Spotlight on...Nicola Pryde

Why did you decide to open a new 94-place nursery in Haddington, East Lothian?

Our two existing nurseries, one also in Haddington and one in Dunblane, had long waiting lists. There are 1,000 new homes being built in Haddington and we were turning children away, so we felt it was the right time. 

How did you go about opening the new setting?

A former bed and breakfast came on the market, and we secured the property on 18 May and opened on 26 July, so it was a very quick turnaround. Luckily we didn’t have to do any major structural work, just some internal decorating and installing sinks. Although it’s our third nursery, this is the first one we’ve opened from scratch. 

What have been the challenges of opening a new setting?

When we are full we will employ 30 members of staff, which will be lovely but does pose a recruitment challenge. We are still advertising, and have 11 employed. We had 30 parents who signed up and paid registration fees before they had even seen the nursery, and 200 people came to our open days, so demand is high. It has helped that our nursery manager from one of our other settings has come over to manage this one, because she knows the ethos of the group and can recreate our successes in the new environment.

What has made the group successful so far?

I think it is down to our reputation in the local area. We do a lot with the community, including Forest School sessions and intergenerational visits to a care home. We have links with Amisfield Walled Garden and the children go on visits there to help out. We are always out and about and I think that attracts people to us. We have also won a lot of awards and invest heavily in training and development. This pays off in staff morale and retention and in turn brings families to the nursery.