Our working relationship: Combining knowledge to create exciting outdoor activities

Kirsty Powell ‘As Rhys is showing, once you can get males involved in early years, they love it!’

What does your role involve?

‘My working day involves doing a bit of everything, usually beginning with switching on the twinkly lights and making sure everything is ready and looks welcoming before greeting our children into the nursery. There’s always plenty of planning to look at, and I like to make sure we plan as much as possible. By forward planning I can phase in time to spend with our apprentices, to support them in any areas they feel unsure about, or just check they are managing to keep on top of their written assignments.

‘Giving time and supporting apprentices is an important part of the apprenticeship programme, and also in the wider context to promote achievement throughout my team.’

How do you work together?

‘Rhys is presently in the pre-school room as apprenticeship Level 3 support, working alongside either me or our deputy, Angela.

‘Rhys works closely with me on planning outdoors activities, with lots of these being exploring and nature-based – he isn’t restricted to sports. Rhys is always happy to talk to parents about the games their children have played and the activities that have been part of their day. His enthusiasm really shines through – he really does give 100 per cent. Our planning is a real collaboration. Rhys always has lots of good ideas to contribute. Since he’s been with us, I’ve seen his confidence and knowledge of early years grow so much and he always has a smile on his face. Rhys is a real part of our team.

‘At the moment we have three apprentices here at Preston, another sports coach and a Level 3, and they are all thought of as invaluable members of our team.

‘I believe investing in our training programme team is so important, we need to train those coming into early years to a high standard; this is the way we establish our team and also appeal to a new generation of early years educators. If we can’t show early years as a viable career option, we will be in real trouble, as recruiting new team members is such a problem now. We are fortunate in that at Kids Planet we have our own training academy and the sports coach training is proving really popular; it’s a route into the profession that male applicants find appealing. Obviously it’s not just for male trainees, but the problem persists that working with young children can be seen as ‘women’s work’. As Rhys is showing, once you can get males involved in early years, they love it!’

What makes your relationship so successful?

‘Rhys has shown real commitment to his training and he’s a real team player, always ready to lend a hand. The secret to a good working relationship is collaboration and a willingness to listen to others’ ideas, and Rhys has shown that he puts a lot of thought into the activities he devises and has a good understanding of early years development.

‘Rhys is great at getting on with the job, he uses a lot of common sense and has that natural love of working with children which is so important. The children love the time they spend with him. Rhys always makes his games fun and really varied, with children getting to have a go at basketball, yoga, football, balancing games – all areas of physical development, and hopefully promoting the idea that taking part in physical activities is something to look forward to; just getting outdoors more and having some fun.

‘At Kids Planet we promote the benefits of being outdoors on mental health, as well as physical development, and how this helps to promote relationship bonds with others, as well as building risk awareness, language development and understanding of concepts such as over, under, sideways, etc.’

Rhys Dobson: ‘I feel I can ask for help if I need it and I’m always made to feel that my work is appreciated’

What does your role involve?

‘My day-to-day duties are really varied, and not just sport by any means. I can be helping children with computer games, then dancing with dinosaurs, then getting creative on the craft table. We always plan a sport of the month, linking this to the early years development goals, where we will target a specific area of development, such as social speaking, for example. I’m always made to feel a trusted part of the team, with my opinions and ideas being taken into account. I also feel as though I can ask for help if I need it and I’m always made to feel that my work is appreciated – I was recently awarded employee of the month.’

How do you work together?

‘Kirsty has been a big help to me throughout my training and really supports new members of staff. Kirsty is also a big supporter of the sports coach training at Kids Planet and always makes sure she passes on kind words from parents whose children have told her about the fun they’ve had taking part in my activities.

‘Working in early years is always busy, and you do have to work as part of a team and help out as needed – that’s just how it is when you work with children. I would definitely recommend a career in early years for anyone who thinks they would like to work with children and who likes the thought of no two days being the same – it can be hard work, but it’s definitely never boring. I’m not thinking of leaving any time soon.’

What makes your relationship so successful?

‘I’ve had plenty of support to help me with my training and anything in the setting that I might need some help with.

‘When I first started working here, I was the only sports coach, which was a challenge. It’s always easier to bounce ideas around with someone else who’s experiencing the same things as you.

‘I’m so glad I decided to take the sports coach apprenticeship as I never really enjoyed formal education. To be honest, I didn’t put much effort into education, but now I’ve found something I really enjoy.

‘I come from a family of teachers, and had often wondered if working in some area of education could be a profession for me. I’m glad I gave it a go. I also get the chance to share my coaching knowledge with other practitioners by visiting various nurseries in Lancashire. I’m helping to show any prospective male trainees that a career in early years is open to male applicants too – something Kids Planet are keen to promote; the three apprentices here at present are all male.

‘I feel that this apprenticeship has the opportunity to open a lot of doors for me.

‘I’m considering doing a Level 5 Outdoor Learning lead qualification to support sports coaches and outdoor leads on completion of my Level 3.

‘In the future I may progress to coaching, but I definitely like working in early years. It’s great when you see one of the children manage to achieve something they have been trying to do for some time, maybe hopping, or catching a ball for example, it’s great to see their sense of achievement.

'By taking part in games like this, children have lots of opportunities to build their vocabulary and become more social – you really do see children transform and start to build little friendships with others. Sometimes they just need that little bit of help to connect, then once they start to play alongside other children, you see them start to interact and find a whole new level of fun.’