Managers attending Busy Bees' annual 'best practice' conference at Birmingham's National Motorcycle Museum last month have hailed it as the group's most inspirational event yet.
These conferences for managers are designed to help disseminate good practice across the group's 129 settings, and get 'back to basics' by focusing on the well-being of each individual child.
Speakers included celebrity scientist Dr Robert Winston, Storysacks originator Neil Griffiths and academics Peter Elfer and Jools Page.
For manager Karen Lenoir, the day was both informative and enjoyable. 'Robert Winston's own level of success was an inspiration in itself and we were all quite awestruck by his presentation,' she says. 'Obviously we all know how important the early years are, but it was fascinating to hear him explain just how critical they are to the brain's social and emotional development.
'We also really enjoyed the Neil Griffiths session because he is extremely funny and engaging. We were given the opportunity to purchase books and resources, which we will be using in the new year with staff to develop children's literacy. Throughout the conference there was very much an emphasis on having a flexible approach to children's learning styles.'
Caroline Cooper, manager of Busy Bees' Burntwood Nursery in St Matthews, Staffordshire, says she came away feeling 'really informed, and that I had learned new things. There were plenty of practical ideas that I have brought back with me and am now helping staff to implement.'
She says that a lot of these ideas centred on developing a special one-to-one relationship with every individual child. 'It's about all staff members being attentive to the children in our care, getting to know them and being responsive,' she says.
Ms Cooper was also impressed with Dr Robert Winston. 'He was prepared to take the time to answer all of our questions. Delegates were keen to get his input on how they can encourage children to engage with every aspect of nursery life, and he gave very detailed advice.'
For the Busy Bees group, the annual conference is an important way to bring together all of its managers from across the UK. Karen Lenoir says, 'It provided a really good opportunity to network. We meet up with other managers in our region on a fairly regular basis, but the conference is one of the few opportunities that we have to get together with all of our colleagues.'
All staff at Busy Bees are currently being supported with online training covering mealtimes, allergies, cross-infection, fire safety, administration of medicines, sleep times and communication with parents. Thirty-six of the group's managers and directors recently attended an external leadership programme to update skills in this area.