed she was not providing appropriate learning opportunities.

'This member of staff always showed 100 per cent enthusiasm and dedication, and was professional in every aspect of her conduct. We felt it was important that we helped her build her confidence, and provided her with support and training for her own peace of mind.'

She adds, 'This member of staff is now confidently feeding her knowledge back to her team. She also supports our SENCO in the nursery and new members.'

Talking and listening

Trainer Rebecca Miller says it is quite common to see practitioners whose lack of confidence is not being addressed.

'Day-to-day nursery life can be very hectic and it is easy for staff to slip into things or become comfortable. I see this across the board. Older staff often find it harder to adapt to change and it takes specific training for them to overcome this. Newer staff or very young practitioners may not be used to sharing ideas and skills or might not have the right knowledge base.'

Ms Miller says that mentoring programmes can be good to help boost the confidence of staff. 'Managers should also ensure they regularly communicate with their team so practitioners are clear about what is required of them,' she says. 'Using the Development Matters guidance in a setting, designed to support practitioners in implementing the requirements of the EYFS, is also helpful, although not all settings do this.'

Getting behind the root of an issue is important, says Sandra Brouet of Early Years CPD. 'When the EYFS was introduced, some practitioners had issues about working with, and implementing, it due to fear of change.'

In her capacity as a trainer, Ms Brouet says she spends time talking and listening to any worries a practitioner has and together they come up with an action, which along the way they edit and evaluate.

At one London nursery group she worked with, The Kindergartens, managers identified members of staff they felt needed additional support for her to work with on a one-to-one basis. As part of a package of support, Ms Brouet assessed learners and provided help and advice.

Ms Brouet says she is seeing more nurseries access bespoke training that provides bespoke solutions - in particular, training that covers outdoor learning, working with parents, and observation and assessment.

Ms Lewes, who has provided training in Camden and Hounslow, also believes that nurseries are waking up to the positive effect workplace coaching can have on staff and subsequently the children in their care.

Good for business

Having confident staff has proven to be invaluable for Kids Planet Beamont, where Ms Dutton says they fill most of their places through word of mouth. 'Confident staff help reassure parents when leaving their children in our care. It gives a good impression,' she explains.

Michelle Lovelle agrees that a team confident in its practice and itself as individuals is good for business - 'If staff are confident then the children are confident - they want to come to nursery, enjoy nursery and really thrive. Parents can leave knowing that their child is safe and happy.'

A good way to maintain the confidence of staff is by praise and reward, suggests Ms Dutton, who says that recognition such as the Nursery World Awards helps staff with confidence.

Last year, Jemma Morris, who works in the toddler room at the nursery, won the Nursery World Award for Newcomer of the Year.

Ms Sturt, whose Nutfield Day Nursery won the National Day Nurseries Association's Nursery of the Year 2013, agrees that winning awards gives staff a real boost.

Case study: Luton Street community nursery

Stacey Jane, deputy manager of London Early Years Foundation's (LEYF) Luton Street Community Nursery, received coaching from Alice Lewes of AL Consulting to help her overcome a crisis of confidence about how her colleagues perceived her and fears that she would upset them.

Over the course of a year, Ms Jane worked with Ms Lewes through a number of one-to-one meetings.

'It was good to be able to speak to someone outside of work,' she says. 'Alice told me to be honest about what I was feeling.'

As part of the coaching, Ms Jane was transferred to another nursery to help support their manager.

She explains, 'Working in another setting took me out of my comfort zone. It was difficult being away from the nursery I had been at for ten years, working with different staff and doing things differently. However, it did wonders for my confidence.'

The deputy manager says Ms Lewes helped her to come to her own conclusions and take ownership of her work-related issues. 'She made me realise I knew what to do and how to act. After the coaching, I was no longer worried about upsetting a member of staff by telling them what to do,' she says.

Ms Jane is now taking part in a coaching programme, along with other deputy managers of LEYF's nurseries and head office staff, in which they learn techniques to use with members of their team. The idea is to take pressure off nursery managers.

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