When Manor Tree Group set up a simulated room for three-to-five year-olds it became a talking point for staff. There were plenty of ideas to get them thinking about how layout and design could inform best practice. Lighting, wall displays and activity areas were all beautifully appointed and they were inspired to make a fresh appraisal of their own environments.
'Room to learn', as director Sally Eaton calls it, is part of the chain's focus on training, much of which takes place at its dedicated training centre in Langley, Berkshire. Now part of the education and training company, The Centre for British Teachers, the nursery group is committed to addressing training needs pro-actively.
The beauty of in-house training is that it is designed by the staff, for the staff, and is wholly geared to complementing and improving practice within their workplace. At Manor Tree, seminars are scheduled for Fridays during term time when staff can usually fit them in relatively easily. It is up to individuals to identify which seminars would be useful and explain how they fit in with the group's development plan. All staff undertake four days' training annually.
In-house assessment
The group also has its own NVQ training centre and currently has 101 students undertaking levels 2 and 3. With the well-documented shortage of assessors the group ensures that all the best candidates are encouraged to take on this role.
'We have not been affected by the shortage,' says Ms Eaton. 'Many of our staff are keen to become assessors and are rewarded for it, with a salary increase and extra responsibility. Because everything is carried out in-house we can be confident about the quality of our training and the fact that it matches our practice.'
Acorn Childcare recognised a need to recruit its own assessors two years ago and since then has prioritised easing managers into the role. 'We have full-time assessors along with managers who do it on a part-time basis,'
says managing director Zoe Raven. 'Funding from our local Early Years Development and Childcare Partnership has also enabled us to train assessors for other providers. It requires a special kind of person. It doesn't suit everyone.'
She adds that it can create time pressures for managers and requires careful scheduling. 'Timetables have to be carefully arranged so that staffing cover is always available, but having a member of staff working alongside a candidate is generally very efficient.'
At Tops Day Nurseries in Bournemouth, director Cheryl Hadland reports that it currently has 12 assessors within the group and four of these are qualified to be internal verifiers as well. These individuals have trained at the chain's own City and Guilds-approved training centre which has recently expanded to meet a wide range of learning and development requirements.
'There is always an assessor on site during nursery working hours, so our candidates do not find themselves in the position of waiting to be assessed,' she says. 'Workshops are carried out in the nurseries and timing is geared to the convenience of the learners. If a workshop has to be cancelled on a particular site, it can often be accommodated on one of the others.'
Training is also geared to meet the needs of a diverse workforce within the chain. 'We like to have a mixture of ages in each setting and who we recruit will depend on the needs of a particular site,' says Ms Hadland.
'Ten per cent of our staff is male, against a national average of three per cent.'
Career prospects
Those nurseries which offer in-house opportunities to train are likely to attract more applications for both junior and senior positions. Christopher Robin Day Nurseries, based in Surrey, finds that its Montessori training makes it very popular, with training delivered both in-house and from outside agencies. It has close links with nearby training centre, Montessori International.
Training and development manager Shirley Aldworth says, 'We usually provide initial training for our new employees. We sponsor them to take the Montessori course, while they pay for their registration and exams. After training they then have the opportunity to apply for a permanent job.'
Ms Aldworth is responsible for putting many of the courses together herself, with the help of two other Montessori tutors. These are geared to meeting the needs of both new and experienced staff.
'There are important strands, such as knowing how to use the equipment we have and understanding how it helps a child's development,' explains Ms Aldworth. 'Files are compiled from these workshops, outlining the exercises and activities, and build up into a manual for reference.'
She adds, 'When people come to an interview they find the training is attractive because it gives them the potential for a whole range of development skills. Staff find the sessions really enjoyable, although it can be hard to fit them in during the working week.'
There has been a move at Christopher Robin to cut down on weekend training and staff input is now included as part of monthly staff meetings. 'It is an ongoing process,' Ms Aldworth says. 'Consulting with staff is vital and we have around 10 subjects which we continually revisit and update.
Training packs are created to incorporate managers' advice on how to deal with a range of areas such as child protection and stress management, and are delivered to all staff.'
New challenges
While a chain's particular strengths will determine its training priorities, all settings will have to rise to the challenge of the newly structured NVQs.
Cheryl Hadland identifies one problem when she says, 'We will have sets of students running on two different programmes which will mean we will be required to deliver different workshops simultaneously. However, this won't go on for very long.'
She says that she welcomes the new awards. 'I like the fact that observation is now a key part of level 2. Although there are fewer units their demands are heavier, so the workshops will probably take longer.'
Despite the pressures created by the new standards, nurseries are keen to ensure that training continues to be fun and inspirational.
With this in mind, Manor Tree Group's Sally Eaton says, 'Our simulated room was so successful we want to follow it up next year with a baby room. This idea came from our group operations manager who has just had a baby.'
Training that responds to staff needs and interests is clearly something that scores highly.
Case study: Happitots Day Nurseries
The training room at Happitots' head office in Glasgow is always buzzing.
This is where the 12-strong chain carries out training for all its staff.
Training in SVQs is carried out in-house using its own assessors.
Lead assessor Tracy Shields says, 'After their company induction trainees begin to work on their portfolios and then move on to gathering evidence.
All individuals work in the same way using telephone and e-mail to create their own support network.
'Every candidate also has a mentor. Trainees and qualified staff are treated equally so that trainees achieve a real sense of responsibility.'
Happitots targets nursery nurses with a range of courses that are identified by themselves and their managers. 'Managers meet up on a monthly basis to discuss what courses need to be delivered within the chain,' she says. 'Most of our nurseries work in partnership with city councils and our staff get time off the floor to receive training in areas such as good hygiene, first aid and child protection. Hygiene has recently become very important for us as we have a lot of children with allergies and staff need to be aware of cross-contamination.'
Ms Shields will be attending forthcoming Scottish Qualifications Authority and Scottish Enterprise conferences providing information about the updated qualifications. 'As well as learning about the changes we also have to be aware that we will have some candidates training under the existing standards,' she says.
Disseminating information is key to maximising training possibilities and helps to create a workforce that is motivated and loyal.
