Nursery World Awards 2022 - Nursery Practitioner of the Year

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Beth joined Boston Nursery School as a student in 2013 with no previous experience. From the very beginning, she made sure she asked lots of questions and took full advantage of every training opportunity that came her way. As a result, in the nine years she has worked there, she has become one of the most highly skilled teaching assistants in the federation.

Working in a nursery located in an area of high deprivation, Beth’s real passion and forte has proved to be providing support and intervention for the setting’s two-year-olds and those who are at high risk of falling behind in their learning.

She has been particularly successful with children on the autistic spectrum, supporting children whom other settings have refused to accept or have asked to leave, and those who go on to special school settings. She simply refuses to give up on a child, even when others have.

Despite the low starting points of many of the children, Beth’s commitment and expertise ensures her two-year-olds make outstanding progress, outstripping predictions based on prior attainment.

She works with the senior leadership team, colleagues and parents to identify children who require additional support, and devises strategies to overcome their barriers.

As a result, this year, Beth was promoted to lead practitioner in recognition of her talents and her desire to share her experience with her colleagues.

She is currently leading on developing an area of unused outdoor space, designing a fairy garden and a sensory area, planting, digging a path and even building a pergola. Her plans are based on the Forest School philosophy, after she enrolled herself on an accredited national Forest School course in the school holidays without telling anyone, paid for the entire course herself and passed with flying colours. She now also takes responsibility for passing on what she learned to other members of staff.

Following the pandemic, with budgets tight, Beth has used her own time to make resources, learning to crochet so she could supply the nursery with book characters and nursery rhyme props. She has revamped nursery book bags, sewing them herself, and designed song bags with lyric sheets and props to take home.

Beth regularly posts bedtime stories, activities and songs to the setting’s Facebook page and website for parents and children to share at home, ensuring lines of communication are kept open during holidays or absences.

She has a firm belief that every child is capable of success, no matter their starting point – demonstrating this unwaveringly.

HIGHLY COMMENDED

Jojo Chuong, Snapdragons Nurseries, South West

Jojo has been instrumental in creating nurturing environments, embedding practice and moulding a cohesive, knowledgeable and happy team in the Baby Pod at Snapdragons.

Managing the Baby Pod is equivalent to managing a small standalone setting, with capacity for 40 babies under two across three rooms, and a team of 15 staff.

Jojo has implemented the Pod’s specific under-two’s policies and specialised baby room inductions, and trains all staff in understanding the importance of respect and interaction while changing nappies and of making feeding times with bottles special, quiet times.

She makes communication a focus at all times and shares techniques for language development, extending language, as well as communication through body language and signing.

Jojo is keen to keep developing her own practice and share it with the team and parents. She has recently begun her Nurturing Childhoods accreditation which will further embed understanding and practice.

FINALISTS

Lydia Roberts, The Lime Trees, Burton Joyce

Megan Williams, Montessori Minds, Romford

CRITERION

Open to any qualified practitioner (Level 2 and above) working in an early years setting, in the maintained, private or voluntary sectors, including early years educators, room leaders, deputy managers, graduate practitioners and early years teachers.