The need for childcare managers to have good communication skills is more important than ever with the introduction of the Early Years Foundation Stage.
Cascading is becoming a popular way to spread training quickly. However, if it is to work, the person receiving the initial training has to be both adept at listening, with good comprehension skills, and effective at explaining information to others.
Managers who find the prospect of cascading their EYFS training daunting could take comfort from the notion that the process is just a larger- scale version of giving feedback to their staff in terms of absorbing information and then sharing it with people in ways they will understand.
Difficult attitudes
'Giving feedback is one of those "difficult" areas which comes up in every management skills training course we do,' says Shelly Newstead, founder of Common Threads training organisation and co-author of Essential Skills for Managers of Child-Centred Settings (see More Information).
She says, 'One of the difficulties often faced by managers in childcare is that they have been taught that feedback divides into two "types" - positive and negative. Giving "negative" feedback often causes a great deal of concern, as managers worry about causing offence or upsetting people.
People often shy away from any form of "negative" feedback because they are worried about what the other person will think about them 'So one of the first things we look at is the purpose of giving feedback to staff. It is easy to forget that giving feedback is actually a way of improving the setting for the benefit of the children and families who use it.
'Seen in this light, managers need to create a culture where all feedback is welcomed as a way of helping the children and families get the most out of their setting.'
June O'Sullivan, chief executive of Westminster Children's Society, says, 'I think feedback should be immediate, positive and helpful in the way it takes you to the next level. Difficulties can arise when feedback is perceived as complaining and if people automatically feel they are in trouble.
'What matters is the philosophy and ethos of the organisation. If coaching is operating at all levels, then it is not unusual to stand and look at a display, and talk about it, unpack it and give feedback. That approach can become part of the ethos and people become much more comfortable.
'One of the things we have been trying to do is to get the children's view on how much they enjoy working with the staff. We look at where they decide to go, and with whom they are going to work. It is interesting. They are very astute.
'Some staff are fantastic outside, others are very good storytellers, others might be more quiet and cuddly. The children spot these differences.
'It can be useful as a basis for feedback because you can say something like, "The children really love your stories or the children really engage with you, but maybe you need to be a bit braver outdoors".'
Knowing your staff
'Feedback it is about knowing your people,' says Nathan Archer of the Children's House Consultancy. 'You will know if someone is super-sensitive and doesn't deal with criticism very well.'
A guide for nursery managers produced by the Children's House on valuing people spells out what knowing your staff means in practice.
'This is not simply knowing something about their personal circumstances and career background,' says Mr Archer. As he outlines it, knowing your staff includes being aware of each person's:
* skills and potential
* capacity for work and competence in their current position
* ambitions
* personality - how they respond to praise and criticism and how best to encourage them
* normal manner and attitude
* reputation with colleagues and customers
* approach to work and development.
Managers need to be realistic about what can be achieved through feedback.
'Can feedback change behaviour? says Ms O'Sullivan. 'I don't think feedback alone is going to make changes. There will need to be additional steps, such as training and support.
'There can be a halo effect. The manager sees improvements and relaxes, thinking that things are beginning to work. The person slips back into the old pattern. The manager is so keen to get progress that she sees what she wants to see and not the reality. Meanwhile, the rest of the team see the reality and resent it.'
The Westminster Children's Society operates an appraisal system where, after the feedback has been discussed, the staff member is supported to agree targets, which are then reviewed three months later to ensure progress is made. NW
More information
* Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development, www.cipd.co.uk
* Common Threads, www.commonthreads.org.uk
* Essential Skills for Managers of Child-Centred Settings by Shelly Newstead and Emma Isles-Buck is published by David Fulton
* C.IND.LE (Cambridgeshire Independent Learning in the Foundation Stage) is funded by the Cambridgeshire Care and Education Partnership. Visit www.educ.cam.ac.uk/ cindle/index.html
Giving feedback
* The aim of feedback is to promote the understanding of the individual so that they are aware of the impact of their actions and behaviour.
* Feedback should be based on facts, not subjective opinion. It may require corrective action where the feedback indicates that something has gone wrong. However, wherever possible, feedback should be used positively to reinforce the good and identify opportunities for further positive action.
* Giving feedback is a skill and those with no training should be discouraged from giving feedback.
(Taken from the performance appraisal factsheet issued by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development)
CASE STUDY: GLEN PERROT
Glen Perrot, proprietor of the HRH Nurseries chain in Cambridgeshire, is involving staff in preparing feedback for the appraisals of her four managers.
'I want to see how they are perceived by their workforce. I have not done this before. I am going to take one person from each room in a nursery and go through an appraisal form for the manager with them so I can do the manager's appraisal through the staff's eyes. Normally, of course, the manager does the staff appraisals and then I do the manager's appraisals.
'My time in each nursery is limited and I want to look at it from the viewpoint of someone working in the nursery on a day-to-day basis. I think it will reaffirm our managers' qualities and maybe the staff involved will see just how much their managers do. Maybe it will throw up some weaknesses.
'It is not a witch-hunt. I will be very careful before I start to do the groundwork. It is not going to be a bitching session. I would not be worried if managers gave me feedback on me.
'At staff meetings I am there just like any other member of staff and they know they can challenge me on anything and it won't be held against them.
'Sometimes you hear something that brings you up with a jolt. I was at one of our nurseries and was sitting around the corner and a new girl was asking one of the others what I did. She forgot I was there and said, "Glen breezes in, ticks somebody off and disappears again", except the language was more graphic.
'Usually I rush around as if I am spinning plates in the air, but that made me think. I make much more effort to be positive.'
Donnah Edwards, manager of Hemingford Nursery School, Hemingford Abbots, says, 'I know Glen is going to involve the staff in my appraisal. I think it is OK. I think it is good way of reflecting on my practice and I will learn from it 'I am taking my foundation degree. At the moment, I am working on effective practice and how I promote knowledge within the nursery. I have learned to try to build on the strengths of everybody in the nursery.
'As part of the course, I keep a daily log on how the day has been and I write down the things I have learned and the things I have achieved and the things where I think I could have done better.
'At the end of the day, I will read through it and maybe spend ten to 15 minutes looking over it. At the end of the month, I look back and sometimes you can see patterns emerging. It is done in a very positive way.
'Cambridgeshire Early Years and Childcare Partnership put on really good training and we cascade it down. I trained with the C.IND.LE project on independent learning and then cascaded that down (see More Information).
'You do get staff who are reluctant to change, but you have to encourage them to give it a go. I observe the staff when they are working, and I will mention my observations when I am giving feedback and they are sometimes really surprised that I had noticed something.
'From my observations I can point out strengths and weaknesses. If I say something was fantastic it makes them feel good about themselves. I am quite a laid-back person so they know if I make it clear I mean something that I really mean it.
'We have just had our Ofsted inspection and we got an "outstanding" in every area and it has been absolutely amazing. Parents are saying they can relax now, but I have heard the staff reply that they want to keep our standards and improve on them. It has fired them up.'