All early years settings aim to be inclusive and treat each child as unique. But childcare provider Footprints Learning for Life in Hartlepool takes this ambition to an extreme. Winner of the Nursery World Inclusive Practice Award in 2021, it cares for children of any background and need, however challenging. It also mirrors this approach in its recruitment policies, which welcome staff with additional or long-term health requirements.
‘Everyone deserves a chance,’ is director Sharon Birch’s mantra. She took over the nursery in 2006 after being on its board of governors, as her three children attended the setting. It was her first early education role after spending 20 years working in child protection for the police force. In Hartlepool, almost three in ten children live in an income-deprived household.
Sharon combined her knowledge of the local community’s needs with the personal experience of discovering she and her children had a genetic condition and needed additional health support. ‘The picked up that my son had dyspraxia,’ she says. ‘It was through that that we ended up being diagnosed as a family.’
SPECIFIC SUPPORT
In 2016, Ofsted graded Footprints’ provision as Outstanding. It credited the setting’s ‘excellent deployment of staff, along with detailed and precise care planning’. The report said this helped staff ‘provide every child with the specific support they need’.
The setting includes a nursery for under-fives, and wraparound care and holiday clubs for ages five to 15. Sharon and her team of 32 have 115 children on-roll, with between 60 and 85 attending each day. Of these, 30 have additional needs or receive social care support, or both.
The setting takes a ‘one size does not fit all’ approach by creating a specific care package for each child, in partnership with their parents or carers. These are reviewed at least every three months.
A child with brain cancer attends part-time. ‘It’s about understanding his needs and fatigue,’ says Sharon. ‘He’s off treatment at the moment, so it’s just taking extra care – if he has a cough, comes into contact with somebody who has Covid, for example, or chickenpox.’ The setting has a strict medicines policy as staff often administer medication.
If the team does not have the right skills to support a child, Sharon organises training to ensure they can attend the setting. For example, when a child with epilepsy joined, a nurse trained all staff about managing seizures and EpiPens.
Occupational therapists assess the nursery for adjustments that are required for a specific child. Recently a deaf girl has joined. Her key workers work closely with her local support group for hearing-impaired children. Sharon has also arranged sign-language training for staff, who also liaise with the girl’s hospital.
‘The lady who runs this group [for deaf children] has recommended us to other parents,’ says Sharon. ‘We’ve got another two children that are hearing-impaired starting in the next month.’ The setting has also supported children with cerebral palsy, autism, ADHD, global developmental delay, blindness and diabetes, as well as children in care or with abusive backgrounds.
MEETING DEMAND
The nursery is (coincidentally) housed in an old police station with rooms for different age groups and an outdoor area. Staff take a child-led approach to teaching and play. ‘We’re also very, very big on cultural capital – giving them access to lots of things they might not have access to,’ says Sharon.
Each room has a smart speaker so children can listen to any kind of music. Staff lead discussions on various topics to broaden children’s horizons, such as different cultures. The team also takes children out on day trips to beaches, art galleries, or the local Royal Navy museum.
Staff conduct circle times with smaller groups to help children build emotional resilience. They have also attended bereavement training at a local hospice. Sharon introduced this after a child’s mother died of cancer. Several children at the setting have been bereaved for reasons including parental suicide. ‘It’s the area that we live in – we have a number of children and families who are involved with drugs and that sort of thing,’ she says.
In order to make the setting affordable, Footprints does not charge for extras such as meals, which are prepared in-house and meet all dietary requirements. But its transport service is paid for. Staff use four vehicles to do home and school pick-ups and drop-offs. Although the day usually ends at 6pm, Sharon will keep the setting open later if there is demand, and on a Saturday.
SUPPORTING PARENTS
Supporting parents is key to Footprints’ success. It works closely with local agencies and the local authority to signpost parents to services, and will contact them on parents’ behalf if they prefer. For example, Sharon refers parents to a local charity dealing with conflict within families called Changing Futures, and mental health charity Mind. They have helped families struggling with finances, or mothers with postnatal depression.
‘We do a lot of early help suggestions, like for referrals into social care but without it going into social care,’ Sharon says. She recently helped a father who was a victim of domestic abuse to get support for his son, as well as himself.
Sharon says offering such inclusive support is challenging financially – in particular, claiming funding for one-to-one support. ‘We had a big deficit last year, and at one point were providing six one-to-ones,’ she says. ‘That’s just not feasible.’ Sharon adds that children rarely have their needs formerly recognised when they join, so her team has to apply for financial support. ‘That’s a lot of work for us.’
Last November, Sharon gave up her salary and took on a second job as an early years consultant at the Safeguarding Network. ‘My salary was the only one the company could legally lose, but it meant I needed to find another job because I still need an income,’ she says.
Despite these obstacles, Sharon says all early years settings should try to be inclusive. ‘Embrace it,’ she says. ‘Get to know your children and your families, and treat every child as an individual.’
CASE STUDY: Stefan
Stefan joined Footprints in August 2019 just after his second birthday. His parents were concerned something was ‘different’ about him. ‘He was non-verbal,’ says his mother Natasha. His lack of speech began earlier that year after Stefan suffered a seizure. He also had difficulty sleeping and eating.
Nursery staff agreed Stefan’s development appeared delayed. They arranged assessments with an educational psychologist, speech and language therapist, and the local Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service. The professionals suggested he might have autism. Doctors also diagnosed Stefan with a rare genetic condition.
Stefan began to present angry behaviour and there were some incidents where he hurt other nursery children. Natasha says these were ‘heart-breaking’, but credits staff with understanding Stefan. They could anticipate when he was becoming agitated and take him to a calmer room.
The Footprints team called in a local educational psychology community organisation called Small Steps Together. ‘We were all on the same page,’ says Natasha. They also successfully applied for funding so Stefan could have a one-to-one carer. ‘Once he got that, he started to flourish and began to speak,’ says Natasha.
Stefan started school last September, after a smooth transition.
Disability Confident Employer scheme
Since 2012, Footprints has worked with students from Catcote Academy – a special educational needs school for 11- to 25-year-olds. They help out for one or two days a week, or do a supported, long-term internship for a longer period. Staff prepare a care package for them, just as they do for children, and match them with appropriate roles. For example, one girl with Asperger’s syndrome was comfortable working with older children, but did not suit being in the baby room. ‘It was about working with her and her abilities,’ says Sharon.
The setting is signed up to the Government’s disability confident employer scheme, which signposts disabled people towards its job opportunities. Conditions that staff members have had include cerebral palsy and epilepsy. Managers make necessary adjustments for them, such as providing flexible working hours.
One practitioner has a brain condition that means she must keep away from bright light, so she only works in dimly lit rooms. Managers hold regular supervisions with staff and adapt their care plans as necessary. ‘It’s just about working with the individual,’ says Sharon. She adds that their approach helps teach the children that all people are equal.
Nursery World Awards 2022: Entries are open for this year’s awards, with 26 categories including Inclusive Practice. Visit the Nursery World website to find out more: www.nurseryworld.co.uk/awards or www.nurseryworldawards.com