Nursery World Awards 2014: A Grand Night Out!

The seventh annual Nursery World awards were held at the historic Brewery in London.

The room was packed, with some fantastic frocks in evidence, and excitement was high.

Nursery World Editor Liz Roberts welcomes guests to the evening

Dave Benson Phillips was our host for the event

AWARDS RESULTS

Initiatives

Website of the Year

Winner - David Wright and Anna Wright of Paint Pots Pre-School and Nursery with judge Sarah Steel of Old Station Nursery and presenter Dave Benson Phillips.

Highly commended - Elmscot Group

Finalists - Little Me Day Nurseries; Micklands Pre-School

Community Support

Winner - Bright Horizons Foundation for Children, with judge Sue Robb of 4Children

Highly commended - Fit 'N' Fun Kids

Finalist - Tootsies Private Day Nursery

Enabling Environments Award

Winner - Teasel Nursery School-on-the-Marina with sponsor Tim Lacey of Playforce

Highly commended - Elmscot Day Nursery

Finalists - Butterfly Den; Co-operative Childcare Falmer; Kids Planet Wow Factors; Swineshead Pre-School; Tall Trees Kindergarten

Business Development

Winner - GNG Nursery with sponsor Kangacrew's Victoria Williams

Highly commended - Happy Kids Childcare

Finalist - Slice of Pie, Tootsies Private Day Nursery

Team Development

Joint winner - Clockwork Day Nursery with judge Anne O'Connor

Joint winner - Springboard Opportunity Group (with missing team members!)

Finalists - The Hollies; Kidzone Cranwell; Seymour House

Nursery Food

Winner - Snapdragons Nursery (Keynsham) with sponsor Laura Street of Kelloggs

Highly commended - Tootsies Private Day Nursery

Finalists - Hale Day Nursery; Triangle House Day Nursery

Inclusive Practice

Winner - Stramongate Nursery's Well-Being Project with judge Gail Ryder Richardson

Highly commended - Cambridgeshire County Council's ENCo Handbook

Finalists - Booktrust Stories Tour; Elvetham Heath SENCO team, Bright Horizons

Working with Parents

Winner - Action for Children's Mother and Baby Unit at HMP Styal with Mark Allen Group's Ravi Chandiramani (sponsored by Bunkcot)

Highly commended - Fit 'N' Fun Kids, Young Mums Will Achieve

Finalists - Elmscot Group Parent Workshops; Leicestershire County Council Parent Play Project

Provision for Two-Year-Olds

Winner - Little Me Day Nurseries with sponsor Payman Mostaan of Early Years Resources

Highly commended - Happy Kids Childcare; Old Station Nursery

Finalists - Bluecoat School and Nursery; Jeffrey's Corner

Equipment and Resources

Staff Resources

Winner - Playing and Learning Outdoors by Jan White, Routledge

Highly commended - Effective and Caring Leadership in the Early Years by Iram Siraj and Elaine Hallett, Sage

Finalists - Bookstart Corner Two-year-Old Pack; Child Development for Early Years Students and Practitioners by Sally Neaum, Sage; Effective Assessment in the EYFS by Jan Dubiel, Sage; The Power of Physical Play by Siren Films

Three to Fives

Winner - Community Playthings Playframe with judge Nicole Weinstein

Highly commended - Beleduc Farmyard Hand Puppet Set

Finalists - Playforce Early Years Scrambler Sets; Totem Pole Awe & Wonder (Fairies)

Individuals

Newcomer of the Year

Joint winner - Jenny James of Kids Planet Beamont with Nursery World Jobs' Lauren York

Joint winner - Maisie Collin, Maisie Poppins Childcare

Finalists - Martina Nawrot of Hungry Caterpillar; Emma Packer of Fennies

Nursery Practitioner of the Year

Winner - Natalie Jones, Kiddi Caru Colchester with judge Mary Dickins

Highly commended - Jill Purves, Chapter One Childcare

Finalists - Chloe Amos, Stone Eden; Sam Laxton, Co-operative Childcare; Sarah Lofting, Manor House Nursery School; Hannah Reeves, Schools Out (Elmscot Group); Heather Watson, Bright Horizons

Trainer of the Year

Winner - Claire Burgess of Norland College with sponsor Nick Cutland of CACHE

Highly commended - Fiona Cann and Sara Sprague of Tots on Tour

Childminder of the Year

Winner - Samantha McKenna with judge Jane Comeau (sponsored by childcare.co.uk)

Finalists - Maise Collin, Maisie Poppins Childcare; Joanne Hall, Little Explorers Childcare and Early Education

Nursery Operations/Regional Manager of the Year

Winner - Sarah Rotundo of Co-operative Childcare with judge David Wright

Finalists - Lucy Hoban, Kids Planet; Louise Rupchand, Fennies

Early Years Professional of the Year

Winner - Kathryn Learner of Bright Horizons with judge Purnima Tanuku, National Day Nurseries Association

Highly commended - Nicola Saunders, Hale Day Nursery

Nursery Manager of the Year

Winner - Carolynn Fletcher of Swineshead Pre-School with team and sponsor Paul Harris of Early Years Direct

Highly commended - Tina Thomson of abc Nursery

Finalists - Keri Allen of Sparkers Private Nursery; Wendy Feddon of Stone Eden; Helen Magan of Bluecoat School

Outstanding Contribution

Winner - Sally Forster of Kidzone Cranwell with judge Penny Tassoni (sponsored by childcare.co.uk)

Highly commended - Mary Barlow, Totem Pole; Debbie Lalley, Lark Lane Pre-School

Finalist - Penny Webb, Penny's Place

Organisations

Pre-School of the Year

Winner - Little Learners Pre-School with Neil Leitch of the Pre-school Learning Alliance

Highly commended - Magdalen Gates Preschool

Finalists - Gingerbread Pre-School; Parktown Pre-School; Woodlands Pre-School at manor House Nursery School

Nursery Chain of the Year

Winner - London Early Years Foundation with sponsor Catherine Lyon of EASYsolution 4 NURSERY EDUCATION.

Highly commended - Snapdragons Nurseries

Finalists - Chapter One Childcare; Fit 'N' Fun Kids; Tiny Toez

Nursery of the Year

Winner - Manor House Nursery School with judge Julia Manning Morton (sponsored by childcare.co.uk)

Highly commended - Cowgate Under 5s; Atelier Nursery

Finalists - Blois Meadow Day Nursery; Roundabout Nursery

Lifetime Achievement

Winner - Professor Tina Bruce CBE with Stella Louis

Charity raffle

This year we were delighed to partner with Wallace and Gromit Children's Charity for a prize raffle. Stone Eden were presented with the Community Playthings Playframe by Mark Allen Group's Ben Allen (and Wallace and Gromit!)

Dancing the night away

Photographs

If you would like to download these or any of the other photographs of the event, please click here.

Many thanks to all our sponsors and judges, who made it all possible, and to all who entered the awards.