In order to create and sustain a first-class staff team it is vital to start with a clear understanding of the calibre of individuals you want to work in your nursery and how they can contribute to its overarching objectives.
When looking through Ofsted reports of nurseries which have been deemed outstanding, the terms frequently ascribed to outstanding staff members and overall management include:
- The management team has a clear vision for the future and is constantly striving to improve
- Robust safeguarding procedures are in place and include effective policies, training and expectations for visitors, staff and children
- Continuous training is in place to ensure updated skills, knowledge and experience
- Staff are committed, enthusiastic, happy and continually motivated to be and offer their best
VISION AND AIMS
It is vital that you are absolutely clear as to your vision and aims for the setting and the level of commitment you demonstrate in striving for continual improvement. Consider the following:
- What do I want the children who attend to experience?
- What policies, procedures and systems do I need to have in place?
- What qualities do I wish to have in my staff?
- How can I continue to get the best from them once recruited?
- How am I going to communicate this?
- How will I effectively communicate what we do to outside agencies and Ofsted?
Once you are clear as to your goals, you now need to weigh up your current situation and options.
A good method for this is to use the Self Evaluation Form. While not an official requirement of Ofsted, it is nonetheless a very effective tool when used properly. By keeping the information you share concise and relevant with measurable outcomes, the vision, procedures and future actions are clearly demonstrated and evidenced in the environment and in the nursery's atmosphere.
SHARING AN ETHOS
A shared mind-set among staff is vital when it comes to establishing a positive nursery ethos. In line with this, staff need to demonstrate that they place the care of the child and their positive experience of being in the nursery at the forefront of all the decisions they make. With this in mind ask yourself the following:
- What environment are you striving to create and how well is this communicated in your
- How clear and open are you as to your expectations and what others can expect from you by working at your setting?
- Do you have a clear induction plan that is continually reviewed to remain effective?
- How do you currently interview? Do you need to revise the questions you use to determine more of a candidate's attitude and approach as opposed to their current level of experience?
- How often do you ask for feedback from your staff as to what they consider is working well and what needs to be done to continually improve?
- What training do you offer and how well do you encourage the development of individual strengths and talents?
- How often do you hold performance reviews and are you consistent as to the focus and outcome for them to be of mutual and positive benefit?
By being clear and authentic in what you are striving to create for your setting and the calibre of staff you employ, you are far more likely to attract and retain the right level of skills, experience and, most importantly, the happy and enthusiastic approach of the people who come to work with you.
Rebecca Miller is the author of Clearly Outstanding, published by bookshaker, and director of Oscar Resource Coaching
CASE STUDY: LITTLE PALS, JAYWICK, ESSEX
Little Pals is a community nursery in Jaywick, one of the most deprived areas of England. It is linked to a Sure start children's centre, which is how I came to be involved with it through my role as a children's centre teacher.
In 2009, Little Pals went through considerable changes, amalgamating with a smaller daycare setting in Jaywick which expanded both its staff and numbers of children. Prior to its 2010 Ofsted Inspection, Little Pals was also struggling with having to comply with imposed local authority changes and lack of consistent funding.
This situation presented challenges for the manager and long-term staff who felt frustrated by the uncertainty of the future and limited by the lack of financial support for training and resources. Subsequently, morale became low and while the care of the children was always excellent, the setting lacked the overall vision and ethos to retain the staff who would more accurately reflect this.
As a first step to addressing these challenges, myself and the manager, Gill Smith, completed a Self Evaluation Form (SEF), which enabled her to identify the current strengths and areas for development across the setting as a whole, as well as the current effectiveness of staff recruitment and retention in particular. All staff members were included in the process which instantly created a more unified vision and clarity as to what the priorities were for the setting and the systems and actions that needed to be put in place.
A clear area for development at Little Pals was the level of staffing and shortage of strong leaders and positive team spirit. The manager recognised that to make effective and sustainable changes, a stringent review of policies, procedures and communication within the setting was an essential first step.
By using the SEF format and working with myself, the financial director and external business advisers, Ms Smith was able to initiate the prioritised actions required to gain clarity of vision for the setting and identify the characteristics required by the staff in order to create the best environment for the setting.
She began by reviewing the number of staff, their level of qualifications and experience, and their individual talents, skills and expertise. She was then able to assess where and with whom, individual staff members worked best and what further training and support was needed.
It became clear that changes needed to be made in the existing systems for staff induction and CPD and that new systems and policies needed to be put in place. Ms Smith also revised staff rotas and ensured a more balanced mix of experienced and trainee staff across the individual rooms to ensure consistency of practice and quality of care. Regular staff meetings and weekly room meetings were then established to keep communication clear and to allow staff to contribute continually to the development plan and have their ideas and achievements acknowledged.
She also then appointed a deputy, which allowed her more time to focus on maintaining the right systems, keep track of funding and also spend time on monitoring the new systems effectively.
It was these changes that led to a glowing Ofsted report in 2010, and a grade of outstanding. Ms Smith and her team are now working very hard to maintain and improve upon this success.
'I feel immensely proud of what we are achieving at Little Pals,' she says.
'Funding remains a struggle but we are continually reflecting on what we do and feel confident that the training and support we offer our staff is key to recruiting and retaining the best practitioners and maintaining our outstanding status.'
