Position: Nursery manager at Kinder Haven Nursery, Bradford
Congratulations on becoming one of the youngest nursery managers to receive an outstanding rating.
I was so nervous on the day of the inspection, but I'd been waiting a long time for it and I was well prepared. It was actually my second outstanding - I got one as deputy manager at our setting in Pudsey.
Has it been difficult to manage a nursery, and a staff team of 16, at such a young age?
It's never been a problem. I respect my girls and they respect me. Shadowing (nursery owner) Danielle Dixon for six months taught me how to approach parents and staff. I've got a good head on my shoulders and people usually think I'm older. It's ability that counts and I've got lots of time to develop my skills. I'm the first person in and the last to leave, and I think that's important in a manager.
Where do you plan to go from here?
I just want to carry on embedding my skills and improving in this nursery. I feel so valued here; we get so much support from our training manager and our area manager. In fact, that was one of the things Ofsted noted - what a good support system we have. I love my job, that's all I can say.
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