Nursery Management: Leadership - Top levels

The drive for a graduate-led early years profession means nurserymanagers are increasingly supervising staff who are effectively betterqualified.

In many settings, it is the deputy manager who is studying for an EarlyYears Foundation Degree (EYFD) or attaining Early Years ProfessionalStatus, while answering to a manager who holds a level 3 or 4qualification.

Some managers can feel undermined and that their career prospects havebeen compromised, while the graduate can feel that their achievementsare not being recognised. This situation, unless handled carefully, canprovoke conflict, destabilise the team and damage morale.

How can employers ensure that in the race to realise the Government'svision of a graduate in every setting by 2015, they maintain a balanced,stable team?

'I think there is going to be a huge problem for staff morale if asetting has to be led by a graduate who is maybe younger and lessexperienced than their staff,' says Wendy Witts, proprietor of Witts EndNursery in Solihull.

'My nursery manager is NNEB qualified and has 30 years' experience, yetin 2015 she will find herself answering to a graduate who maybe has afraction of her experience. I think she would retire before that happensto her.'

However, the Exeter-based Puffins chain aims for a partnership betweenthe deputy and manager in a shared role, in a bid to prevent conflictand the impression among managers that they are being compromised.

'The Government is driving towards a graduate manager in children'scentres by 2010 and all settings by 2015,' says Gemma Rolstone,operations director. 'We talked about this some years ago, and now 2010is almost on top of us.'

She adds, 'All our managers are undertaking foundation degrees throughthe Open University.'

The management of the Westminster Children's Society has succeeded insidestepping the risk of conflict.

'This is not causing us problems because we have recognised this and areinvolving our staff in our development process as much as we can,' sayschief executive June O'Sullivan, who is writing a book on leadership inthe early years sector.

Working with their peers, the staff at Westminster developed a list ofcompetencies, behaviour and knowledge necessary for each role. 'This wasthe only way we could make our individual staff feel valued if they areunwilling to become graduates or unlikely to become graduates,' says MsO'Sullivan. 'We will not take the line that a graduate willautomatically gain promotion or jump steps.

'Running a nursery requires a balance of skills and experiences. Anycompany, and the most influential management gurus, will tell you thatsuccess relies on a happy, stable, well-balanced team.'

People skills

At Treetops Nurseries, director of childcare Isabel Garvey agrees withMs Rolstone's view that managers and deputies should work as a unitedteam, with their respective skills complementing each other.

'As a company, we offer the same training opportunities to our managersand deputies, so we have not really seen any conflict,' she says.'People in both roles have been given the opportunity to join anInstitute of Leadership and Management programme, or study for anEYFD.

'All Treetops staff are treated as individuals, and each will havediffering development needs and personal commitments which must be takeninto consideration when offering, or expecting staff to do, trainingthat takes up a huge amount of their personal time.'

But does a nursery manager need to be a graduate?

'The way we are looking at it, the Early Years Professional Status(EYPS) is about supporting the implementation of the Early YearsFoundation Stage and supporting the staff with that,' says MsRolstone.

'We have some graduates who are taking the EYPS but don't have an EYFD,so they are not yet at the level of experience where they can advise andsupport the staff. The managers are out in the rooms more.'

Ms Witts emphasises that a nursery manager spends little time engaged inhands-on childcare. 'The manager needs to have the people skills toorganise and motivate the team, solve any problems, oversee the businessside of the nursery and deal with the parents,' she says.

'I have recruited a recent early years graduate as a deputy. She isfantastic and knows her stuff, but has nothing like the life experienceor people skills of my manager.

'This particular nursery opened in January, so she has not been promotedover other people's heads. I knew that by 2015, I would need a graduateto lead the setting, which is why I appointed her. I thought she wouldneed the time to gain people skills, management skills, experience andbusiness skills.'

Ms Witts adds, 'I have people who gained their level 3 qualification tenyears ago, have raised a family and are experienced. They find it hardto have a 23-year-old telling them when they can leave. But they haven'tgot the time to take further qualifications. Working in a nursery isdraining and a lot of people do not want to study in the evenings.'

Striking a balance

At Buckets and Spades Nursery in Scarborough, manager Carly Flinton isin the position of having a deputy with EYPS and higher qualificationsthan herself. 'But I have a management qualification and a number ofyears' experience,' she says.

She adds, 'Each of us has different skills and knowledge in the sector,which together creates a successful management team. We find that wehave the right balance, because one person's weakness is anotherperson's strength.'

Treetops' Isabel Garvey questions whether managers need to have a level6 qualification.

'It is really about finding a balance,' she says. 'You have to put thechild at the centre and ask the question - is the manager the rightperson to go down the EYPS route and then be expected to take on thelead role of delivering the curriculum as well as continuing to managethe day-to-day running of the nursery, or is the deputy a bettercandidate? While many deputies may end up with a degree and managers maynot, I believe there is a place for both.

'A degree will provide practitioners with the underpinning knowledge,but this cannot be compared to ten years' or more experience of themanagerial side.'

Ms Garvey says she has absolute confidence in her managers. 'Most havecome up through the nursery nurse route and their experience comes fromhands-on practical learning and a degree of common sense, which can onlybe gained from being on the front line.'

Ms O'Sullivan's view is that an effective leader 'is someone who is ableto bring the best out of people to create a team that comes together andmakes a difference'. She adds, 'I couldn't care less who has whatqualifications as long as there is the right balance in the team.'

She continues, 'Research in the US shows there has been a shift awayfrom the traditional figurehead leader, and we are now recognising thatit is the combination of problem-solving skills and abilities that willmake a difference.

'One of the things I have found in the research for my book is thatemotional intelligence seems to be the determining factor betweensuccess and failure when it comes to managing people.

'If you look at what parents want, they consistently say they want tosee mature, emotionally intelligent staff who have been around for along time.'

Glen Perrot, director of the Cambridgeshire-based HRH Nurseries chain,argues, 'It is important that people leading organisations have the samethirst for knowledge they expect of others.

'A nursery manager doesn't necessarily need to be qualified at level 6,but that is what is coming. We are going to have graduate leaders.'

Nobody appreciates that fact more than Buckets and Spades' CarlyFlinton. 'I have just completed my level 4 and started a foundationdegree at university,' she says.

'Nursery managers will need to be a graduate by 2015, so I wanted to getstarted as soon as I could. I am enthusiastic to further myqualifications and looking forward to the related challenge.'