Support could be through sharing practice, networking and peer-to-peer support - which is what has been happening in Manchester, says James Hempsall.
Tiddlywinks Day Nursery runs three Ofsted 'outstanding' day nurseries in the north of Manchester. The first nursery was opened in Blackley in 1994, and since then two further nurseries have opened at higher Blackley Children's Centre and Crumpsall Children's Centre. All three nurseries offer early education and childcare for children aged four months to school age. The nursery management team, including the area manager, three nursery managers and the development officer were all actively involved in the peer-to-peer support programme introduced in Manchester in 2011/12.
The management team has been involved in the Quality Assessment Framework in Manchester from its conception and it is now an integral part of their day-to-day operations. When approached, the team eagerly signed up to be mentors, relishing the opportunity to share good practice, to promote quality improvement within their nurseries and across other settings. The team attended a mentoring training course provided by the local authority.
Providers new to delivering two-year-old places were also invited to be part of the programme and identified their areas for support. These included developing the outdoor environment, tracking children's progress, and supporting children with additional needs. The nursery team worked together with the local authority team.
As well as developing action plans, mentors supported settings through implementing and monitoring the actions within the plans. They visited settings and hosted visits at their own settings to model good practice and enable practitioners to see how the actions being developed could be put into practice.
The peer mentoring relationships have led to positive outcomes for those who have taken part, which in turn has led to wide-ranging benefits for all.
FURTHER INFORMATION
James Hempsall is director of training and research provider Hempsalls.
