Stone Eden Nursery School in Carlisle nurtures its staff by playing to their individual strengths. Its positive ethos and ambitious vision have just been recognised with two Nursery World awards - for team development and business development.
In addition to the nursery school, Stone Eden has recently added a holiday club and a training arm, which provide more scope for staff progression.
Manager Wendy Feddon says, 'We have 25 staff in the nursery, led by myself and my deputy. Because we are a big nursery, catering for over 70 children, we have given particular areas of responsibility to different individuals. These cover policies and procedures and cleaning and hygiene.
'In each of our rooms we have room leaders who are qualified to Level 3 or above, and they are assisted by deputies and an apprentice. Apprentices work the same hours as employees and gain a lot of hands-on experience. We will take them on at Level 3 if a position comes up, and usually recruit one to two apprentices each year.'
Ms Feddon and her deputy both have Early Years Professional Status, and two other senior staff are currently on the pathways.
'One has lots of experience in the baby unit and EYPS is providing her with the opportunity to gain experience in our other rooms, with a broader age group,' she says. 'The other has expertise in the curriculum and less know-how with babies, so similarly, she is widening her experience within the nursery.'
Some staff, such as nursery nurse Terry Greer, have been quick to identify opportunities beyond the nursery itself.
'Terry started off working in the nursery but quickly demonstrated ideas for working in training, and she was seconded to work beside Jen Farrell, our head of training,' says Ms Feddon. 'Terry now works with 14- to 16-year-old students taking the CACHE entry level certificate, helping them to develop practical skills. This has been very successful so far and has given young students a lot of insight into being employed in a nursery.'
When nursery numbers dip during the school holidays, staff have the opportunity to try something different by getting involved in the holiday club. 'Some of our room leaders really enjoy working in the club. It gives them a break from their everyday roles and an opportunity to work with a different age group,' says Ms Feddon.
Her own career experience is key to making the most of team development. 'I know what has worked for me personally as an employee and I use the people skills I have developed over the years. I use positive strategies rather than looking over people's shoulders, and it works well - as our low turnover of staff highlights.'