The nine-strong, south-east based nursery group Early Years Childcare has retained its Investors in People status since 1993, and general manager Kate Peach says it is still a huge advantage to the business in terms of recruiting the best staff and impressing parents.
The group recently achieved an 'outstanding' grade from Ofsted and says it has had a high satisfaction rating on a questionnaire to parents.
Investors in People is a quality standard that focuses on the management of the business and how this affects performance. A business holding the standard assures both customers and employees that it is committed to investing in quality and has the systems and processes in place to ensure that this is reflected in everything it does. The assessor gains knowledge of the business by reviewing processes and interviewing staff to gain anonymous feedback.
Ms Peach says, 'Reviews take place every three years, and since we started with the standard there have been big changes in how we invest and develop our staff. We have had to adapt to changes in legislation affecting the sector. Currently we are striving to ensure that all staff have a programme of continuing professional development. We have also had to support staff where their qualifications have become obsolete, helping them to access new awards.'
At its most recent assessment, Early Years Childcare was praised for the 'inspirational' way in which the organisation is led.
'A lot of our staff have been here for a very long time,' says Ms Peach. 'We have one employee who has been with us since the business began 20 years ago, another two who have worked here for 18 years and then a range of staff who have been here for ten to 15 years. All have been given training and opportunities to develop as effective leaders.'
But she emphasises that the approach is all about the individual and what they aspire to. 'We have one practitioner who has been in the same post for over 18 years and still loves it and does an excellent job,' she says.
Ms Peach has been with the company herself for 16 years. 'I started off as an apprehensive nursery practitioner but was encouraged to develop to my current role. This has been the experience of many senior staff here.'
Over the years the company has adapted to change. Back in 1993, qualifications were structured very differently and in 2001 Early Years Childcare set up its own assessment centre.
'This helps us to deal effectively with the assessment process and allows staff to progress at a pace they are happy with,' says Ms Peach.
During the recent Investors in People assessment, staff were recorded as saying they appreciated the way in which they were treated and were committed to their roles. Ms Peach says she was personally delighted by the comments. 'I know how proud all our employees are of the service we provide to our customers and it is fantastic for everyone to receive this recognition.'
