Nursery Management Today July/August issue by investorpublishing

July/August 2020 Volume 19 Number 4

NURSERY MANAGEMENT TODAY

w F w Ch ollow w ec us .n k m ou @nm t-m t o tm ur ag w a g a z az eb ine i n s it e e. co .u k

A new approach Improving wellbeing in the workplace

Talking the talk Open and honest conversations

Investment Looking to the future

Moving forward

SCAN ME

Collaboration is crucial

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Offering nursery managers the complete administration solution

Expert Support From Croner

Croner are one of the market-leading suppliers of all the essential tools and guidance you need to run your business. All dot2dot customers have full access to Croner-i and the Bright HR helpline for support on HR and Health & Safety matters as part of the dot2dot package.

Croner-i Lite is filled with hands-on practical information that every nursery will need at this time, including the furlough toolkit and Coronavirus toolkit. The helpline is open 24/7, simply call the experts with your H&S or HR query on 0844 800 7061.

During this tumultuous time we were delighted that core elements of Croner-i and the helpline are being made available to all nurseries (not just dot2dot clients), through the new platform Croner-i Lite.

You can find more information on how to sign up to Croner-i Lite for the Early Years sector on the dot2dot website.

Talk to the team today call: 01204 570 390 www.dot2dot.org.uk

the bear that cares dot2dot is a trading style of Stanmore Insurance Brokers Ltd who is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority - Incorporated in London No728419

nmtcontents

Inside this issue... July/August 2020 ● Volume 19 NumBeR 4

Editor’s Comment............................................. 3 News................................................................................ 4 Nursery Talk..........................................................14 16

Investing in early years. Anna Grotberg details the future investment prospects for the sector

Soapbox.................................................................... 15 Look to the positives. Craig Bulow discusses some of the interactive things you can plan for your staff when they return to work

Focus............................................................................. 16 24

On the frontline. Briony Richter speaks to three LEYF managers about their experience working during the peak of the pandemic

Manager’s Helpline......................................20 Data with a human touch. Stuart Blair describes how OakNorth Bank delivers a data focused customer service

Training...................................................................... 22 Getting back to normal. Kelly Hill and Beverley Bacon speak about the challenges ahead and how we can possibly move to a new normal 34

Technology............................................................ 24

The importance of safeguarding. Helen Clark explains the impact and consequences of Covid-19 for children

Westminster.........................................................38

Digital future. Ruth Bolton looks at how tech can help nursery staff unlock more time in their day

Moving forward with caution. Briony Richter looks at how the Covid-19 response has developed and the path to move forward

Hot Topics................................................................ 26

Great Outdoors................................................ 40

Transformation needs funding. Purnima Tanuku discusses the critical need for a transformation fund to get the sector back up and running

Eco friendly solutions. Mark Brown speaks to Briony Richter about the significant benefits of eco buildings

Insurance Advice............................................ 31

Food for thought. Annabel Karmel MBE and Abigail Simon share their experience in the catering industry and how their service can support early years

Collaboration is key. Daniel Weir talks about the strength needed to work through the pressures of Covid-19

Sector Viewpoint........................................... 32 Improving the banking landscape. Stuart Blair discusses how OakNorth Bank is doing things differently to the traditional high street banks

Special Report.................................................... 34 46

Management...................................................... 36

Staying ahead of the competition. Matthew Martin talks about how nurseries can keep up with the pace of the market

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Catering..................................................................... 42

Financial Advice............................................... 44 Restarting and improving. Jonathan Amponsah explains how nurseries can look for growth during these uncertain times

Spotlight................................................................... 46 Embracing a virtual world. Dr Claire Warden reflects on how this crisis can also be a time to get creative

Property.....................................................................48

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NurseryCare

nmtcomment EDITOR

Briony Richter EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Dr Richard Hawkins MANAGING DIRECTOR

Vernon Baxter ART EDITOR

Rob Wheele ADVERTISING DIRECTOR

Caroline Bowern T: 0203 746 2617 E: caroline.bowern@ investorpublishing.co.uk EDITORIAL ADVISERS

Neil Leitch Chief Executive, Early Years Alliance

Andy Morris Consultant

Sarah Steel Managing Director, The Old Station Nursery

Linda Baston-Pitt Chief Executive Officer, PurpleBee Learning

Susan McGhee Operations Director, One Parent Families Scotland

Rosemary Collard Director, Snapdragons Nurseries

Purnima Tanuku Chief Executive, National Day Nurseries Association (NDNA) SUBSCRIPTION SERVICES

Email: subscriptions@investorpublishing.co.uk Tel: 020 7104 2000 Post: Investor Publishing Ltd 1st floor Greener House, 66-68 Haymarket, London SW1Y 4RF ANNUAL SUBSCRIPTION RATES Subscription rate, zero-rated for VAT: £65.00 if paying by credit card or invoice £58.50 if paying by Direct Debit (UK only). Add £20.00 mailing charge for Europe Add £30.00 mailing charge for Worldwide Views and comments expressed by individuals in the magazine do not necessarily represent those of the publishers and no legal responsibility can be accepted for the results of the use of readers of information or advice of whatever kind given in this publication, either in editorial or advertisements. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form by any means without the prior permission of Investor Publishing Ltd.

NMT is published 6 times a year by Investor Publishing Ltd, 1st Floor, Greener House, 66-68 Haymarket, London, SW1Y 4RF. www.nmt-magazine.co.uk

Moving forward towards a new normal

he restrictions around the Covid-19 lockdown are easing more considerably across the UK, yet the Government remains silent on how it will end. The four nations of the UK are all deciding how best to continue moving forward without putting more people at risk. England was the first to reopen early years settings with Wales following a few weeks later. While the Government received a lot of criticism, many early years providers made sure they were prepared to reopen safely and reassured staff and parents with their plans. After the first few weeks, most settings still only received a smaller number of children than usual but most of the providers I spoke to said that was expected. They have been working hard from the beginning of the outbreak. Many had to close, but that didn’t halt the work of the provider to ensure staff, children and parents were informed and looked after. For those that stayed open, they had to navigate through a myriad of challenges to maintain a sense of calm and normality for the children they continued to care for. In this edition you’ll hear from three nursery managers from LEYF who have all been on the frontline of the pandemic. They each describe how their roles had to change to the new environment and what impact that had on their teams, parents and children. This pandemic has put a serious damper on everyone’s lives but its amazing to see how resilient people are, and how quickly we can adjust to a new environment from a system that has been so integral to how we go about our day. From the start of the closures, the Investor Publishing team decided that

it was so important to keep connected to our communities and so we started a weekly webinar. I cannot express how fantastic, informative and fun it has been to host NMT Discussions. We have had a wide range of people who all have vast amounts of experience and knowledge across the early years sector. From managing the furlough scheme, to safe food preparation, to moving towards a flexible future, we have discussed so many important areas. Each panellist has all brought something unique to the webinars and it was equally wonderful to have so many people in the audience engage with us during the discussions and after. We will continue to organise more digital events to keep connected with you all. It is massively important to engage with each other as much as possible so that, no matter what new information comes out, the sector is ready to meet the challenge. So now, I’m still coming to work every day, after commuting just a few steps, but with the same passion and enthusiasm that I had when I used to walk into the office. ■ Briony Richter Editor, Nursery Management Today E: Briony.Richter@investorpublishing.co.uk

Visit our website at: nmt-magazine.co.uk

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nmtnews Timotay launches new outdoor well-being classroom Passionate about outdoor learning, Timotay Playscapes, a playground and play space provider has launched a new outdoor well-being classroom. The classrooms are sustainable and will provide the optimal space within each setting. Activities outdoors provides children with an exciting new environment to explore. The outdoor classrooms provide many opportunities for exploring, creating, and learning in addition to: Expanding vital classroom capacity. Reconnect with nature. ● Get children active and outside. ● Multi-purpose area. ● ●

Functional base for structured and unstructured learning. ● Takes children away from the usual traditional classroom and open- up different learning approaches. ●

Timotay is passionate about working with communities to deliver children with unique and exciting outdoor spaces. Looking ahead, outdoor learning and playing will continue to grow and having that perfect space will ensure that children have fun exploring and creating. Commenting on the launch, Stuart Humphrey, director stated:

‘We are delighted to launch our latest outdoor classroom. The new Wellbeing Classroom will provide vital outdoor learning space and opportunities for children. The classroom will help to get children active and engaged in outdoor activity.’ Timotay designs and manufactures a broad range of outdoor playground equipment for children of all ages and abilities. Furthermore, it manufactures all play equipment in house, and have robust and proven quality procedures, providing reassurance that your investment exceeds your expectation of quality.

Share your early years story A new study, launched by Ceeda is inviting early years staff and volunteers to share their experience of the pandemic. Since the outbreak of this pandemic, the early years sector has been at the forefront, constantly having to juggle the needs of parents, children and staff while also having to adapt to the changes in Government guidance. It has been a difficult and uncertain couple of months and there is still a while to go before we can get back to normality… although I feel it will be a new kind of normal. Closures nationwide has put an immense strain on the sector, especially financially. With many staff on furlough, those left to care for key workers children and vulnerable children have more responsibilities to handle. The study will highlight the experience of those working and volunteering across the early years sector, their struggles and their needs to move forward. Dr Jo Verrill, managing director at Ceeda said: ‘Systemic underfunding and rising costs have meant many providers were

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running on a hand-to-mouth basis before the coronavirus pandemic hit, with early years staff being amongst the lowest paid in the country. It is time for the contribution of the early years workforce to be fully recognised and understood, and their needs supported. ‘As the sector navigates its way through the crisis, this study will provide a direct channel for staff to voice their concerns, highlight their amazing work and provide the understanding needed to rebuild a strong, vibrant and well-rewarded workforce for the future. This is a key focus of the recently launched Early Years Workforce Commission, of which we are proud to be a part.’ All employees and volunteers working in a childcare setting at the beginning of March this year are invited to take part in the study. Neil Leitch, chief executive of the Early Years Alliance said: ‘It is absolutely critical that Ceeda undertake this new workforce study in order to fully understand the impact that the battle against Coronavirus is having on those working in the early years sector. The commitment of our

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workforce as they continue to put themselves at risk in order to ensure continuity of care for the most vulnerable children and for the children of fellow key workers must receive the recognition and support it deserves. ‘This study is integral for the sector, as we look ahead to the post-coronavirus future and establish the steps to rebuild a workforce that is both well-supported and well-rewarded. ‘This research will not only provide a mechanism for the championing of such work but also for staff to share their concerns, hopes and ambitions for the future of the early years sector. ‘We are proud to be a partner of this new Early Years Workforce study and we hope these findings will ensure that the government provides the sector with the long-term support it desperately needs.’

nmtnews

Ready to open? Key points to get there

With the announcement that schools could re-open in phases from 1 June, many early years providers are planning ahead to meet the date fully prepared. The Covid-19 Response Group has been working tirelessly since the closures to give the sector the relevant information and guidance needed to cover all areas of concerns. The group put together a list of its key talking points and information: ●

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age children have died from Covid-19 to date.

On balance we believe it is in society’s best interests to slowly open up the education and childcare sectors. ●

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Like schoolteacher colleagues, a number of Early Years sector employers have had reservations about opening their settings to all children and staff, where there may be a risk of Covid-19 transmission.

Many of us are parents and are torn to make the right decision. Schools and nurseries are all wanting to ‘do the right thing’ and have been incredible already at finding solutions to operate during the crisis.

Our teams have been providing care to keyworkers children for past 2 months. On May 16th, the Children’s Commissioner quoted a survey of 62 nurseries attached to NHS trusts, that have been open throughout the crisis and of the 57 managers surveyed, they found: there was an average operational capacity of 46%. ■

■

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3 cases of Covid-19 in children, with no transmission in nursery; and half of the managers said staff had reported cases, but again, found no transmission in nursery.

A short survey of providers within the Covid-19 response group found: we have collectively cared for 3,339 children each day there have been just 3 confirmed cases of Covid-19 in children there have been just 2 confirmed cases in adults (employees) that none of these have been traced to transmission in the nursery ■

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We need to better understand the risk: Professor Spiegelhalter of Cambridge University, indicates that only 2 out of 10 million pre-school

●

We need to support the children in our care; many vulnerable and disadvantaged children will benefit from being back in nursery.

Parents cannot get back to work without good childcare. We therefore need to open to support our families.

In April, the Covid-19 response group developed a set of ‘Safe Operating Procedures’, using our collective experience, knowledge, and practise, with an emphasis on creating sound Risk Assessments and rigorous control measures, including but not limited to: Practical realistic solutions to social distancing measures. Managing logistics of parent/children and employer in/out. Reducing access to the nursery facilities. Safe use of nursery resources. Frequent thorough handwashing and good hygiene routines; and Enhanced cleaning and sanitising measures. Management of suspected case of Covid-19. ■

■

Out of school clubs face closures

The Out of School Alliance conducted a survey of its members and other providers of wraparound care (before, after-school and holiday clubs) to discover how out of school clubs (OSCs) were faring in the face of the Covid-19 epidemic, and in particular how the shutting down of schools and childcare settings had affected them.

The survey found that 82 per cent of wraparound settings are currently closed, and 44 per cent of respondents are unsure if they will be able to reopen in September. Furthermore, 10% thought they were very unlikely to re-open. Without a serious injection of funding many more wraparound settings will be forced out

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of business, leaving a large gap in the number of available childcare places which are relied on by working parents. The lack of clarity from the DfE is concerning for this sector and The Out of School Alliance feels this is causing a lot of worry about the sustainability of many clubs across the UK.

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nmtnews

COVID-19 Reaction Group sets out procedures for life after lockdown

orking alongside dot2dot Nursery Insurance, 70 early years organisations have joined forces to help the sector prepare for life and business to continue post lockdown. The COVID-19 Reaction Group has produced a set of Standard Operating Procedures that will support other nursery settings to build on from their own circumstances moving forward. As June 1st nears, many nurseries are getting ready to re-open after months of closures. Of course, many nurseries stayed open during lockdown, however the past two months have been extremely stressful for the sector. There is still a lot of uncertainty as we move forward but the COVID-19 Reaction Group aims to mitigate as much complexity as possible. Nursery insurance company, dot2dot, were approached to advise the group and they took the questions from the group to insurers Aviva, alongside specialists partners, Croner and BLM Solicitors to provide guidance and checklists covering areas such as HR, Health & Safety and insurance for nursery owners, as they, along with the rest of the country, begin to think about returning to a new norm following the Covid-19 pandemic.

Jackie Hyde, MD of dot2dot Nursery Insurance, said: ‘Lockdown has been arguably the biggest challenge we will see in our lifetime, so when approached by the Covid-19 working group, we knew we needed to help. Our dot2dot clients already had access to a fabulous management toolkit from our strategic partners Croner Group, which was providing invaluable information related to Covid-19, but we wanted to help the nursery sector as a whole. ‘We are therefore pleased to announce that Croner Group have also agreed to give its Croner-i Lite toolkit to all nursery owners including free HR and

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Health & Safety advice until August 1, 2020. This means that this is available to every nursery business, even if we don’t insure them.’ Ruth Pimentel, of Kindred Nurseries, added: ‘Working with Jackie and the other Covid-19 reaction group nurseries has been a real benefit in what has been a difficult time. Every setting has different needs and to have this group around you at this time has been of huge value. This Croner-i toolkit is filled with hands-on practical information that every nursery will need at this time, so it is brilliant that dot2dot has been able to deliver this for everyone.’ Darren Chadwick, commercial director of Croner Group, said: ‘Why would you not want to help an industry that has worked tirelessly to care for keyworker’s children during the lockdown period. We were delighted to support our partners dot2dot and the nursery providers in widening our offering to anyone who needs it.’ Therefore, from May 27 until August 1, 2020, anyone can access the Reopening the Workplace Toolkit for

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Early Years Settings via dot2dot.org.uk, providing step-by-step guidance for reopening the workplace after the Covid19 restrictions. It provides links to key information and templates on the website. Updated: Coronavirus in schools and early years settings ● How to prepare for a wider opening of early years settings ● The privacy implications of workplace testing ● HSE reminder on water systems safety in lockdown ●

Several new resources have also been added to the Crisis Management Planning topic:

New documents

Covid-19 Reopening Health and Safety Checklist ● Covid-19 Re-opening Hygiene Checklist ● Coronavirus Staff at Risk – Risk Assessment Template ● Contractor and Visitor Covid-19 Guidance ● Employee Factsheet: Hygiene at Work ● Coronavirus Handwashing Poster ● Call an expert helpline ■ ●

nmtcompetition

2020

ursery Management Today and Freelife (by Ontex Healthcare) have joined together to award those special individuals working in nurseries who have gone above and beyond to make their nursery the best it can possibly be during this time of uncertainty during the Covid-19 pandemic putting the welfare of key workers children above anything else – your Rising Star!

Do you know or work with someone who is a rising star in your nursery?

The Rising Star Competition will recognise the achievements of a member of staff who has demonstrated how they are a Rising Star within your nursery. There will be an overall winner and then 3 further runner up winners. Working in a nursery is extremely rewarding and no two days are the same, certainly not right now! Do you have a Rising Star that has brought

something new or innovative to your nursery or has demonstrated incredible enthusiasm for the job and shows exceptional promise during this period? Now is the time to shine a spotlight on their success.

To nominate your Rising Star go to to nmt-magazine.co.uk/risingstar and tell us in 400 words or less why your nominated person deserves the award. All nominations will receive 5 packs of Freelife nappies. Terms and Conditions • This prize draw is organised by Ontex Healthcare, Weldon House, Corby Gate Business Park, Priors Haw Road, Corby NN17 5JG. It is governed by the laws of England and Wales and it is subject to the following conditions. • The prize draw is not open to employees or contractors of Ontex or any person directly or indirectly involved in the organisation and running of the competition or their direct family members • The prizes are up to the value of £200 of Love to Shop vouchers for the 3 runner-up winners in the November/December 2020, January/February 2021 and March/April 2021 issues of NMT. The overall winner collects £350 of Love to Shop vouchers in the September/October 2020 issue of NMT. • There is no cash alternative. • No purchase is necessary to take part in the prize draw. The prize draw is open to UK residents only who are aged 18 or over • Closing date for entry is 31st July 2020 – all winners will be notified 21 days after the closing date. • If the winners do not confirm acceptance of his/her prize within 7 days he/she will automatically forfeit the rights to claim for the prize. In the event of the prize not being claimed, Freelife reserves the right to select an alternative winner via any means that Freelife feel appropriate. By participating in the prize draw, you declare that you accept these terms and conditions.

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The Rising Star overall winner will be announced in the September/ October issue of Nursery Management Today and will win £350 of Love to Shop vouchers. The three runner -up winners will be announced in the November/December, January/ February and March/April issues of NMT. They will each win £200 of Love to Shop vouchers. ■

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nmtnews OakNorth Bank completes loan to Little Explorers day care to support the acquisition and development of a second nursery

akNorth Bank – the UK bank powered by OakNorth – has completed a loan to Little Explorers Day Nursery, based in Essex, to support the acquisition of an eightbed detached house in Epping Forest and convert it into a nursery. Little Explorers was founded by Lee Stimpson in 2015 and has received a number of accolades, including a nomination as one of the top 20 nurseries in London. By providing highquality education and focusing on hiring level 3 qualified nursery practitioners, Little Explorers has managed to achieve a Good Ofsted rating and develop a strong reputation.

The nursery has strong expansion plans, hoping to open five more nurseries over the next10-15 years in strategic locations on the outskirts of London. Lee Stimpson, Founder and Director of Little Explorers Day Care Nursery Limited, commented: ‘We’re very excited about expanding our portfolio – the first step into broadening it to several other nurseries in the next few years. Despite the ongoing challenges of Covid-19 we were able to demonstrate Little Explorers’ successful track record pre-Covid-19, and our growth plans for the years to come. As a sector that has been heavily impacted by the lockdown,

I’m incredibly grateful for OakNorth Bank’s support during this time.’ Ben Barbanel, Head of Debt Finance at OakNorth Bank, said: ‘At a time when most lenders are retrenching from the SME lending market, we’re still seeing numerous opportunities to support strong businesses with their growth ambitions. Since the beginning of lockdown, we’ve approved over £110m in new loans, of which £40m are through CBILS. This transaction provided an opportunity to support a nursery business with an excellent track record in terms of both quality and occupancy. We look forward to continuing to work with the team in the future.’ ■

Scottish Government releases new guidance for reopening nurseries

he Scottish Government has released guidance for early learning and childcare providers in the local authority, private and third sectors to support a safe reopening of these settings during Phase 3. This guidance applies to all providers of registered day care of children’s services, including nurseries, playgroups, family centres and crèches who provide care to children under school age. While the Scottish Government continues to keep schools and most early years settings closed, this guidance allows providers to plan well in advance. Purnima Tanuku OBE, chief executive of NDNA Scotland said: ‘The fact that this guidance has been produced for early learning and childcare settings well in advance of any re-opening gives providers plenty of time to prepare. The wellbeing of children and staff will be at the heart of plans so that as more children are able to return nurseries and

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providers will be safe places. ‘Putting these measures in place will naturally mean providers will face extra costs at a time of reduced demand. This means there are real fears across the sector that nurseries won’t be sustainable in the longer term as children start to return. Additional costs will include installing partitions and more cleaning and changing stations, but will also include PPE costs, hand sanitizer as well as needing more staff to keep consistent smaller bubbles. ‘If childcare settings aren’t sustainable this would be disastrous for families and children as well as the economy. NDNA is calling for the Scottish Government to look at recovery and transformation funding to nurseries so they can continue to do their excellent job of supporting children’s development and learning while allowing parents to return to work.’ On the 15th of May, Susan McGhee, chief executive of Flexible Childcare

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Services Scotland joined NMT Discussions to explore the Flexible Pathway Toolkit as well as her plans for a safe re-opening when the time was right. Looking at how FCSS might approach re-opening, Susan listed these key things they will consider: Space requirements and reduced capacities, this may include reducing capacities or where possible increasing available space ● Additional cleaning and sanitisation plans ● Extra handwash stations, including at entry points ● Increased access to outdoors ● Maintaining home working for our office-based colleagues ● Staggering start times for children and staff ● Reducing the numbers of people entering our buildings by meeting children and parents at the entrance ● PPE for our team members where appropriate. ■ ●

Food,

Produced by

Glorious Food

NMT magazine is delighted to announce our exciting new cookery book ‘Food Glorious Food’ a collection of delicious and nutritious nursery recipes supplied by our nursery family! The new cook book will be coming your way in November

2020 and to support our amazing health care workers, 50% of the profits from each book will go to NHS Charities Together

(registered charity 1186569). We are also proud to announce that our Main Sponsor is The Professional Nursery Kitchen.

Nurseries will have the opportunity to buy this wonderful book to sell on to the parents of the children at their settings as well as share the recipes with their own chefs.

We’d love our NMT community to be involved and so, we are asking for you to submit your favourite recipes to us for

consideration and it’s very possible one of your most popular

recipes will appear in the book! You can submit a snack, main meal or dessert, and you can submit as many as you’d like.

Thank you to our Main Sponsor:

Wellbeing for young children whose brains are rapidly developing (both physical and mental wellbeing) is a crucial element for how curious young minds explore, grow, and develop. An essential component to aid this development is a nutrient-dense diet to help them as they process the world around them. Parents and caregivers know the importance of nutrition to a child’s physical and mental development to grow and develop. Meal and snack times also teach sharing and socialising skills. At The Professional Nursery Kitchen it’s our business to understand this and why we are so proud to be part of this collection of fantastic recipe ideas to help improve outcomes for all children.

Julieta Matayoshi, Early Years Nutrition Consultant, The Professional Nursery Kitchen

You’ll be able to pre-order soon for £6 per book, so watch this space! To submit a recipe, please visit nmt-magazine.co.uk/nmt-cookbook-food-glorious-food Closing date for recipe entries will be 31st July.

nmteco matters ‘Carbon offsetting is not the answer to reducing the impact of your gas use. But offsetting can help fill a gap’in time, finance or ambition.’

Green gas in day nurseries? While we are battling the impact of Covid-19, the state of the environment has not changed. It’s crucial to keep exploring news way to keep our nurseries green and clean. Cheryl Hadland, MD and founder of Tops Day Nurseries explains. f you use gas in your nursery try and buy it from a company that provides green gas such as Green Star Energy, Ecotricity and Green Energy as well newer entrants to the market like Bulb and Octopus. For more advice see www.moneysupermarket.com/gasand-electricity/green-energy/ Green gas, or biomethane, is gas that’s not from fossil fuels. It’s made when organic materials, like food waste, decomposes and releases methane, in a process called anaerobic digestion. This

biomethane gas is then captured and fed into the national gas grid. Currently, the UK’s total gas consumption is 514 TWh. The latest study by the association for anaerobic digestion estimates that the total potential of green gas to 810% so sadly we cannot simply swap out fossil fuel gas with green gas to decarbonise heating, we also need to reduce demand for gas, for example with improved insulation, draft proofing and control of our heating. Biogas digesters turn animal waste and waste food into clean renewable

energy for cooking. This reduces deforestation and coal mining/use and helps to protect biodiversity as a result. The digestate produced at the end of the biogas generation process makes a good crop fertilizer. Biogas projects also create new job opportunities. If you ensure your nursery’s food waste goes to an anaerobic digestion centre you are reducing your impact, reducing your carbon footprint. Carbon offsetting is not the answer to reducing the impact of your gas use. But offsetting can help fill a gap in time, finance or ambition. It can make real reductions in the amount of carbon in the atmosphere and have other positive social benefits at the same time. Ethical consumer introduces the world of carbon offsetting here. ■ ●

www.ethicalconsumer.org/ energy/short-guide-carbon-offsets

● Cheryl Hadland, MD and founder, Tops Day Nurseries and Aspire Training Team. Chair of Trustees and Founder, GECCO (registered charity supporting sustainability in the early years sector) UNICEF Clean air Champion

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nmtsurveys Loneliness and mental health problems in children could last up to 9 years

The study ‘Rapid Systematic Review: The impact of social isolation and loneliness on the mental health of children and adolescents in the context of COVID-19’ included 63 studies of over 50,000 participants which looked into isolation, loneliness and mental health for young people aged from ●

four- to -21-years-old. The study found that the impact of loneliness on mental health could last for at least nine years for children revealing significant concerns over the sustainability of continuing lockdown. Furthermore, in the one study that examined mental health problems after

enforced isolation and quarantine in previous pandemics, children who had experienced enforced isolation or quarantine were five times more likely to require mental health support and experienced higher levels of posttraumatic stress.

https://els-jbs-prod-cdn.jbs.elsevierhealth.com/pb/assets/raw/Health%20Advance/journals/jaac/aip.pdf

Survey finds less than half of parents plan to take up childcare places on 1 June

The Early Years Alliance has released new research that found only around four in 10 parents of under-fives are planning to take up their childcare places today as England begins to reopen settings. The early years organisation warns that the childcare sector is still at significant risk and more must be done to support it for it to survive. Key findings include: The parent survey, which had around 4,500 responses, found that: Just 45% of parents whose childcare providers are planning on opening 1 June are planning to take up their place – 42% are not, while 13% still undecided. ● 21% of those who are planning to take up their childcare place on 1 June expect to take up less hours than they did previously. ●

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28% of parents rated the clarity of the government’s rationale for reopening childcare settings as ‘1’ on a rating scale of 1 out of 10.

The provider survey, which had 6,300 responses, found that: 65% of childcare providers are planning to reopen more widely on 1 June. ● 50% of providers expect the demand for places to be less than the number of children they can care for safely when they do reopen. ● 69% expect to operate at a loss over the next six months. ●

Commenting on the results, Neil Leitch, chief executive of the Early Years Alliance, said: ‘Our survey findings show just how split parents are over whether or not to

71% of nurseries re-opening expect to make a loss

Nurseries who re-opened the week beginning 1 June will be welcoming children they haven’t seen the middle of March. However, over almost three-quarters (71%) of those nurseries expect to run at a loss until September. Findings from a survey by National Day Nurseries Association (NDNA) highlights the concerning reality for nurseries across England as they begin to re-open.

The results showed that demand for places will not be as high as before the crisis with nurseries planning for an average of just over a third (35%) of their usual numbers of children coming back straight away. As well as 71% of respondents that expect to operate at a loss in the coming three months, a further 23% said they would break even. When asked about the coming months 4% said that without further support they were likely to close permanently. www.nmt-magazine.co.uk

send their children back to childcare. While this isn’t in any way unexpected, it does highlight the huge pressure that the early years sector in England is facing over the coming months. ‘With most childcare providers limited as to how many children they can care for safely, and many predicting that parental demand for places will be lower still, many nurseries, pre-schools and childminders are going to face a real struggle for survival during this incredibly difficult period. It is no exaggeration to say that the very future of the childcare sector is at risk if the government doesn’t get its act together and provide the support that providers need.’

NDNA Chief Executive, Purnima Tanuku OBE said: ‘A huge amount of work has gone into preparations for nurseries to operate safely and welcome more children from this week. Some really innovative ideas and solutions have been put in place to minimise any risks to children and staff. It’s important that parents are re-assured that their children can have access to high quality learning opportunities in a safe environment.’

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Announcing our new date! We have been continuously monitoring the everchanging circumstances surrounding Covid-19, and are focused on keeping our NMT community safe during this time. The pandemic has had an effect on everyone’s lives and has brought many challenges and achievements to the childcare sector, and so it is incredibly important that the hard work and dedication of the Scottish nursery sector is celebrated. With this in mind, we have taken the decision to postpone the 7th Scottish Nursery Awards, originally scheduled for the 4th September 2020, to Friday 19th March 2021 at the Hilton Glasgow. MAIN SPONSOR

We are also reopening the entry process for the awards, with a new entry deadline of Friday 4th December 2020, to allow additional time for you to get your entries in. We look forward to celebrating the achievements of the sector in March!

Exciting news – the Scottish NMT Nursery Awards are returning and we are thrilled to be supporting this fantastic event as Main Sponsor! Morton Michel is known as the UK’s leading childcare insurance specialist. For over 25 years we have provided specialist cover for nurseries and are proud to protect the assets and interests of almost 4,000 nurseries nationwide. Our nursery insurance package includes a range of additional benefits such as FREE Early Years training from award-winning flick learning, access to our FREE Early Years Advisory Service provided by Croner-i, a FREE counselling helpline and lots of discounts for you, your staff and your business as part of our exclusive ChildCare Club! We are really excited to be celebrating excellence in the Scottish early years sector this September and look forward to meeting many of you soon! Sue Lee Managing Director

CATEGORIES: ■ NURSERY TRAINING & DEVELOPMENT AWARD We are looking to acknowledge and reward exceptional commitment to training and developing staff. The Award could go to an outstanding business, nursery or individual who is making an exceptional contribution to enhancing training and staff development within your nursery/group or the childcare sector.

■ INDIVIDUAL NURSERY AWARD Awarded to a nursery that is a single owned and run site (i.e. not part of a multiple group of owned nurseries) which has, in the view of the judges, created the very best environment to promote the highest levels of childcare, staff morale and business performance.

■ NURSERY INDOOR LEARNING ENVIRONMENT AWARD This Award will be won by the nursery which has created an environment that most inspires and excites children. The entry will show how the nursery actively involves children in their learning, as well as celebrating their achievements.

■ NURSERY TEAM AWARD This Award will go to the nursery team that has developed and maintained an excellent standard of childcare showing exceptional group values and a commitment to working together for the common good.

CATEGORY SPONSORS

For sponsorship opportunities please contact Caroline Bowern; caroline.bowern@investorpublishing.co.uk

The 7th Scottish NMT Nursery Awards will be held on Friday 19th March 2021 at the Hilton Glasgow, Scotland

To enter, complete the online Entry Form at:

www.nmt-magazine.co.uk/scottishawards or email: events@investorpublishing.co.uk #ScottishNMTAwards

@NurseryManagementToday

■ FOREST OR BEACH SCHOOL / KINDERGARTEN AWARD

@NMTMagazine

■ NURSERY NURSE / CHILDCARE WORKER AWARD

This Award will be made to the forest or beach school / kindergarten which can demonstrate their focus on developing personal, social and emotional life skills through learner led, nature-based learning. The entry will show how children are inspired creatively with activities and experiences with an outdoor approach.

This Award recognises the outstanding childcare provided by a Nursery Nurse/Childcare Practitioner. The childcare will include warmth, equality, responsibility, safety, fairness and being supportive in all relationships involving the children, parents and organisation.

■ NURSERY ROOM LEADER AWARD

■ NURSERY MANAGER AWARD The nursery sector depends on the very best managers for its current and future success. This Award will be won by the manager who has shown outstanding caring and business skills and leadership in developing a thriving, high quality nursery which delivers a superb environment for children, staff and parents.

■ NURSERY AREA MANAGER / OPERATIONS MANAGER AWARD

This Award will go a Nursery Room Leader who shows the leadership skills required to provide a safe and stimulating environment for children, excellent ability to support and develop other team members, an ability to observe, assess and track children’s learning and development, someone who has a high degree of integrity and empathy when dealing with children and is an excellent verbal and written communicator.

■ NURSERY GROUP AWARD

This Award will be made to a senior manager who has demonstrated exceptional vision leadership across the settings they are responsible for, enhancing the reputation and success of the Nursery / Group as a whole.

■ NURSERY OUTDOOR LEARNING ENVIRONMENT AWARD

This Award is open to nursery groups with two or more Scottish settings and is designed to recognise a forward thinking group which has shown outstanding success in delivering high quality childcare, well-trained and motivated staff, inspirational values, focus across the group and financial success.

■ NURSERY PERSONALITY OF YEAR AWARD

This Award will be made to the nursery which has, in the view of the judges, created an outdoor ‘living classroom’ that inspires and excites children. Activities that promote physical well-being, creativity and first-hand learning experiences will be sought.

We’re looking for the person whose great personality and energy has made a real difference in their own setting in ways which are truly inspiring and memorable. This person will actively promote excellent care for their children, peace of mind for parents and a happy working environment.

CLOSING DATE FOR ENTRIES: FRIDAY 4TH DECEMBER 2020 JUDGING DAY WILL BE HELD DURING FEBRUARY 2021

nmtnursery talk

Creating a future to invest in The early years sector has been constantly fighting the impact of Covid-19. While it has stayed resilient, the future is still unknown. However, Anna Grotberg, associate partner, EY-Parthenon explains the investment prospects going forward t is impossible to deny that the COVID-19 crisis has had an immediate negative impact on the nursey sector. Many nurseries having to stay open for key workers are seeing low occupancy but with similar staff levels, most nurseries have several months of near zero revenue. Furlough has been an option to try to save cash – but cannot be implemented fully if you have funded hours. For some individual nursery operators, these months of crisis may be the final straw. Investors may see an opportunity once the economy reopens as from an investor perspective, nurseries are likely to remain a segment of the education sector which will become investable in the near term. The most resilient segments historically – higher education and private schools – have been the most impacted by this crisis with key drivers changing and shifting making it challenging to evaluate a potential investment (i.e. international students and proliferation of online learning). And despite the immediate challenges facing the nursery sector, the key drivers of nursery – dual working households and demand for a more education-orientated childcare environment – are unlikely to

14 NURSERY MANAGEMENT TODAY

Investors may see an opportunity once the economy reopens as from an investor perspective, nurseries are likely to remain a segment of the education sector which will become investable in the near term.

materially change. For better or for worse, a 3-year-old cannot dial in and out of Zoom lessons and still needs full time care. So, what then will investors be looking for when the majority of nurseries are able to open their doors again? There will be a larger macroeconomic question to unpick – the impact of unemployment and recession on occupancy levels and the ability to raise fees. We know from history that in the UK there is some correlation between unemployment count and occupancy levels – the differential occupancy dips regionally reasonable align to differential increase in unemployment count. However, the increase in eligibility from 15 to 30 hours for a large proportion of 3- and 4-year olds comes with a grace period if one or both parents become unemployed which may impact the occupancy decline as observed in prior recessions. During the last recession we saw private nursery fees (as private school fees) increase at above inflation rates. However, overall pressure on fees has already been seen in the market and it is unlikely that continued above inflation fee rises will be as accepted by parents this time around.

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Once investors can get comfortable with the wider macro picture, it will come down to the same micro questions investors historically have looked at: individual catchments and the supply-demand dynamics therein and how the site/group is able to grow occupancy. There will likely be challenges to occupancy throughout the rest of the year with return to work being staggered and work from home continuing to be encouraged by many companies. But despite these challenges, we are already seeing providers – who are transparent, with a clear communication strategy and using technology to keep connected and provide some continuation of educational experience where possible – building even stronger parent advocates. Some nurseries, mainly in areas of high demand (and typically more private pay than funded hours), have even had parents willing to continue to pay for a place just to ensure continuity once the economy opens again. Other nurseries have tried to keep charging parents without transparent communication, have offered little in terms of remote experience and may be waiting on further government support (that may not come). Those individual nurseries and groups who are seeing the crisis as a moment to build stronger parent advocates are likely to fair well when investors can look to provide what will be much needed capital into the sector. ■

nmtsoapbox

Why now is the time to give your team something to look forward to The Covid-19 pandemic has brought the UK to a standstill. Most employees are working from and some have been furloughed. Craig Bulow, founder of Corporate Away Days tells Briony Richter some of the fun and interactive things you can do to support your team when they return to work uring the Covid-19 lockdown the chances are your staff will be experiencing feelings of isolation and detachment, they’ll be missing their colleagues and some of the children they work with, they will have missed out on social gatherings whether that’s a party, a trip to the theatre or an evening in the pub. Although we can’t be sure when life will get back to ‘normal’ – or whatever the new normal is – we can give our teams something to look forward to. Something that will keep them connected with the nursery and excited about going back to work. Create and share with your team a ‘back to work’ scheme which highlights fun and engaging activities. For example, start with a ‘welcome back meeting’. Have some lovely food for them to share, maybe give them each a small welcome back gift (it doesn’t need to be expensive – something small and thoughtful will work well), and ensure the meeting is about them, congratulating them on their achievement in unprecedented

times, thanking them for sticking with you, letting them know how much you appreciate them. In other words; show them you care. As you ease (or jump) back into work, there are two important aspects to consider: recognising the present and looking forward to pleasure.

This is about understanding that your team will have been off work for quite a few weeks and may need some extra support. Arrange break times for people to chat and share their experiences. Recognise that some will have found it harder than others. Make the break times pleasurable – offer fancy biscuits, or perhaps invest in a posh coffee machine. Or allow each person an extra break each day for the first month. The key here is to show that you recognise what they have been through and how they may feel.

The present

Giving people something pleasurable to look forward to helps to lift their spirits, it keeps them engaged. So, plan some fun activities to help

The pleasure

everyone re-connect. For example, arrange an away day, out of the nursery, away from the normal working environment. A day that is surrounded in nature perhaps, or a fun cycle ride learning about the area, a cocktail making session, the theatre, a comedy show, or a weekend picnic with families included. Gather together a list of ideas and let your team vote for them before they get back to work – that way they will have chosen the activities they really want to do, and they will have something, that makes them excited, to look forward to. And don’t stop at one; consider making this something you do on a regular basis. These sorts of activities help to engage staff, help them build relationships and empathy with their colleagues, which in turn can make the workplace a happier and less stressful place to be. It also shows you recognise their contribution to the business. Taking part in shared activities gives people a common bond; and teams that are bonded are always more productive and always see considerably less staff turnover. So, invest in some fun – and reap the benefits. ■

● Craig Bulow is the founder of Corporate Away Days, a corporate wellbeing events company delivering engaging, inspiring and exciting events focussed on Mindfulness / Wellbeing and Reward / Recognition activities. Corporate Away Days also creates, designs and builds corporate wellbeing policies and provides leading experts for interactive workshops, seminars and talks on improving mental health and overall wellbeing. Every Corporate Away Days event and activity is chosen with wellbeing as its focus, helping to encourage employee engagement, foster connections and build relationships within the business.

W: www.corporate-away-days.co.uk Instagram: corporateawaydays LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/craig-bulow-3b227721 and www.linkedin.com/company/corporate-away-days

www.nmt-magazine.co.uk

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nmtfocus EYF has run fifteen nursery hubs during lockdown with staff across those settings working tirelessly to keep a certain level of normality while also remaining cautious of the risks. Despite the challenges, this new normal has fostered a deeper sense of collaboration and trust among team members all across the country. The Government guidance has at times been vague, however nurseries and support groups took it upon themselves to work for their community and create guidelines for others to follow. I spoke to three fantastic LEYF nursery managers who have all stepped up during the crisis as leaders, team players and members of their community. These managers have all adjusted to new settings, new children and new teams during the Covid-19 pandemic. Asking the mangers how it has been working in these new conditions, Stacey, nursery manager at New Cross Nursery and PreSchool, begins saying: ‘So, we are now two nurseries that have been merged together. There’s

The early years sector has been battling through Covid-19 from the very start. An essential service, many nurseries stayed open to support key workers children and vulnerable children. Three nursery managers from LEYF; Naomi Blackwood, Gregory Lane and Stacey-Jane Whitfield speak to Briony Richter about their experience working through the crisis.

Frontline staff: working through Covid-19 my nursery which is New Cross and Playhouse nursery and between us we care for the key workers children from both. It has been a lot quieter and we are keeping things as normal as possible. The routines continue the same as they did before, the children are all in the one room which has a capacity for 36 children and that has continued to work well. ‘During this it has been myself and two other members of staff who are working and we have more of Playhouse’s team. Merging together has gone really well and we’ve had great feedback from families.’ Gregory Lane, nursery manager at Soho Family Centre was drafted 16 NURSERY MANAGEMENT TODAY

into Marsham Street Nursery when the closures were announced: ‘For the organisation it has been full on. We have had to completely remodel the business to meet the new needs of the pandemic. The first thing that happened was that many of our nurseries were temporally closed. ‘I think for the managers there were a lot of changes in how we managed the nursery and who we managed but the team all adapted really well to these changes even though we didn’t have a lot of time to prepare. ‘When the closures were first announced there was a lot of worry about our local community, what

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was going to happen with our staff and how long would this go on for. Soho nursery is a big part of the community so it was hard to move from that. However, it has been a privilege to support those key workers in our community and deliver our core service to the same high standards that we did before the crisis.’ Naomi Blackwood, nursery manager at Camberwell Grove Nursery added: ‘I feel that we have been really fortunate. Our parents were extremely understanding of the extra measures that we were putting in place in regards to them coming in and out of the building.

nmtfocus

‘I think for me as a manager it has been really important to have that good communication so that everyone knows what to expect. In this crazy time, I feel very fortunate to have my team, the parents and children who have all come together to support each other. ‘In saying that, the rush after the closures were announced was intense. We had special needs children to think about. We tried to make it as smooth as possible for the children moving to the Gumboots setting which is a sibling setting.’

For the early years sector, the Covid19 pandemic launched it into a new normal that everyone had to adjust to extremely quickly. Priority for all three managers was to ensure the wellbeing and safety of the children coming to the settings. Stacey notes that most of the changes went smoothly due to the support of staff. ‘The normal is myself and the deputy in and the rest of the staff work two to three days in the

Adapting to a new normal

‘I think for the managers there were a lot of changes in how we managed the nursery and who we managed but the team all adapted really well to these changes even though we didn’t have a lot of time to prepare.’ – Gregory nursery and the rest work from home. ‘The team working from home are finding it quite helpful in order to meet the deadlines for our online training. They have the time to refresh themselves with our policies, procedures and new staff have been able to work on their inductions.’ ‘It has been a great opportunity to work on self-training and development.’ Continuing, Gregory states: ‘The teams joined together and there is no time to muck around so we got straight to serving the community. I find you have to be realistic with people and inform them of the risks but also highlight thatJennie this is a timeCEO for of usthe allYear to work Johnson 2017 together. www.nmt-magazine.co.uk

‘Furlough was a tricky one to navigate. A lot of people didn’t want to go on furlough as well and that was a real shame but we made sure the team knew how much they were valued and that we would be in communication with them throughout this situation. ‘In regards to the children, some things have had to change. We couldn’t allow the children to go out into the community anymore. We did have to adjust to that but because there is a lot less children there is more time to give them oneto-one attention. You have to stick to a similar routine but at the same time nobody should be stressed if something has to change. ‘LEYF is there for the benefit of others and it’s important to continue the work. We all signed ➤

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nmtfocus ➤ up to the values of LEYF and its

part of who we are as individual nursery and as a group.’

As well as caring for children and meeting the needs of key workers, these managers have also had to change the way staff work and when. The government’s furlough scheme has saved jobs and livelihoods and the sector has definitely welcomed its extension until October. That being said, juggling the needs of staff must be taken with care. Naomi explains how she has dealt with her team and her responsibility to the nursery: ‘We are really lucky to work in a place where you walk in and there is an abundance of children so happy to see you. For us, there is craziness outside but once we are inside there is happiness and fun. My priority is also taking care of my team. For staff, the planning and routines for children have stayed the same. Obviously, there are new children from the other settings but the staff have adapted so well to the changes. Commenting on the staff on furlough, she added: ‘We started with some working from home and some teachers have been on furlough. Everyone knew that furlough was a possibility. A lot of them were sad not to be coming in and seeing children and colleagues. That was very difficult but it was for the best.’ ‘We always make sure that those staff members have all the information available. Those who are working are still really enjoying it.’ As expected, each nursery’s occupancy numbers have dropped significantly with many LEYF nurseries merging together to support as many of its communities as possible.

Staff transition

Despite the early years sector partially re-opening there are still a lot of hurdles ahead. The virus is still around and until there is a vaccine available, nurseries will have to keep adapting as the situation evolves. Speaking about their concerns, Gregory said: ‘I worry about the health of the staff, the children and the parents. I

Looking ahead

18 NURSERY MANAGEMENT TODAY

‘It has been a great opportunity to work on self-training and development.’ – Stacey really care about the community and the Soho community that I used to work in.’ Adding to that, Stacey explains that it is the unknown about the whole situation. ‘I think not knowing the details is my biggest concern. We don’t know when we are going to get back to some kind of normality. Even once settings re-open, it will not be the normal we were used to. The details are going to matter a lot.’ While speaking about their concerns, each manager noted their highlights. This was particularly great to hear from these frontline workers who have been in nurseries throughout the whole crisis. Naomi said that being part of a wider community effort has made it worthwhile. ‘There’s two for me. As I said we are three nurseries merged into one and it has been so lovely to get to know the other teachers. Working alongside a new team has been wonderful. Also, that we have been able to support our wider community, not just the children we already had registered.’ Gregory concludes that keeping to

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LEYF values has meant he and his team have been able to work through the situation smoothly. ‘I think it is seeing the parents so relieved that we are open and that we are here to greet and look after their children. It makes us feel very supportive. The children have been amazing, to them it’s an adventure with a new setting, new friends and toys. They are far more resilient than we assume. ‘But I think for me, the best thing has been seeing people really show their core values and LEYF values in their work and using them to steer us through this.’ With managers like these three, LEYF is in a great position to lead teams through this crisis and come out on the other end. It has not been an easy couple of months, but with collaboration, better funding and guidance, the sector is well fitted to take on the challenges to come. ■

14 – 19 July 2020 The team at NMT with our vast experience in the nursery sector are proud to announce the launch of NMT Digital Nursery Agenda on Tuesday 14 July Like many organisations, we have had to postpone our events including our highly successful NMT Nursery Agenda events since the lockdown was announced. However, we have missed our NMT community and so we decided that we would bring the Agenda to you. We will be running the digital event from Tuesday 14 July to Sunday 19 July to enable nursery operators to visit the event at leisure and connect with other nursery operators, suppliers and advisors to learn best ways of moving your business forward. The Agenda will offer operators a fantastic experience with webinars, presentations and on-demand content.

Effective, efficient use of time With content being available all week you will be able to access the Digital Agenda and network with other operators, suppliers and advisors completely FREE in your own time and safety of your home/workplace.

Main Sponsor

In summary: Why should you visit NMT Digital Nursery Agenda? We are moving towards a new normal and our agenda will provide expert guidance about moving your business forward to success through varied presentations, videos and on demand content. During this event you will have also have the opportunity to: Learn about new products and services to help you move your business forward Interact with other nursery operators who are registered to the event Find out how other settings are managing to move forward Watch exclusive and invaluable webinar content from providers, suppliers and advisors Have the opportunity to contact suppliers directly from the Digital Agenda Site and ask any questions you may have Request private meetings with suppliers in a virtual face to face setting Ask questions in the Q&A forum Win exciting prizes for your nursery settings

CONTACT THE TEAM Suppliers and Advisors wishing to get involved in one of the ‘zones’ should contact:

Providers wishing to submit a presentation or paper sharing their work or resources should contact:

Caroline Bowern: +44(0)797 464 3292 caroline.bowern@investorpublishing.co.uk

Briony Richter: +44(0)738 707 0488 briony.richter@investorpublishing.co.uk

SUPPLIERS BOOKED TO DATE

#NMTDigitalAgenda

nmtmanager’s helpline

OakNorth Bank: Data centric with a human touch s the UK continues to grapple with the complications of Covid-19, early years providers continue to feel the effects of the pandemic on the economy. It’s an extremely uncertain time for many businesses, especially those just starting their venture. OakNorth Bank aims to support the businesses that are struggling as well as the ones that are stable and looking for growth. Giving an overview into the bank and his position, Stuart Blair states: ‘I’m a director in the Debt Finance team and just for context, the Debt Finance team, we are the front customer facing side of the bank, we will be speaking to potential customers to look for those opportunities to partner with. ‘I’ve been at OakNorth for about three and a half years, previously had 15 years in a big bank. Eventually I got very frustrated with the slow speed and inflexibility that big banks work at and the layers of slow decision making. At the time I joined OakNorth it was a very young bank but its methods were data-focused and agile.’ OakNorth was founded by entrepreneurs Rishi Khosla and Joel Perlman, who have been business partners for years. The bank gained regulatory approval in early 2015 Similar to Stuart, the two found the big banks to be slow and quite unresponsive and knew that the UK banking system could be improved significantly.

BR: How has OakNorth been so successful?

SB: ‘OakNorth is a lending only bank and I think the success over the last few years has been a lot on how we use technology. We are the first bank to host all of our systems on the cloud, we are not hampered by legacy tech. When it comes down to 20 NURSERY MANAGEMENT TODAY

Despite the ongoing impact of Covid-19, OakNorth Bank continues to look ahead at opportunities across the early years sector. Stuart Blair, debt finance director at OakNorth Bank speaks to Briony Richter about its approach to clients and its activity across nurseries. it, it’s all about marrying that latest technology with a good old fashioned relationship approach so we really get to know our borrowers. ‘Our borrowers will have communications with our key decision makers and that process really makes for a much better client experience and also a better decisionmaking process. It’s that personal touch. ‘So, over the last three to four years we have grown the book and given over £4bn to UK businesses. Our current loan book is around £3bn and that’s across different sectors but one of the sectors that we really like engaging with is the nursery sector.’ BR: How long have you been involved in the early years sector?

SB: ‘So right from the outset as a bank it’s been a sector that we have more interest in funding. Although we are a relatively young bank, our team is filled with experienced people, many of whom have had a number of years in big banks. BR: Are there any examples you can discuss?

SB: ‘So, one of the early ones was ICP Nursersies and as you know they have scaled up and are very well backed. We’ve also got to or three similar business that are very well

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backed and unfortunately we can’t publish them.’ OakNorth acknowledges the resilience and adaptability of the sector. At the end of last year, the bank completed a debt finance deal of £750,000 to Bright Minds Daycare, an independent nursery group in Birmingham. Furthermore, ICP Nurseries has secured a £8m financing package from OakNorth. BR: Can you take me through what the key discussions are when you first meet a client, especially a client in the early years sector?

SB: ‘The thing about the nursery sector is that it comes with a lot of responsibility, it’s children’s care and very highly regulated. The people in that sector are very experienced and operate safe environments for children to learn in and be looked after. ‘So, the key thing for us is making sure this client is reputationally sound and their experience in the sector is vast. We don’t really get involved with first timers, we only back the best operators in class. ‘Although we can move very quickly, we do like getting to know the operator over a few weeks and then once we are comfortable that the terms are going to work for both sides, we then schedule the credit committee where they can discuss

nmtmanager’s helpline ‘We always say we are 80 per cent data and 20 per cent human touch. The data leads us to the right decision. the business. That allows them to see the team and ask questions.’ BR: You have said that a lot of frustration with the big banks is caused by its legacy systems and slow responses. What makes your technology strategy different? SB: ‘It’s the robustness of our analytics. We have access to a lot of data our credit underwriting process is very robust and industry leading. We can very quickly benchmark operators across the country just using our data and that really helps with our decision making. ‘We always say we are 80 per cent data and 20 per cent human touch. The data leads us to the right decision. Then, post the transaction, we monitor the terms of partnership with the client and we can point to trends we are seeing that can help them with their individual business. ‘I think what we’ve been able to do is scale up but not lose the bespoke touch to each individual borrower. As a team we really deep dive into each individual business.’

Stuart Blair is debt finance director at OakNorth Bank

BR: Hard to ignore the uncertainty of Covid-19. How has the pandemic impacted sector and does this mean we will see a decline in growth?

SB: ‘It’s obviously challenging for all sectors and particularly the nursery sector. ‘Some of the Government announcements have helped a little in terms of supporting staff so that businesses can retain them. Covering 80 per cent of wages has helped massively but we are realy aware that potentially through to September the actual occupancies could drop to as low as 20 per cent.’ BR: Considering that, what advice would you give to providers?

SB: ‘I think the key thing is to think about that next setting they are going

to acquire. It’s a very competitive market and we are seeing in certain areas of the country multiples really adding up. It’s a very attractive sector so we can understand while multiples are increasing, but it’s thinking about the cost and limit. We are sensible lenders and we never want to see a business over reaching in terms of taking on too much debt. It’s about growing well, buying the right sights but just not over extending. Of course, something like Covid-19 coming from left field can disrupt that.’ www.nmt-magazine.co.uk

BR: Finally, what’s next for OakNorth?

SB: ‘You know, no one has a crystal ball and we don’t know how long this is going to last but our plan has not changed. We are still looking for those good operators that want a debt provider that is a partner. Despite the problems coming to the market for the next three to six months we are well positioned to carry on making the right decisions and at speed. We feel we can come out the back of the pandemic and still have a strong appetite to grow. ■

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nmttraining

Preparing for business as usual Getting back to normal is going to take an enormous effort from everyone involved in the early years sector. Patience, collaboration and safety are key. Kelly Hill and Beverley Bacon, co-founders of The Key Leadership discuss what needs to happen to return to work. rom out of nowhere, early years leaders across the globe have pulled out all the stops continuing providing services for families. It’s what we do best; pull together in a crisis, needs of children and families prioritising our own. Over half of settings remained open to priority families with practitioners risking their own lives in the fight against Covid-19. Despite years of inadequate Government funding, high staff turnover, poor qualification outcomes and recruitment at crisis levels, the sector has provided high standards of early education on a shoestring and the Covid-19 challenge is no different. The pandemic has offered opportunity for reflection, to consider whether the sector should return to the status quo. Society has fundamentally changed, so can we really expect to go back to business as usual? As we make this slow transition into our new reality, as our doors begin to open for more and more children to be welcomed back into settings from June 1st, we must reflect on what have we learnt and how do we need to adapt to get the sector back on it’s feet?

Where would we be without our amazing practitioners? Keeping them safe and providing a carefully planned and structured working environment is essential. As leaders,

Staff

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we know that a confident and content workforce leads to confident happy children, so putting measures in place to reduce practitioner stress and anxiety is essential. A phased return will mean a phased in work force, bringing back your healthiest, least vulnerable staff first Government guidance makes clear that those who are clinically extremely vulnerable must stay at home until end of June at the earliest, so carrying out an assessment of staff will provide a clear picture on how to phase in the return. Just because someone is low risk doesn’t mean they won’t be worried about returning to work. Your team may be anxious, apprehensive about the impact on their families , so mitigating these concerns will be vital. Ensuring positive mental health and wellbeing has never been more important, with several guides available to help with this. Consider the space staff have for breaks, how can you maintain social distancing during this time? Is there an outdoor space they could use or perhaps a space for some quiet reflection? Can staff take a walk during their break and if they do, how will you control cross contamination after their walk? Do your team know what to do if they feel unwell, how to get a test and what symptoms they need to look out for? Managing cross contamination may feel like an enormous struggle. Children need touch and remaining

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at a socially acceptable level will be tricky. As part of the reboarding process, why not give your team their own ‘back to work kit’, containing their own pens, paper, devices, hand gel, tissues etc? You may wish to think about ways in which you can adapt staff meetings. The 2 meter rule may be difficult to maintain, so how about a zoom or skype call instead? Think about how staff can change their clothing on arrival and before they leave the setting and how they can ensure their own protection particularly if using public transport. PPE is a contentious issue, with much debate about its effectiveness. The guidance states that ‘the majority of staff in education settings will not require PPE beyond what they would normally need for their work, even if they are not always able to maintain a distance of 2 meters from others.’ The early years sector is well versed in using gloves and aprons for nappy changes, food serving and the like, so with increased hand washing, PPE should not be necessary. Moreover, we know how important it is for children to be able to read our facial expressions and see our mouths as we engage with them. Having PPE available for practitioners to use as they feel best, after discussion and debate is going to bring the best results, allowing them to feel empowered and in control. Some may prefer gloves, others may prefer not, the key is to

nmttraining communicate, to understand the risks and to make informed decisions.

Early years leaders build relationships with their families from that very first phone call or visit and will no doubt be worried about the impact of Covid-19 on some of their most vulnerable children. Parents need to feel confident that their child is safe in the setting and that there are robust procedures in place to ensure the setting is as risk free as possible. However, it is very unlikely that every family in your setting will be rushing back on June 1st. Every setting will be different depending on the demographics of their community. Some families have found a new way to work around their child that they are happy to continue with, some may not be going back to work at all, others will be chomping at the bit to get their children back into nursery, you just won’t know…unless you ask! Now is the time to be getting back in touch with your families and finding out their plans and feelings around your re-opening. In planning your re-opening, consider key groups and how you can maximise the attachments children have already built. A child who is coming back to a familiar adult will settle much more quickly and easily than a child who is meeting a new staff member for the first time. Think about your footprint and how many children you can comfortably accommodate whilst maintaining distancing and grouping. You may wish to prioritise the children and welcome them back in stages. Settings should prioritise 34 year old's followed by younger ages, so this could form part of your phased approach. This would make sense as the older the child, the more understanding they are of social distancing rules. In addition, with their ratios being higher, you may find this eases any initial staffing strains. How you will manage the drop off and collection process? Dropping off children at the door rather than coming into setting reduces the risk a little, as does hand washing on entry, frequently throughout the day and

Children & Families

upon leaving. However, as numbers increase, you may need to think about staggered drop off and pick up times, having a pick up point which is more frequently cleaned or perhaps requesting parents stay in their cars and only 1 person at the door at a time. And, what about comforters from home, how do you manage with a child who is attached to their teddy or comforter? Can you mitigate the risk somehow, wash comforters on arrival in preparation for sleep time perhaps or maybe this is time to ditch the comforter altogether? Consider how you will communicate with parents, is a handover as effective when following social distancing rules, or perhaps the use of online platforms such as Famly would be more effective? Can you email or send photographs of the day, ensuring safeguarding rules are followed?

Early years leaders give so much of themselves everyday, its essential you have the support in place to look after yourself. The Key leadership offers virtual support and guidance, allowing a knowledgeable and caring face to be at the end of a screen or phone when you need it. Make sure you are taking regular breaks, eating well, staying hydrated and resting. If you are an owner as well as a leader, this will be a worrying time financially and you are likely to make losses during this period. Working together with other settings may be helpful where occupancy is very low and don’t be afraid to take advantage of the support on offer through the Government and banks. Continue to market your setting and look ahead to when you are back in full swing. Join the Key Leadership community for support and encouragement from other leaders, we are all in this together. The Key Leadership is an online platform to offer practical and academic support to leaders in the early years sector. Founded by early years, HR and learning and development professionals Beverley Bacon and Kelly Hill, The Key Leadership provides a range of support tools for early years leaders, helping them to provide outstanding support to their staff teams and to grow their business. For just £9.95 per month subscribers receive a monthly bundle designed to improve leadership practice and help to ensure leadership and management regulations are met. The bundles include training videos, staff training toolkits, skeleton policies and procedures, checklists and podcasts with industry experts along with a 50% reduction on all online training with Avail Learning Academy. ■

Don’t forget yourself

Outdoor play is essential and we are lucky to have such beautiful weather in our favour. Ensure the outdoor environment is planned to facilitate the spread of the children as much as possible. Stagger lunch times and snack times to reduce the amount of children in one place for a period of time. Children’s sleep will also need some consideration. How well ventilated is the sleep room, can they sleep at a good distance apart? Perhaps we can go back to old fashioned ways and sleep outside with the correct safety procedures in place? Self care stations available in rooms to help children wash hands and use cream if required may be an option to help with the hand washing frequency while promoting independence. This will need monitoring to ensure that children are using it safely and that there is access to clean water at all times. It may be an idea to rearrange ● Current and aspiring leaders can the furniture in your rooms, subscribe to the Key Leadership: removing chairs and moving www.thekeyleadership.co.uk to tables to encourage play at safe receive emails and updates, support, distances. Markers on the floor free toolkits and other resources. with smiley faces or colours to sit For more information: on can all be part of play whiles E: hello@thekeyleadership.co.uk or keeping children at a safe T: Beverley Bacon on 07528 056485 or distance from each other. And Kelly Hill on 07765715515 don’t forget, a quiet place to go if they start displaying symptoms.

Environments

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July / August 2020

NURSERY MANAGEMENT TODAY 23

nmttechnology When it comes to the number of nurseries embracing technology to help with the management of their practice, the sector is extremely varied. While some have migrated their daily operations over to a more digitised approach, others are still pursuing the traditional way of doing things. Ruth Bolton, Connect Childcare’s head of implementations, looks at the benefits of digital solutions and how tech can help nursery staff unlock more time in their day…

Why is the future of childcare management Less paperwork, more efficiency

erhaps one of the most debated ways in which technology can help nursery staff carry out their day job relates to time. As most people in the industry know, there are often never enough hours during the working window to get everything done. And it is no secret that the sector – even before the pressures of the Covid-19 outbreak – has been under the strain of a staffing crisis. So, how is – and how can – digital solutions help to increase efficiency, reduce stress and maximise the time

digital? dedicated to child development? From billing and funding, to observations and assessments, the inner workings of a nursery are complex. Like any machine, the parts and processes need to be well oiled if it is going to run smoothly and successfully. Technology, in the simplest sense, can automate many of the previously paper-based tasks – such as registrations and permissions – to reduce admin time, minimise

room for error and increase the level of child security. All too often, the practices which don’t have digital operations are still working from overcrowded filing cabinets and long-form spreadsheets, which, if not correct and up to date at all times, can cause all kinds of admin and data protection issues which require additional time to remedy. For instance, if a parent has told room leaders they would like to change their child’s session bookings, this will likely be noted on the register at the time of

‘So, when it comes to keeping children safe within the nursery environment, technology can help make recordkeeping more accurate and reliable.’

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nmttechnology conversation. But within a busy, fast-paced environment, this is not always directly, and immediately, communicated with the office team. As a result, the parent is then billed on what the original bookings were. This means the team must then reverse-engineer the bill – amending it on the system and redoing the fees, taking up further time and resource, which could have been avoided if the billing was digitised. Ultimately, it is important to remember that when it comes to the administrative side of childcare, while documentation should undoubtedly be completed fully and correctly, it should not feel like a burden to busy staff. Instead, it should be quick and time-friendly. After all, the professionals within this sector are there because they are passionate about working with and developing children, not because they love paperwork.

Enhancing child safety and security

Communication plays a vital role in the effective running of a nursery practice on all staff-to-staff, staff-tochild and staff-to-parent levels. And, technology can enhance this dialogue between all parties, ensuring everyone is on the same page – at exactly the same time. So, when it comes to keeping children safe within the nursery environment, technology can help make record-keeping more accurate and reliable. Taking children’s dietary requirements as an example, if a toddler has recently developed a food allergy, in a more antiquated system this information may be kept in the footnote of a paper file – which arguably is easier to overlook. If all child records are digitised, however, this crucial data is front-and-centre on their profile, enabling staff to see this without having to scour lots of pages. This also ties significantly into the data security element of nursery operations too. If all records are filed away manually, there are no encryption or password protection measures in place to prevent nonauthorised employees, or even people from outside the organisation from accessing confidential information.

So, how can tech help nursery staff unlock more time in their day?

Simply embracing digital change is the first step to achieving a working balance that is more heavily weighted in favour of the children. It is vital that staff do not feel that tech will replace them, because truly effective solutions will actually work in tandem with their knowledge and expertise. Looking at this contextually, if a child has an accident or is not feeling well, without parental contact information being stored in a cloud-based system, practitioners would usually have to search for the contact manually through on-site files. With the help from a techbased nursery management system, it can be rapidly retrieved via tablets without leaving the room – ensuring maximum time efficiency and child safety. Also, there is an added advantage that digital allows for more succession planning. If a designated member of staff, who has access to child data spreadsheets, is off ill, other colleagues may not be able to view them – so are unable to update data or answer parental queries. Whereas a more centralised cloudbased solution would enable all colleagues to ‘sing from the same hymn sheet’ and provide a more real-time service. Daily observations are another key area of focus for practitioners. While in past times, nappy changes, mealtimes and activities were all recorded in a small paper logbook – and given to parents at the end of every day – this model proved to allow greater room for error or disjointed records, if parents forgot to bring them in the next day, for example. And this more convoluted approach still takes place in some childcare settings. Modern app solutions also allow parents to play a more active role in supporting their child’s learning journey – being able to upload photos of home-schooling tasks – and as a result, bridge the gap between practitioner and parent. This insight into what activities an infant responds well to at home www.nmt-magazine.co.uk

then gives nursery staff the power to carry out more ‘in-the-moment’ planning to aid further development.

The wider role of technology in the Early Years setting

Yet, while digital solutions unlock time to spend with youngsters, it is worth recognising the part that these tools also play in elevating staff wellbeing and retention levels. If employees can spend more time doing what they love, on activities which prioritise a child’s learning development, they are more likely to feel happier and fulfilled at work. This, of course, then has a knock-on effect saving nurseries more time from an HR and recruitment perspective, as they perhaps do not have to fill vacancies as often. Put simply, it could be that the future of childcare is digital because this method favours staff-child relationships. However, on a wider scale, it not only allows learning to extend outside the classroom and continue at home, but empowers staff to carry out their jobs more effectively. And, given child development should be at the heart of what the country’s childcare providers offer, it’s vital that tech is considered when looking at how to optimise a nursery’s current operations. ■ ● Connect Childcare T: 01282 507 945 W: www.connectchildcare.com

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nmthot topics

Why nurseries need a recovery and transformation fund It feels like a lifetime ago that nurseries and schools were told to close their doors to all but essential workers and vulnerable children. Nobody knew how long it would last or what would come next, says Purnima Tanuku OBE, chief executive of NDNA rom the start of this month, nurseries in England have been told it is safe to start welcoming back all of their children under five. But this obviously won’t mean an overnight return to the pre-Covid-19 numbers of children in nurseries and childcare settings. The national governments in Wales and Scotland have also indicated a return for more children when the time is right. But whether they have remained open to vulnerable and critical worker children throughout the outbreak or not, childcare providers need effective financial support now. NDNA has submitted evidence to the Government outlining the urgent need for a recovery and transformation fund, which could be the only way of guaranteeing that parents both now and in the future will have sufficient, high-quality places for their children. Covid-19 has hit early years businesses particularly hard because they rely on parental income. Parents have been facing tough times as well with many furloughed or losing income as a result of the lockdown. Childcare providers strive to deliver high quality early education and we know this is not something you can do “on the cheap” in the best of circumstances. However, we are now looking at a new normal. In meetings with the Government’s independent scientific advisors they have been clear that Covid-19 could be here for a long time. The advisors also say that there is no such thing as ‘zero risk’ and so nurseries are opening with all sorts of new measures to minimise the chances of infection spreading.

26 NURSERY MANAGEMENT TODAY

The ‘Planning Guide’ issued by the Department for Education provided some information but also told providers they must “use their professional judgement, and choose to follow alternative approaches depending on their particular circumstances”. We know that individual providers know their settings and families best but this still means they are carrying the responsibility of these decisions. Nurseries are having to make alterations to their settings – perhaps installing new hand basins and putting up partitions to keep children in small groups. Currently there is no capital grant funding available for this work to be done. And staff: child ratios may be higher to keep to these small “bubbles” and avoid staff moving through different groups of children. Although nurseries in England can now take more children, they are not expecting their occupancy levels to be anywhere near normal. So we expect the gap between income and expenditure to continue to be wider than before the outbreak. Taking into account the expected decrease in parental income, we must add the cost of stepping up infection control measures, buying in more equipment to paying staff for preparing and cleaning settings and furnishings. Costs for PPE and hand sanitiser have soared since as demand has naturally increased. Since this crisis began we have been making the case for the Government to build more flexibility into the Job Retention Scheme so that settings can bring staff members back in quickly to cover for sickness or to make sure they can cope with

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any sudden changes in demand. Nursery businesses must also be allowed to factor in their fixed costs when looking at their eligibility for the Job Retention Scheme. Early entitlement funding has never been just to pay employees wages, it must also include building and resources costs, allowing furlough claims to be adjusted. But crucially, nurseries and early years providers must be supported through a recovery and transformation fund. This needs to be available to support with the costs of making alterations to nurseries to adapt to the new operating realities. It must also be available for those who continue to see lower than normal demand beyond the end of the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme. With an eye to the future of the early education sector, governments must review the way providers are funded to give so-called “free” places. There is a huge value to society of providing this high quality service, boosting children’s development and allowing parents to take up employment and training. This must be recognised and revalued, with providers paid their going rate. As a country we are reassessing who is a critical worker and how they should be valued – the early years must be part of that recalibration. ■ ● Purnima Tanuku OBE is chief executive of the National Day Nurseries Association (NDNA). Twitter: @ndnatalk

MAIN SPONSOR:

The Event of the Year! We are thrilled to offer our support to the National NMT Nursery Awards 2020 as the main sponsor We understand how much effort it takes for nursery practitioners, leaders, managers and owners to achieve success within their settings, each and every day. The level of enthusiasm which goes into building and maintaining innovative, creative spaces for children to thrive in, is highly recognised by us. That’s why we believe The National NMT Nursery Awards provide a fantastic and relevant platform to celebrate all of the nurseries doing this. As main sponsors, we don’t only give our full support to The National NMT Nursery Awards, but to the dedicated staff at each and every nursery setting around the UK, who do their very best to support the growth and development of the children in their care. We also hope that our collaboration with NMT will allow us to learn and grow as a business, with our customers remaining at the forefront of our minds. We anticipate a fantastic year working closely with NMT and look forward to celebrating successes in November at the awards. Chris Mahady – Managing Director

Rewarding excellence in childcare and a unique opportunity to participate in a spectacular evening celebrating your achievements CATEGORY SPONSORS:

O F F I C I A L

ENTRY FORM Closing date for entries will be Friday 17 July 2020 @NurseryManagementToday

@NMTmagazine #NMTNurseryAwards

T H I S Y E A R ’ S AWA R D C AT E G O R I E S PLEASE NOTE THAT ANY ENTRIES WHICH DO NOT SUBMIT THE REQUIREMENTS SHOWN FOR EACH CATEGORY WILL BE DISREGARDED

NURSERY TRAINING & DEVELOPMENT AWARD 2020 We are looking to acknowledge and reward exceptional commitment to training and developing staff. The award could go to an outstanding business or nursery or individual who is making an exceptional contribution to enhancing training within the childcare sector.

PLEASE SUBMIT ALL OF THE FOLLOWING: Criteria • Give a full description of the exceptional training provided by the group, nursery or individual (up to 300 words) • Explain how this training has proved beneficial to the children and staff (up to 200 words) • 30 word biography of nominee

Supporting Evidence • Provide 1-5 testimonials from staff regarding the training and development support they receive • Provide details of any recognition or accreditation from any recognised bodies (if applicable) • Provide examples of the training courses/qualifications staff have completed/are completing as part of the training

INDIVIDUAL NURSERY AWARD 2020 Awarded to a nursery that is a single owned and run site (i.e. not part of a multiple group of owned nurseries) which has, in the view of the judges, created the very best environment to promote the highest levels of childcare, staff morale and business performance.

PLEASE SUBMIT ALL OF THE FOLLOWING: Criteria • Give a full description of life in the nominated nursery on a day to day basis, also including the structure of learning, provisions for staff training, safety and security (up to 300 words) • Give a brief description of the sort of activities the children take part in and how they are designed to stimulate (up to 200 words) • Provide a brief summary of business performance over the last three years (up to 200 words) • 30 word profile of the nursery

Supporting Evidence • Include the most recent inspection report • Supply 1-5 photographs of the nursery and activities • Provide 1-5 testimonials from staff and parents to support the entry • Provide details of any recognition or accreditation from any recognised bodies (if applicable)

NURSERY INDOOR LEARNING ENVIRONMENT AWARD 2020 This award will be won by the nursery which has created an environment that most inspires and excites children. The entry will show how the nursery actively involves children in their learning, as well as celebrating their achievements.

PLEASE SUBMIT ALL OF THE FOLLOWING: Criteria • Give a full description of how the indoor learning environment excites and inspires the children and staff (up to 400 words) • Explain how the environment empowers children to drive their own learning with examples of learning materials and activities (up to 400 words) • 30 word profile of the setting

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NURSERY ROOM LEADER AWARD 2020 This award will go to a Nursery Room Leader who shows the leadership skills required to provide a safe and stimulating environment for children, excellent ability to support and develop other team members, an ability to observe, assess and track children’s learning and development, someone who has a high degree of integrity and empathy when dealing with children and is an excellent verbal and written communicator.

Supporting Evidence • Include the most recent inspection report • Supply 1-5 photographs showing indoor learning areas

McQueen’s Dairies

PLEASE SUBMIT ALL OF THE FOLLOWING: Criteria • Give full details of this individual’s contribution to making their room an outstanding place for children to be. Provide evidence of the individual’s ability to support and develop other team members, resolve conflicts and provide age-appropriate activities (300 words) • Give a full description of this individual’s ability to observe and track children’s learning and development and demonstrate how they have used their integrity and empathy to benefit their children (200 words) • 30 word biography of nominee

Supporting Evidence • Include the most recent inspection report for the Nursery where this individual works • Provide 1-5 testimonials from children, staff and parents • Provide details of training, qualifications or accreditations this individual has received

NURSERY TEAM AWARD 2020 This award will go to the nursery team that has developed and maintained an excellent standard of childcare showing exceptional group values and a commitment to working together for the common good.

PLEASE SUBMIT ALL OF THE FOLLOWING: Criteria • Give a full description of the environment the team is based at (up to 200 words) • Explain why this team would be a worthy winner of the award (up to 500 words) including how the staff have the skills, knowledge and enthusiasm to observe, assess and plan together for their children’s wellbeing • 30 word profile of the team

COMMUNITY NURSERY OF THE YEAR 2020 This award will be made to a nursery who has shown exceptional contributions to their community. The judges will be looking for evidence of how the nursey goes out of its way to support its community by taking part in local activities. The nursery will also demonstrate how it actively involves staff, parents and children.

NEW AWARD for 2020

CATEGORY SPONSOR:

Kindred

PLEASE SUBMIT ALL OF THE FOLLOWING: Criteria • Give a full description of how the nursery: 1. Engages the local community by sharing their expertise more widely e.g. parent support classes, drop-ins (up to 250 words) 2. Make use of local expertise and resources wherever possible e.g. tradesmen and suppliers (up to 250 words) 3. Ensure that all children who want a place can access one (up to 250 words) 4. Find ways to make their nursery sustainable e.g. accessing grants (up to 250 words)

NURSERY MANAGER AWARD 2020 The nursery sector depends on the very best managers for its current and future success. This award will be won by the manager who has shown outstanding caring and business skills and leadership in developing a thriving, high quality nursery which delivers a superb environment for children, staff and parents.

Supporting Evidence • Include the most recent inspection report from the nursery where the team is based • Provide 1-5 testimonials from children, related staff, management and parents • Provide details of any recognition or accreditation from any recognised bodies

Supporting Evidence • Supply 1-5 photos showing the community nursery • Provide 1-5 testimonials from staff and parents to support the entry • Provide details of any recognition or accreditation from any recognised bodies (if applicable)

CATEGORY SPONSOR:

Millhouse Manufacturing Design

PLEASE SUBMIT ALL OF THE FOLLOWING: Criteria • Show in what ways the individual has (up to 300 words): 1. Leadership skills and the ability to support, develop and motivate staff (up to 100 words) 2. The ability to work with young children and their families in a sensitive and positive way (up to 100 words) 3. The ability to create a safe, caring and stimulating environment (up to 100 words) • Give a summary including examples if available, of how the individual’s role and day to day management is so outstanding (up to 200 words) • 30 word biography of the nominee

Supporting Evidence • Include the most recent inspection report for the setting the individual manages • Provide 1-5 testimonials from a selection of children, staff and parents • Provide details of training, qualification or accreditations the individual has received

ENTER NOW! CLOSING DATE FOR ENTRIES: 17 July 2020

NURSERY BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT AWARD 2020 This award will be given to an outstanding launch of a new nursery business since January 1st 2018 or to a nursery or nursery group which has expanded significantly since January 1st 2018.

PLEASE SUBMIT ALL OF THE FOLLOWING: Criteria • Give a full description of the new launch/expansion including the rationale (200 words) • For a launch please explain why it has been ‘outstanding’ including how it has benefitted the children, parents, staff and surrounding community (300 words) • OR for an expansion please explain why the expansion has been ‘significant’ including how it has benefitted your children, parents, staff and surrounding communities (300 words) • 30 word profile of the business

Supporting Evidence • Include the most recent Inspection report if available • Supply 1-5 photographs highlighting the best details of the launch/expansion • Provide 1-5 testimonials to support the entry

NURSERY OPERATIONS/AREA MANAGER AWARD 2020 The winning Operations or Area Manager will have demonstrated exceptional vision and leadership across the settings they are responsible for, enhancing the reputation and success of the Group as a whole.

PLEASE SUBMIT ALL OF THE FOLLOWING: Criteria • Give a full description of the individual’s role and day to day leadership (up to 200 words) • Provide examples of where the individual has (up to 300 words): 1. Promoted good practice in their settings 2. Provided support, training and guidance for the managers they are responsible for • Summarise the positive management impact the individual has had on their children and staff (up to 200 words) • 30 word biography of nominee

NURSERY CHEF AWARD 2020 This award will be made to a Chef or Cook in a nursery setting, who shows exceptional ability in providing well-balanced, nutritious and delicious food, that takes into account individual needs of children, giving special attention to allergies, sensitivities, cultures and food hygiene. Applicants will be asked to supply a genuine 2 course menu from the nursery at the ‘Cook Off’ as well as supplying an example of a weekly menu plan created within the last three months.

Supporting Evidence • Include the most recent inspection report/s for the setting or settings the individual is responsible for • Provide 1-5 testimonials from staff to support the entry • Provide details of training, qualification or accreditations the individual has received

CATEGORY SPONSOR:

NEW CRITERIA for 2020

The Professional Nursery Kitchen

PLEASE SUBMIT ALL OF THE FOLLOWING: Criteria • Outline the reasons how the nominee shows exceptional ability in providing well-balanced, nutritious and delicious food that takes into account individual needs of children (up to 250 words) • Explain how the nominee develops menus for the nursery, giving special attention to the nutritional needs of under-fives (up to 250 words) • 30 word biography of the nominee

Supporting Evidence • Provide a copy of a monthly menu served within the last 3 months • Provide a copy of the two-course menu (taken from the monthly menu) that the nominee will cook at the ‘Cook Off’ if chosen to be a finalist • Provide the cost per child of the ‘Cook Off’ menu

NURSERY STAFF RESOURCE AWARD 2020 This award will go to the nursery Supply Company that has, in the view of the judges, brought to the nursery sector a new or wide array of resources to promote learning across the Early Years Foundation Stage, which best supports children’s learning and development in addition to staff skills and management.

PLEASE SUBMIT ALL OF THE FOLLOWING: Criteria • Give a full description of the resource (up to 300 words) • Explain why and how the resource was created (up to 200 words) • Explain how the resource is already – or is going to - benefit the lives of the children or staff in a nursery setting (up to 200 words) • Explain why this resource is a long-term investment (up to 100 words) • 30 word profile of the resource

Supporting Evidence • Supply 1-5 photos of the resource • Provide 1- 5 supporting testimonials from a nursery setting or settings who have benefited from the resource

CATEGORY SPONSOR:

NURSERY OUTDOOR LEARNING ENVIRONMENT AWARD 2020 This award will be made to the nursery which has, in the view of the judges, created an outdoor ‘living classroom’ that inspires and excites children. Activities that promote physical well-being, creativity and first-hand learning experiences will be sought.

Timotay Playscapes

PLEASE SUBMIT ALL OF THE FOLLOWING: Criteria • Give a full description of how the outdoor learning environment excites and inspires the children (up to 400 words) • Explain how the environment empowers children to become more confident and creative, including examples of activities and resources (up to 400 words) • 30 word profile of the setting

ECO-NURSERY OF THE YEAR AWARD 2020 This award will be won by the nursery which has put eco-friendly approaches at the forefront of its priorities. The nursery will actively have an environment focus in their day-to-day management of the setting. This can include the use of sustainable materials and teaching children about being eco-friendly at nursery and at home.

NEW AWARD for 2020

PLEASE SUBMIT ALL OF THE FOLLOWING: Criteria • Give a full description of how the nominated nursery has implemented environmentally friendly measures and activities. Examples might include making buildings energy efficient, using renewable energy and how the nursery involves children in their goals. (up to 300 words) • 30 word profile of the nursery

NURSERY CHILDCARE PRACTITIONER AWARD 2020 This award recognises the outstanding childcare provided by a Nursery Nurse/Childcare Practitioner. The childcare will include warmth, equality, responsibility, safety, fairness and being supportive in all relationships involving the children, parents and organisation.

Supporting Evidence • Include the most recent inspection report • Supply 1-5 photographs showing outdoor learning areas

Supporting Evidence • Include the most recent inspection report • Supply 1-5 photographs showing the nursery setting, and highlighting environmental projects and schemes

NEW CRITERIA for 2020

PLEASE SUBMIT ALL OF THE FOLLOWING: Criteria • Give full details about the positive effect the individual has had on the children, parents and staff within the setting since being in their role (up to 300 words) • Give a full description of why and how the nominee has proved to be exceptional within their day to day duties (up to 200 words) • 30 word biography of nominee

Supporting Evidence • Provide 1-5 testimonials from children, staff and parents • Provide details of training, qualification or accreditations the individual has received

FOREST OR BEACH SCHOOL / KINDERGARTEN AWARD 2020 This award will be made to the forest or beach school / kindergarten which can demonstrate their focus on developing personal, social and emotional life skills through learner led, naturebased learning. The entry will show how children are inspired creatively with activities and experiences with an outdoor approach.

CATEGORY SPONSOR:

daynurseries.co.uk

PLEASE SUBMIT ALL OF THE FOLLOWING: Criteria • Give a full description of how the forest or beach school / kindergarten creates an exciting environment for children (400 words) • Explain how learning in a woodland or coastal environment emboldens children to grow in confidence, self-esteem and co-operative play with examples of activities and experiences (400 words) • 30 word profile of the setting

Simply complete the form over the page

Supporting Evidence • Include the most recent inspection report • Supply 1 – 5 photographs showing the forest or beach school / kindergarten

Turn the page for more categories ➤➤➤

...continued from previous page PLEASE NOTE THAT ANY ENTRIES WHICH DO NOT SUBMIT THE REQUIREMENTS SHOWN FOR EACH CATEGORY WILL BE DISREGARDED

T H I S Y E A R ’ S AWA R D C AT E G O R I E S

CATEGORY SPONSOR:

NURSERY PERSONALITY OF THE YEAR AWARD 2020 We’re looking for the person whose great personality and energy has made a real difference in their own setting in ways which are truly inspiring and memorable. This person will actively promote excellent care for their children, peace of mind for parents and a happy working environment.

PLEASE SUBMIT ALL OF THE FOLLOWING: Criteria • Describe how the individual’s ‘personality’ plays a role in the care they deliver (up to 300 words) • Explain how the individual has influenced or inspired those they have worked with (up to 200 words) • 30 word biography of nominee

CATEGORY SPONSOR:

Hope Education

PLEASE SUBMIT ALL OF THE FOLLOWING: Criteria • Give a full description of the nursery group including how many settings, and numbers of children and members of staff (up to 300 words) • Give an account (up to 250 words) of: 1. The corporate identity, values and focus 2. The Group’s strengths/USP’s, training systems and approaches currently in place 3. The Group’s success in delivering high quality care across the group including plans for the future 4. A brief summary of the group’s business success over the last 3 years • 30 word profile of the Nursery Group

NURSERY GROUP (OVER 10 SETTINGS) AWARD This award is open to nursery groups with ten or more UK settings and is designed to recognise a forward thinking group which has shown outstanding success in delivering high quality childcare, well-trained and motivated staff, inspirational values, focus across the group and financial success.

Supporting Evidence • Provide 1-5 testimonials from children, staff and parents • Provide details of training, qualifications or accreditations the individual has received

NEW CRITERIA for 2020

NURSERY GROUP (UNDER 10 SETTINGS) AWARD This award is open to nursery groups with between two to nine UK settings and is designed to recognise a forward thinking group which has shown outstanding success in delivering high quality childcare, welltrained and motivated staff, inspirational values, focus across the group and financial success.

dot2dot Nursery Insurance

Supporting Evidence • Include the most recent inspection ratings for all settings (eg 5 Outstanding, 3 Good or 5 Very Good, 3 Good) • Supply 1-5 photos showing some of the group’s settings • Provide 1-5 testimonials from staff and parents to support the entry • Provide details of any recognition or accreditation from any recognised bodies (if applicable)

CATEGORY SPONSOR:

NEW CRITERIA for 2020

Hope Education

CLOSING DATE FOR ENTRIES: 17 July 2020

ENTRY FORM HOW TO ENTER

✓TICK

ENTRY CHECKLIST

This is your chance to nominate a colleague (or yourself) for the recognition their (your) excellent work deserves.

This entry form signed and dated by you

Enter the 18th National NMT Nursery Awards 2020 now!

Additional typed testimonials from colleague or parent/s if required

■ Choose the category or categories you wish to enter ■ Write an entry, referring to the criteria and supporting evidence for the category you have chosen ■ Enter online at: nmt-magazine.co.uk/awards OR ■ Complete this entry form and attach it to your entry ■ Post: To enter by post, please contact the events team for the postal address.

You have covered all the criteria

✓TICK

ENTRY CATEGORIES

Nursery Training & Development Award 2020 Individual Nursery Award 2020 Nursery Indoor Learning Environment Award 2020 Nursery Room Leader Award 2020 Nursery Team Award 2020 Community Nursery of the Year Nursery Manager Award 2020

Ofsted inspection report/s if required

Nursery Business Development Award 2020

Additional photographs if required

Nursery Operations / Area Manager Award 2020

Any details of training, recognition or accreditation if required

Nursery Chef Award 2020

A 30 word biography / profile Full contact details for the nominee on the form below

Nursery Staff Resource Award 2020 Nursery Outdoor Learning Environment Award 2020 Eco-Nursery of the Year Award 2020 Nursery Childcare Practitioner Award 2020

DETAILS OF NOMINEE Name of nominee:

Forest or Beach School / Kindergarten Award 2020 Nursery Personality of the Year Award 2020 Nursery Group (Under 10 settings) Award 2020 Nursery Group (Over 10 settings) Award 2020

Job title: Nursery name: Organisation / Group name: Website: Address:

Postcode: Name of person making nomination: Nominator telephone: Nominator email: Date:

RULES FOR ENTRY ■ The competition is open to all staff working in a nursery setting. In the case of the Nursery Staff Resource Award, a proven supplier to the industry ■ Entries are treated in the strictest confidence ■ Entries will be judged by a panel of eminent and impartial adjudicators appointed by NMT ■ Finalists will be required to attend the Judging Day in during October 2020 – date tbc. Judging for the Chef Award will also take place during October 2020 – date tbc. ■ Entries will not be returned ■ One copy of the submission is required ■ Use one entry form per entry. Photocopies are acceptable ■ Employees of NMT and their families are not entitled to enter ■ All winners will be announced at the Gala Night on 30 November 2020 ■ There will be four or five finalists in each category ■ Award winners and finalists may state in advertising or other promotional material that they are or have been winners or finalists. The year that the Award was won must be included in the same typeface and size as the statement of the Award.

ANY QUESTIONS? email THE EVENTS TEAM on events@investorpublishing.co.uk or call 0207 720 2109

nmtinsurance

Embracing collaboration while remaining competitive Running a nursery takes a lot of work and it has only gotten harder during the Covid-19 crisis. Daniel Weir, research analyst at Morton Michel speaks about the strengths of the sector. nsurance policies might seem quite removed from commercial competition. Obviously getting good value for your premium is important, but for the most part, they sit silently in the background until you need to make a claim. However, as an insurance broker we talk to nursery owners and staff every day and through that we develop a strong understanding of what the challenges of running a business are. At Morton Michel, we take that knowledge and use it to help develop the products and associated support services we offer, helping your nursery be as competitive as possible. Of course, talking about competition in the context of the childcare sector can feel uncomfortable. As a sector, childcare is notably collaborative. Businesses tend to be relatively small, serving a local catchment area and, if anything, working closely with other providers

to ensure children’s needs are being met. This does not mean there is not an element of competition between childcare providers, but nurseries may find that their real competition comes from other areas of the society we live in. One key example of this is recruitment. Time and again, our clients have told us that it tops their ongoing concerns. Although competition for staff between childcare providers can be fierce, these days the greater challenge can come from outside the sector. Other industries can offer higher salaries than are possible in childcare, and can also increasingly offer flexible working options which can make it more of a struggle to attract qualified and quality staff. Yet, the childcare profession has huge benefits. What lies behind spirit of collaboration over competition is that for most people working in the sector, it is a vocation, and working with children is its own reward. There are few jobs that can provide the level of satisfaction that this sector can. However, this means that potential applicants can have a difficult decision to make, weighing up monetary considerations with the

opportunity to work a job that they will love. To tip the scales, nurseries have to do everything within their power to incentivise promising candidates to join them. At Morton Michel, our approach to this problem has been to ensure our NurseryCare product includes benefits and support that staff can take advantage of. This means access to high quality training, so that they feel invested in, as well as discounts at shops, restaurants and attractions that can help make their salary go that little bit further. We are also particularly proud to offer a free, confidential counselling line that both staff and their families can use to support their mental health. The feedback we have received is that these extras can make a really big difference with staff, improving their quality of life outside work so that they can decide to do the job that they will love. Competing with businesses outside of the childcare sector is a reality when it comes to recruitment. At Morton Michel, we want to help our clients meet this challenge, giving them tools and resources which, coupled with nursery managers natural ability to be innovative, can help their nursery be the best that it can be. ■

‘Although competition for staff between childcare providers can be fierce, these days the greater challenge can come from ● Dan Weir is a research analyst at childcare insurance specialists, Morton Michel. outside the sector.’ T: 020 8603 0944 W: mortonmichel.com Connect with Morton Michel on LinkedIn at linkedin.com/company/morton-michel-insurance

www.nmt-magazine.co.uk

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NURSERY MANAGEMENT TODAY 31

nmtviewpoint

The OakNorth Bank strategy:

The UK banking sector has undergone significant changes over the past decade. However, some of the traditional high-street banks have failed to move quickly with the times. Stuart Blair, debt finance director at OakNorth Bank discusses how OakNorth does things differently. ince its launch in September 2015, OakNorth Bank has provided fast, flexible and accessible debt finance (from £0.5m to £50m) to profitable small and medium-sized businesses including care home operators and developers, established property developers and nurseries. Founders, Rishi Khosla and Joel Perlman, were inspired to launch OakNorth following the negative experience they had in trying to secure a loan to scale their previous business, Copal Amba, a financial

32 NURSERY MANAGEMENT TODAY

doing things differently to the traditional highstreet banks

research outsourcing company they started in 2002. In 2006, Rishi and Joel had a profitable, strong cash flow business, a great list of clients, and were ready to grow the business even further. As this was pre-financial crisis of 2008, alternative lending options such as new banks and peer-to-peer lenders had not yet been established, so the only way to secure debt finance was from a traditional highstreet bank. However, despite the fact that Rishi and Joel had a strong, profitable

July / August 2020

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business, none of the high-street banks were willing to lend to then unless they could put property up as security. This experience stuck with them so in 2014, after having grown Copal Amba to 3,000 employees across 11 markets, they sold the business to Moody’s Corporation and started their next venture, OakNorth, a business that would address the debt financing needs of the “Missing Middle”. We define the Missing Middle as high-growth businesses that tend to

nmtviewpoint sets OakNorth Bank apart from other lenders. After spending more than 15 years working at a traditional high-street lender, OakNorth Bank was a breath of fresh air. The entrepreneurial spirit, agility and dedication to providing a better borrowing experience really stuck out. We typically categorise our differences with the following ways:

Speed: at OakNorth Bank, we leverage our proprietary credit analysis and monitoring Platform, to speed up the lending process. On average we complete transactions in just three weeks, compared to the months it takes traditional high-street banks. We want to ensure our clients are capable of getting an answer in a timely fashion, so they can get back to running the day-tobusiness and focus on scaling it.

●

‘We want to ensure our clients are capable of getting an answer in a timely fashion, so they can get back to running the day-to-business and focus on scaling it.’ have the largest impact on local communities and global economies, but have traditionally been in banking’s blind spot. In March 2015, OakNorth Bank became the third UK bank to secure a retail deposit-taking license in 150 years and has lent more than £4bn to over 750 UK businesses. To-date, OakNorth Bank’s loans have directly helped with the creation of over 13,000 new homes, of which 11,700 are affordable homes or social housing, and more than 17,000 new jobs across the UK. The Bank has teams in London, Manchester, Bristol, Birmingham, Leeds and Ipswich.

What sets OakNorth apart from other lenders?

When speaking with a new prospective client, they can often be sceptical – perhaps they’ve had a similar negative experience with a traditional bank to the one Rishi and Joel had, perhaps they are weary of trusting a young, new bank that they may not have heard of before, or perhaps, they don’t yet know what

Transparency: we open the doors (or currently, virtual conference rooms!) to our borrowers and give them the opportunity to join our Credit Committees to discuss their lending needs directly with the decision makers. Businesses are kept up to date throughout the process so that they know how their application is progressing and if there are any potential bottlenecks that need to be addressed. ●

Flexibility: we take the time to understand the borrowers needs and build a bespoke loan facility that’s tailored to them. Instead of only accepting property as collateral we look at all of the business’s assets – machinery, intellectual property, etc. – to deepen the collateral pool.

●

Entrepreneurial approach: as a bank founded by entrepreneurs instead of bankers, we take a business and entrepreneurial-minded approach to lending. It’s not just another business transaction to us, it’s an opportunity to build a longterm relationship and create additional value for our borrowers and the wider community as a result. Throughout the year we host events for our borrowers and facilitate introductions, whether it’s to do business or have them share their ●

www.nmt-magazine.co.uk

experiences. Our net promoter score of 85 means that over two thirds of our qualified leads come from existing customers. As you can see from the above, we’re dedicated to our craft – lending to SMEs – and constantly strive to ensure our borrowers know they’re a lifelong partner. At OakNorth Bank, we’re committed to solving SME lending and want to do everything in our power to help high-growth businesses to not only stimulate local economies, but also strengthen employment and global GDP. Since the lockdown began, we’ve approved over £50m of new loans, including to nurseries, so we are absolutely still seeing opportunities to support strong businesses with their growth ambitions. In the short to medium term, we are hopeful that lockdown measures will be eased and that nurseries can re-open, and in the long-term, we are mindful that past crises have led to baby booms which could lead to increased demand for / occupancy at nurseries two years’ from now. Another, less positive, side to think about is nursery consolidation postvirus. The longer the UK stays in lockdown the greater chance businesses like nurseries will be affected. This could pose as a unique opportunity for a nursery owner, who might not have previously thought about regional expansion, a chance to acquire a nursery and grow their existing nursery chain. While we’ve continued to find new businesses to lend to in these unprecedented times, we’ve also become an accredited lender for the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme (CBILS) and have been deploying capital over the past few months. If you’re a nursery owner who’s been affected by Covid-19 or simply want to explore your debt financing options, we’re here to help. ■

Coping with Covid-19

July / August 2020

NURSERY MANAGEMENT TODAY 33

nmtspecial report

What makes your business

competitive? Building and opening a nursery is an extremely passionate project. Once completed, settings need to stay competitive to keep up with the pace of the market. Matthew Martin, head of business development at the Little Beehive Nursery Group speaks about how this can be achieved. he foundation of any nursery should be its focus on child development and the experience the child receives in your setting, which is something I’m sure we all agree with. However, once you have a strong practice ethos in place, you must build on those foundations to help you stand out from other nurseries. An area I feel a lot of nurseries fail to develop is the parent/carer experience. On a daily basis, the parent/carer interacts with you and your nursery in a variety of ways and has an array of different experiences through this engagement. It is through these experiences that that the vast percentage of your parent/carers will judge your setting. Firstly, when I started at Little Beehive, I noticed pretty quickly that a lot of the childcare practice and the theory behind it went way over my head - most likely because I wasn't coming from a childcare background. Now this wasn’t because the practitioners weren't doing a

fantastic job, it was simply because I didn't have extensive knowledge of early years education. Funnily enough, this is probably how a lot of parent/carers feel too. The fantastic service you offer the child might not fully register with the parent/carer, regardless of how much you try to engage them. Child development is complex, and our team members work for years to achieve qualifications in order to inform their practice. Unfortunately, the children who attend your nursery aren’t going to rush off and tell all of their friends’ parents that they love going to Little Beehive, because of its use of educational practices that are based on the theories of the 18thcentury German pedagogue, Friedrich Frobel (as frustrating as that may be). This doesn't mean you shouldn't go above and beyond for the child. It simply means that you need to do your utmost to educate your parents/carers about the great practice your team deliver, and seek

‘The fantastic service you offer the child might not fully register with the parent / carer, regardless of how much you try to engage them.’

34 NURSERY MANAGEMENT TODAY

July / August 2020

www.nmt-magazine.co.uk

to further the knowledge of those parents/carers who may already have a deep understanding of early years education. You need make the child’s experience understandable to the parent/carer, so they can judge your practice on more than the five minutes they spend dropping off their child each morning. Educating your parents will greatly improve their experience, but you can’t forget about the day-to-day interactions either – including those five minutes in the morning. The first thing I did when I joined Little Beehive was put myself in the shoes of a parent/carer who is just entering the world of nurseries and is looking for a nursery to send their child to. I sat down and tracked the entire process, how easy was it to find

Keep informed

nmtspecial report out about Little Beehive? How easy was it to contact the relevant person? How long from the first contact was the registration process and how easy was it to follow? My findings were disappointing to say the least. With a focus on getting the child in for a visit, the parent/carer was left with a lot of paperwork and a lot of questions. From these findings, we have created what we think is one of the best registration processes in our area. A dedicated enroller has been brought in to head office to be a constant direct line of contact for new parents. Allowing the manager of their preferred setting to focus on the child development, our enroller concentrates solely on the new parent’s/carer’s experience. All of currently undergoing a series of your nursery’s parent/carer for a our paperwork is now digital, renovations in our lobbies to day. Parents/carers are the keys to allowing parents to complete modernise them; after all, it’s the the reputation of your nursery, and registration packs and paperwork first impression parents/carers have their day-to-day interactions with from the comfort of their own home, of your setting. In previous articles, the nursery are worth a lot more perhaps with a nice vino or two by I have talked about the importance than you might think. their side (not mandatory). We also of nursery management software, We are fortunate at Little Beehive, created a new starter box. Every child and we picked one that allows we have a dedicated Child who registers with us now receives a parents to be in constant Development Manager who starter box on their first visit, which communication with the nursery oversees all child development and contains information on the nursery, and what their child has been up to practice and we also have a fantastic a checklist of things to bring for the during the day, so their experience head office team. They focus on the first day of nursery and a letter from doesn’t end after drop off. parent/carer, making sure we get it the directors with their contact These parent/carer experiences right for them. You might not have information. These may all seem like that luxury. You might even be the might seem irrelevant to you. The small improvements, but after both the owner and operator of child (who is the number one introducing them we saw an increase your service. But don't be put off by priority after all) does not care what of 20% in successful registration not having access to a larger team, the uniform policy is; they don't conversions from new enquires. And as mentioned previously, you could care what the entrance lobby looks that was all without changing ask the parents/carers to be like; and they most certainly aren't anything IN the nurseries! involved. By simply asking for their bothered if their parent knows what Now I am registered, what is my opinions you are probably they had for lunch. But we've found experience like in the nursery? When improving their experience! that these little things are hugely I drop off my child in the morning, important to our nurseries’ The foundations of the nursery are how am I greeted? Do I have my own competitiveness, along with the laid by the quality of practice and access code? How easy is it to keep hundreds of other small but unique education your team deliver. Still, up to date with what is happening in experiences parents/carers receive your nursery will grow by what you the nursery? This list isn’t during their time at Little Beehive. build on those foundations, the comprehensive and your nursery These are just a few examples of experiences you provide to others will be different from Little Beehive, "parent-focused experiences" within who interact with your nursery that but I implore you to do this and our nursery, and to be honest, your are not the children and how your create a list with what experiences nursery could be very similar, or nursery is perceived when parents parents/carers encounter at your hugely different. Still, the principles walk out of the door at the end of nursery (you could even involve the are the same: make an effort to be the day. ■ parents/carers). In response to our list, we recently finished up designing and rolling ● Matthew Martin is Head of Business Development at the Little Beehive Nursery Group, which out a new uniform operates across the East of Scotland. He has worked in the nursery industry for 5 years. across the nurseries, Connect with Matthew at LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/matthew-martin-b399b715a which is much smarter W: www.littlebeehivenursery.co.uk E: matt@Littlebeehivenursery.co.uk and professionallooking. We are also www.nmt-magazine.co.uk

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NURSERY MANAGEMENT TODAY 35

nmtmanagement Nobody knows why Covid-19 started or when it will end. The sole certainty is uncertainty. Ministers provide regular ‘progress chasing’ bulletins and the list of topics for post-pandemic Inquiries grows apace – but top priority should be an Inquiry into Covid-19’s consequences for children because the track record is appalling. Helen Clark, lead author for the APPG

In the eye of the storm:

children and Covid-19 C

hildren have been ignored at best, let down at worst by the Government and ‘the science’

alike. This is nothing new. There is no Department for Children with an aligned Select Committee. The Minister for Children is invariably junior; the last appointment and the first to be ‘re-shuffled.’ Neither the current incumbent nor the Children’s Commissioner has yet been called upon to address the daily press conferences and children’s issues are conspicuous by their absence. Meanwhile, all the serious subjects below have featured in national news outlets, specialist journals and the work of professional bodies. They show no sign of abating:

Many children already identified as ‘vulnerable’ (and for whom school places have been allocated during shutdown) do not attend school leading to fears that they may be captive victims of sexual/physical abuse or witnesses to domestic violence. ● The National Crime Agency identified an increased risk of online sexual abuse for UK children from a minimum pool of over 300,000 people.

Safeguarding ●

Research has found a worsening in children’s existing mental

Mental Health ●

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health conditions and a triggering of others (including acute anxiety). ● Some children are endangered by enforced proximity to adults with mental health problems; lacking support themselves. Food banks are depleted; local authorities have queried the nutrition status of Government food boxes. ● Since lockdown, 3 million people have gone full days without meals. ● Families experiencing parenting difficulties have no access to personalised support contact. ● Housing insecurity including overcrowding is increasing the likelihood of infection within deprived communities.

Nutrition/Inequalities ●

Some children may be disadvantaged due to lack of internet facilities or educationally conducive home circumstances. ● The Government Job Retention Scheme does not cover all Early Years settings; precipitating nursery closure.

Education ●

Women may give birth at home alone due to fear of contracting Covid-19 in hospital, hospital restrictions on birthing partners and community midwife unit closure.

Children may miss immunisations due to parental fear of Covid-19 infection, thus increasing the risk of future measles pandemics. ● Some Children with severe, undiagnosed conditions are not on the ‘vulnerable list’ and therefore deprived of additional support. ● Parents are reluctant to take children to hospital with nonrelated Covid-19 illness, due to fear of infection.

Child Health ●

Covid-19 has already changed the way we will live our lives. Now the UK Government must build for future generations; establishing a Department for Children led by a Cabinet Minister; a Select Committee to hold that Department to account and the incorporation into UK law of The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. Covid-19 will bequeath many legacies; some beneficent, some malign – but a fairer deal for every child would be a good one. Why not start now? ■

Pregnancy/Birth ●

July / August 2020

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● Helen Clark is Lead Author for the APPG on A Fit and Healthy Childhood W: https://fhcappg.org.uk

nmtmanagement

HABA appoints Creating Classrooms as UK sales representative Family run German toy and furniture manufacturer HABA has appointed educational furniture company, Creating Classrooms, to represent HABA’s extensive furniture range in the UK. Jade Hunter, marketing manager details the company.

or over 80 years, HABA has had a well-established and worldwide reputation for producing vibrant, durable and high-quality toys and furniture: providing children in over 50 countries with long-lasting enjoyment; stimulating and nurturing children’s creativity, imagination and reasoning; and encouraging age-appropriate development right from the start. Whether you are working on a new build, planning a refurbishment or simply looking for a few key pieces to transform your learning environment, Creating Classrooms will support you every step of the way. Our experienced team love to share ideas to create an inspiring space for children, making it welcoming and harmonious, inclusive and beautiful, resourced with sustainable furniture. With 15 years’ experience in education design, we now partner

with HABA because they share our values about the importance of sustainability, quality and durability. For us, quality is essential – not only the triple A grade PEFC certified wood used throughout the range, but also the outstanding level of environmental protection and safety testing carried through all phases of processing and production. All of our modular furniture products are made with real birch and beech wood veneer from genuine timber, to create a healthy room climate. HABA furniture is designed in such a way that individual pieces can supplement existing furniture, or we can plan a completely new, customized room concept to create your dream space. We have a solution for every space and budget, whether it’s play areas, reception and staff spaces or classrooms for all ages. This is one of the reasons we like to start with a conversation: to understand your needs and share ideas! If you require help, advice or inspiration for a project, we offer a free room planning service. This can include 2D and 3D images to visualise the furniture

concept, itemised product lists and virtual walk-throughs to share with parents and stakeholders. Working with you, we can develop a room plan with your ideas, vision and nursery values at the core of our work. HABA furniture is made to order and most things can be customised to suit your requirements, allowing every customer to make their room unique. Our friendly, experienced team are always happy to discuss what you need and make suggestions about things that we think will fit perfectly. We understand flexibility in furniture is important, enabling teachers and children to quickly and easily reconfigure their learning environment. Mobile storage with locking castors, modular partitions, interchangeable tops and nesting tables are just some of the space saving and customisable solutions available to create an agile and uncluttered space, supporting both the educational work of teachers and the developmental needs of children. In addition to delivering any order nationwide in the UK, we can also offer a service including inside delivery with unpacking and disposal of packaging whenever required, and a full installation service for projects, leaving your rooms set up and ready to use. We are ready and available whenever you require our support with plans for developing your spaces. Even small changes can have a big impact on experiences and choosing the right things for your space is something we can help with right away. ■

● T: 01434 239097 E: info@creating-classrooms.com W: www.creating-classrooms.com

www.nmt-magazine.co.uk

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NURSERY MANAGEMENT TODAY 37

nmtwestminster

Calming the storm f all the groups affected by Government moves to get society back to normality, the stakes are probably highest for the early years sector. Many providers stayed open during the lockdown to support key workers children and vulnerable children despite the potential health risks. Early years providers, staff and volunteers are the unsung heroes of this crisis but that appreciation must extend past this pandemic and into action from the Government to ensure that the sector can thrive post Covid-19. For the past couple of months, the Government has released several layers of guidance and support to help as many nursery settings as possible remain open for key workers and vulnerable children. While many nurseries opened on 1 June, I have had quite a lot of questions about whether settings have to open and how this relates to the official ‘Roadmap to Recovery.’ On the Government’s website it quotes: ‘We are asking settings to open more widely so that more children can be welcomed back. We understand however that some settings may be unable to open, especially if they are experiencing severe staff shortages due to self-

38 NURSERY MANAGEMENT TODAY

It has been a difficult couple of months but despite the challenges the early years sector has managed to pull through together. Briony Richter looks at how the sector coped over the past few months. isolation and sickness, or particularly low levels of demand. Local authorities will work with local settings to determine the best way to ensure sufficient childcare. Settings should try to be as flexible as possible for parents and carers who work shifts or atypical hours and especially for parents who are critical workers.’ While we are starting to move slowly back into re-opening both the NDNA and the Early Years Alliance released data that pointed to concerns of providers about their sustainability and financial capability. Purnima Tanuku, chief exec of NDNA stated: ‘It is clearly not sustainable to have almost three quarters of providers running at a loss and most of the rest only just breaking even. ‘The Government needs to act now and bring in a recovery and

July / August 2020

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transformation fund to help providers weather this challenging period.’ Neil Leitch, chief exec of the Early Years Alliance added: ‘It is no exaggeration to say that the very future of the childcare sector is at risk if the government doesn’t get its act together and provide the support that providers need.’ And to be honest, it is concerning. The absence of better financial support to the lack of PPE for nursery staff are just a few of areas that have not been clearly addressed. As an already severely underfunded sector, there are far too many questions that have not been answered yet. Those working across the early years sector have vast amounts of knowledge and experience. However, they are having to walk quite blindly down the roadmap towards their own recovery. ■

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nmtgreat outdoors

The benefits of an eco building in early years I f you are looking to expand your early years provision by extending an existing site or building a brand new setting, there are many good reasons to consider an eco building for your solution. Over recent years there has been a significant increase in interest throughout society in finding more sustainable ways to live. From reducing consumption of single use plastic to minimising travel and fuel usage, people are making changes and taking greater responsibility as concerned citizens. Environmental considerations are increasingly important when it comes to making

Our society is continually moving towards greener options to help improve our environmental impact. Mark Brown, a Consultant for TG Escapes speaks about the benefits of eco buildings.

purchasing decisions and so when it comes to selecting a nursery or school, for many parents the environmental policies are important. Creating an eco-setting can therefore afford a clear competitive advantage. However, an eco building brings

with it a number of other advantages for an early years provider.

Energy efficient features reduce running costs

Eco buildings are highly energy efficient and can achieve an A+ rating, using features such as smart lighting, solar panels and sun pipes to keep daily energy consumption low. Living roofs not only look great but help to reduce water run off preserving the local environment. â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Both children and staff have really enjoyed working in this lovely new classroom, with easy access to the outdoors for play. A welcome bonus is that we have saved significantly on energy costs!â&#x20AC;&#x2122; Headteacher

Buildings using natural materials and flooded with natural light improve well-being and educational outcomes

As we all know, the space we are in has a direct influence on how we feel and therefore how we perform. Eco 40 NURSERY MANAGEMENT TODAY

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nmtgreat outdoors

buildings follow the principles of biophilic design using natural materials, providing easy access to the outdoors, maximising penetration of and exposure to natural light and ensuring healthy interior air quality while offering expansive views of the natural world outside. There is evidence that simply having views of nature can improve educational outcomes: a study in 2007 found that Children exposed to nature scored higher on concentration and self-discipline. ● demonstrated improved awareness, reasoning and observational skills. ● performed better at reading, writing, maths, science & social studies. ● were better at working in teams. ● showed improved behaviour overall. ●

building due to the amount of natural light and space. Free flow access to a covered deck is a huge advantage so that outdoor learning can take place in all weathers.’ Director of School Development ‘We have seen a big improvement in their behaviour and they are much calmer, something that we think may be due to the natural light they have which was not available in the previous room.’ Headteacher

Speedier construction with sustainable materials time saves time and energy

An offsite modular construction process is quicker than a traditional build because the components can

be manufactured off site whilst groundworks are taking place: smaller buildings can be completed in as little as 6 weeks. It also means that when adding a building to an existing setting, disruption is minimised and the construction area can be contained. The transportation of materials is more efficient so less fuel is consumed and materials can be kept dry and safe. Consequently, the overall costs of a well-designed eco building are significantly lower than a traditional build. ‘You are in effect getting a permanent building for half the cost of bricks and mortar.’ Head of Finance In conclusion, a well-designed eco-nursery can reduce building and running costs whilst enhancing the physical, mental and emotional well-being of its occupants: better for the budget, for staff and children and for the environment. ■

‘Giving the children a new setting to learn in has had a big impact on their motivation. Working amongst natural surroundings has enhanced the imagination and creativity.’ Principal ‘Both children and staff love learning and working in the

● TG Escapes design, manufacture and build bespoke eco buildings for schools using offsite modular construction. They have over 200 buildings in education throughout the UK featuring classrooms, staff rooms, training centres, studios, chapels, sports pavilions, canteens, nurseries SEND spaces and outdoor classrooms. T: 0800 917 7726 E: info@tgescapes.co.uk W: www.tgescapes.co.uk

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nmtcatering ack in January, I undertook a ground breaking partnership with leading experts in nursery and primary school catering, the Yum Yum Food Company. Having worked within the early years sector for over 15 years, designing healthy, tasty menus for individual settings to prepare, I knew there had to be a way of producing my recipes ready-made to nurseries in a cost-effective way. But to scale-up, I needed the wheels. By chance, I met Abigail Simon, Founder of the Yum Yum Food

Annabel Karmel, MBE

Food for thought from the Yum Yum Food Company as nurseries look to the immediate future Company, at a nursery trade show last year. She had been delivering freshly prepared meals to early years settings since 2003, specialising in catering for allergies, intolerances and special diets. We instantly clicked. Abigail recognised the challenges faced by

The fallout from Covid-19 has been catastrophic for the nursery and early years sector – and those that serve it, as renowned food expert Annabel Karmel MBE knows only too well. Annabel, together with her nursery catering business partner Abigail Simon, share their story and explain how external catering services can be a prime support as nurseries start to re-open their settings. many nurseries in terms of kitchen space, resource, time and food expertise. What could I bring to the table? Nutritious food also needs to taste good. Serving up something super healthy to a child that doesn’t tick the ‘tasty’ box is likely to be returned to sender. With my 30 years of expertise, I could help curate menus filled with flavour and goodness for

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the Yum Yum Food Company to prepare and deliver. In the space of just three months, we had designed an affordable expert food offering to enable every child to flourish. The new year hit and we had 60+ nurseries and early years settings taking advantage of our expert offering. Little did we know that the tides were about to turn.

nmtcatering Abigail Simon, Founder of the Yum Yum Food Company

aving got off to a sprinting start with our brand new expert food offering, Covid-19 came as a blow. But as the news came in that a full shut-down was imminent due to Covid-19, Annabel and I knew that our kitchen had to remain firmly open, not only to support settings with children of key workers, but our entire community… families, the vulnerable and frontline carers. Our support in the form of nutritious, wholesome food supplies was needed more than ever before. Our state-of-the-art kitchens had to step into action. Over the past two months, our kitchens have become a lifeline for numerous charities. Our most recent partnership with Bread n Butter CIC, a grassroots social enterprise that ordinarily teaches the basic skills of cookery and healthy sustainable living to families, has seen us cooking and delivering thousands of nutritious hot meals to vulnerable individuals, families and entire communities in London. But as discussions escalate around the re-opening of nurseries, albeit perhaps not to full capacity, it’s important that caterers like ourselves adopt a flexible approach to serving the needs of nurseries and early years settings. Undoubtedly, nurseries will have suffered during the pandemic. And with social distancing measures likely to remain in place for some time yet, how can nurseries ensure that they are providing the children in their care with cost effective quality food offering – particularly when settings may be operating with fewer children, and fewer experienced kitchen staff? Trying to re-build your business at a time when uncertainty remains, it’s never been more important to have an efficient, flexible food procurement system, and a menu which reduces waste and enables you to accurately cost your meals without compromising on taste, presentation or nutritional quality. The Yum Yum Food Company has an incredible infrastructure in place to support early years settings, whether you are catering for 13 or 130. We have a bespoke

ordering system in place to allow settings to easily order the correct meal quantities based on the number of children they are catering for each day. And with nursery teams able to easily change quantities of meals 48 hours prior to delivery, this helps with day to day cost management and also reduces wastage. We also specialise in catering for children with allergies and intolerances. Our custom built, efficient online ordering system that ensures every child, no matter what their requirement, receives the correct meal to meet their needs. Our best-in-class menus run on a 3week rotation to ensure they are packed with variety, and we offer both hot lunch and hot tea options, from creamy beef stroganoff and mango chicken, to fruity vegetable curry and courgette and carrot cake. Believe it or not, most children are actually more adventurous than we give them credit for, and we’ve spent countless months taste testing our menus to ensure they stand up to the fussiest of food critics.

ating habits and tastes are formed from an early age, so it’s crucial to introduce a good variety of foods at the earliest possible opportunity. Nurseries play such an important role in ensuring that children receive the nutritional balance they need for their optimum development and long-term health, but many nurseries re-opening their doors in the coming weeks will not have the capacity to cook on site, especially in the short term. Our fresh food delivery service, spanning hot, chilled and frozen, helps nurseries streamline and simplify their offering. We remove the challenges faced around kitchen labour costs, space, resource, time and food expertise which can all impact on the nutritional quality of food being served. In addition, we bring a level of expertise, trust and credibility that current and prospective parents will be seeking right now. As a nation, Covid-19 has left

Annabel Karmel, MBE

many of us feeling vulnerable. It has had a profound impact on our health and wellbeing, and this will remain a focus point for parents as their child settles back into a new routine. With many nurseries likely to be undertaking a recruitment drive in coming months, settings will want to show that they are leading the way in nutritional excellence. The nurseries we serve are perfectly placed to relieve those anxieties, as they can promote the association with myself - the UK’s No.1 children’s cookery author and trusted food expert. All of our customers are provided with access to a marketing toolkit which comes with a host of promotional assets to download and print off for notice boards and parent email communication; posters, flyers, branded menus, photography, recipe cards for parents to cook my expert recipes at home, and more. Whether you’re looking for a shortterm, medium or long-term food solution to support your nursery, the Yum Yum Food Company can provide a tailored, cost effective offering to support your setting. ■

● Visit www.yumyumfoodcompany.co.uk for more information.

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nmtfinancial advice

8 ways to re-start and grow your nursery whilst remaining competitive post pandemic Post Covid-19 nurseries will have to work even more to get their settings up and running. This is not an easy task but Jonathan Amponsah CTA FCCA, The Tax Guys lays out ways for growth in uncertain times. eing one of the key sectors severely affected by the current crisis, I totally empathised with one of our clients who told me that she feels as though her house has been burned down and she cannot see a way out of it. With children and parents under lockdown, staff on furlough and cashflow drying up, you might be wondering how you're going to survive, let alone get back to running the nursery. So, let’s imagine your house has been burned down through no fault of your own. Would you build the same house again or would you build a better one with all the ecofriendly and energy saving materials? In this article, I want to share and explore with you 8 ways to restart, grow and build a better nursery than before whilst remaining competitive.

problem you 1 The are solving

The first thing to do is ask yourself what problem you are solving in the marketplace. Right now, many parents can appreciate the problem of having kids at home whilst trying to work from home. There are other problems your setting is resolving for parents. Unless you can define the problem through the eyes of the parents, and communicate this 44 NURSERY MANAGEMENT TODAY

clearly, parents would see you as another nursery looking after their kids. Parents will then have nothing else to compare your setting with, except to compare your prices.

target 2 Your market

Once you’ve identified the problem, the next step is to consider the type of parents who would have these problems. Are they high executive parents, small business owners or part time workers? Do you take in all their children from 0 – 5 years or do you target certain age group? Do you know the number one concern for parents with that age group? A common question I get from nursery owners struggling to get their settings full is “how do I compete with that shiny new nursery down the road?” In any crowded marketplace, unless you have a target market, know their stress points and can serve the children really well, you will not stand out from the crowd and you’re unlikely to be competitive.

you solve the 3 How problem

Let’s say the value you’re bringing to the marketplace is ensuring that children can read or write at a certain age or that they stay and eat healthy.

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You may have additional programme or a certified food expert on premise to achieve these objectives. When communicated clearly, these give parents more comfort and they help to see you beyond the lowest price point.

market dominating 4 Your position

You can now combine the above three points into a marketing dominating position. Get some case studies from satisfied parents and ask for their permission to use them where appropriate. Communicate these in a clear message to parents and you will restart, grow and remain highly competitive and profitable post pandemic.

free hour 5 Leveraging funding

To avoid pricing yourself out of the market initially, it’s important to consider and embrace the Free Hour Funding. The word FREE is indeed a powerful thing in marketing. Here are 3 ways nurseries can use it to remain competitive Firstly, if you have excess capacity

nmtfinancial advice percentage of fees during the crisis to remain in business and rightly so. How do you leverage on this going forward and making these pricing structures a key feature going forward?

7 Your processes

During the crisis, you’ve managed to operate in some way remotely. You may have been forced to adopt online processes and a digital way of working. Admin, planning and procedures take a long time in the childcare industry and they appear to be in the top 3 concerns for the childcare sector. Would you go back to the old process or cut cost to remain competitive? Are you using the latest technologies? It is a good idea to carry out a review of how you do things to find out if you can streamline your processes, saving time and money.

8 Your people

Productivity and staff engagement have been cited as the biggest issue for all businesses right now. What kind of staff would you need to restart your nursery and how would you recruit, reward and retain them? Which staff do you sadly have to let go? A whole article can be written on this subject.

Before you restart, grow and remain competitive, please consider the type of professional help you would need. Some nurseries don’t feel well served by advisers during this crisis. It’s important to seek the right help, get the right information at the right time and make a conscious business decision to make things happen if you are to avoid inertia and rebuild a better nursery than before. ■

And finally

(say 70 per cent occupancy rate) then use the free hour funding as a marketing tool. You have to pay for the rent and the most staff whether you’re full or not. So, if you offer say 1 MONTH FREE childcare (this could be a powerful message in your area depending on how you use it) and it costs you say £2.50 for lunch for say 20 days in a month, your cost for the month will be £50. If this attracts a new child to the setting, and the child stays for say 3 years, the effect on your profits cannot be underestimated. Secondly, you can only allocate the free hours to days or sessions where you have low occupancy (Mondays and Fridays). Review the attendance profile in your setting to confirm the

days and numbers. Here you will be getting some funding and contribution towards your fixed costs. A third way to leverage the free hour funding is to consider increasing the average spend per family by adding ancillary products and services, and charging for all other services used (nappies, late pickups and others)

Your fees

How do you make money from doing what you do? Reconsider your current pricing structure and check whether it’s still fit for purpose post pandemic. Many nurseries have continued to charge parents a www.nmt-magazine.co.uk

● Jonathan Amponsah CTA FCCA is an award-winning chartered tax adviser and accountant who advises nursery owners on entrepreneurial tax reliefs. He is the founder and chief executive officer of The Tax Guys.

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W: thetaxguys.co.uk

NURSERY MANAGEMENT TODAY 45

nmtspotlight

As the pandemic continues to impact settings in Scotland, Dr Claire Warden reflects on the fact that sometimes unexpected challenges drive us to be creative, to think outside the box

‘One of the key aspects for many of us has been to develop the skills to work remotely with children and families in a way that still upholds our pedagogical beliefs.’

Virtual Nature School – our response to the global pandemic years ago, we established Whistlebrae and Auchlone Nature Kindergartens in Scotland out of an educational entrepreneurial drive to create more than a single way of defining children’s exposure to Nature. We wanted to move away from the established approach of accessing nature within defined time slots towards a pedagogy that would place nature at the heart of all the decisions and choices made in the setting. That was then, but now we are faced with a larger unknown challenge that will undoubtedly change the way we see each other and the world around us. Covid-19 has created an unpredictable situation that is evolving every day. We have had to find new ways of thinking to create and innovate practice to deal with the crisis. The process of change has been incredibly rapid, it has demanded that we step up quickly and efficiently to respond to the needs of the community. We

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have been driven by our individual values, the values that led us to establish our settings, whilst considering the emotional and physical sustainability of our team, now more than ever.

The process at the beginning of shutdown required the whole team to make decisions based on their own needs and those of their families. Fear of the unknown was rife and as false news permeated social media it was a challenge to make any informed choices. The position was and is to a certain extent driven by professional and human intuition. Funding and support from our local authority came in eventually. However, their criteria excluded many families in need that had been attending our pop-up nature school at the Auchlone Nature Kindergarten site in the first few weeks of lockdown. Living Classrooms CIC came to the fore to offer funded

Families in crisis

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spaces to families in crisis that sat outside the categories for council funding. There was a real need to support key worker families as well as responding to the needs of families where financial and emotional pressures were affecting the home environment and giving children a sense of instability and flux rather than routine and ritual. Living Classrooms CIC has been sharing a free inquiry-based Nature Play Diary, adding fresh content every week. The diary supports families to create nature focussed memory books for children to complete whilst at home. The idea is that these memories should form the basis for conversations when children begin their transitions back into schools and settings, rather than conversations focussing on what has been missed during lockdown. One of the key aspects for many of us has been to develop the skills to

Supporting families at home

nmtspotlight work remotely with children and families in a way that still upholds our pedagogical beliefs. In a field that has rightfully acknowledged the benefit of nature as an experience, it has been interesting to extend our practitioner Nature Pedagogy training work towards engaging families directly. Our work changed to create a more family focussed process, responding to consultation and feedback from children and families. The Virtual Nature School was born.

Children need relationships, not just through play but with their social peers. Isolation for some children has undoubtedly caused stress. The rapid shift in our rituals and routines shifted everything they had come to understand, for some of those children their early years provision was their place of comfort and predictability. There has been an inequality in the way schools and settings have engaged with families. In our nature-based pedagogy we have always used technology as a tool to extend our inquiries but now it has become a vital tool for communication with families and children, however we are very aware that this provision is not equitable. Lack of reliable technology and parents’ ability and motivation to engage with play and learning has created massive inequalities across the country. The ease of connection

Children need relationships

that young children have to technology allows them to engage through a screen when they have one, the challenge has been that I have spent most of my professional live seeking a balance in the lives of children from 3-11 years around the time spent on a screen. The Covid-19 pandemic has reframed our engagement with technology and forced us to think out of the box to make technology work for us. We have reflected as a team on which elements of technology to embrace that really blend and support our nature-based pedagogy.

The skill has been to facilitate mixed family grouping through open-ended inquiries. I spend each day volunteering at the hub we’ve created at Auchlone Nature Kindergarten. Along with the children attending the hub, I go online twice a day and we all engage in our Virtual Nature School. The children enormously enjoy the virtual community that consists of families across the globe. They get such a thrill talking and sharing ideas with their new friends on the other side of the world. Listening and being connected through a joint inquiry gives us a shared dialogue where parents can follow children’s ideas and plans. We plan to continue with this style of delivery throughout and beyond Covid-19 as we develop a closer, genuine collaboration between parents, carers and education.

Skills for the future

Imagine a place where you can collaborate with children around the world to explore and learn together and support a central passion to learn for, in, and with the natural world. A place where inquiries, problem solving, and research skills are valued and shared in a learning community that does not need to be bound by where you live but what drives your interest and motivation. That is the vision for the Virtual Nature School which has grown from the desire for parents and carers to reach out and make relationships with other like-minded people and provide their children opportunities to play and learn in a new and exciting way. The joy of seeing children from 3-11 years within our pop-up nature school at Auchlone collaborate and connect with children across the world through the Virtual Nature School has been inspirational. This experience has shown very clearly how children across that age range engage with each other, offering support and encouragement both face to face and through the Virtual Nature School. Yes, technology has proven to be an essential tool for this new way of living but what really connects them is nature. ■

The Virtual Nature School

● T: 01764 650030 E: enquires@claire-warden.com W: www.claire-warden.com Virtual Nature School: https://virtualnatureschool.org Free nature play diary: https://mindstretchers.academy/free-resources

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nmtproperty

By Andrew K Steen, Sales and Marketing Director, Redwood Dowling Kerr

Covid-19

– support in restarting your childcare business s we reach the midway point of 2020, we have all endured a first six months which no one could possibly have envisaged. The devastating impact of the Covid-19 outbreak has caused significant hardship for many businesses especially those in the early years sector. During this period the sector has once again rallied and has come together to educate itself in developing new processes, new procedures and new ways of working with the single aim of providing support and education to the UK’s children and working parents. For example, in the past few weeks I have been hosting the RDK webinar program where we have been providing support to nursery business owners by offering advice from accountants, funders and cost saving experts to try and assist nursery owners as they seek to reshape their business models. With this in mind I have deviated from our usual topics and felt it would be useful to cover the government support that is available, at the time of writing, to all nursery groups, owners and businesses.

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One of the most requested topics relates to the government assistance schemes which have been made available. The most controversial of these schemes was the “Job Retention Scheme” which was rolled out with great fanfare by Chancellor Rishi Sunak before last minute amendments considerably watered down the extent of the scheme which nursery owners could claim for. Recent changes to this scheme will enable part time working hours to commence for furloughed workers with effect from the 1st July 2020. Employers will need to cover the cost of the part time hours worked. An overview of the amended Job Retention Scheme is shown below:

Job Retention Scheme

The scheme was closed to new applications with effect from the 10th of June. ● June/July – 80% of employer’s national insurance and pensions contributions can be reclaimed from the government up to a maximum of £2,500. ● August – Employers will pay all NI and Pension Contributions ●

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September – 70% can be claimed from the government, employers contribute 10%. ● October – 60% can be claimed from the government, employers contribute 20%. ● 1st November – Job Retention Scheme ends – no further government support. ●

Recently launched, these loans are aimed at and are suitable for smaller businesses. Business owners are entitled to apply for a loan of up to 25% of their turnover with £50,000 being the maximum loan amount available. The first 12 months of the loan are capital and interest-free, no repayments are due until after the first year and interest rates are very low, averaging 2.5%. The application process is simple, and many applicants receive their bounce back loan money within 48 hours of their application being submitted. There has been significant take up of these loans by smaller businesses who have been impacted by the pandemic.

Bounce Back Loans

nmtproperty

Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme

The Coronavirus Business Loan (CBILS) seeks to provide government - backed loans up to a maximum of £5m. The scheme is applicable for businesses with a turnover up to £45m. For businesses with a larger turnover a different CBILS scheme is available but operates on similar principles. The CBILS was launched by Rishi Sunak with the aim to provide emergency support to struggling businesses who do not have sufficient capital reserves to survive the Covid-19 pandemic. Companies with strong balance sheets and cash reserves are excluded from the CBILS scheme as the Government has deemed that those businesses have sufficient strength to absorb the financial impact of the crisis. The scheme is intended to assist those businesses severely impacted by Covid-19 who have seen significant reductions in their income and who could be faced with administration/ insolvency and significant job losses without emergency external funding. We have recently seen a number of businesses receive CBILS to support their cash flow issues as they seek to adjust their business models and realign their cost bases. The government is offering lenders a guarantee to cover 80% of the loan

exposure. The CBILS scheme is available for application until September 2020 and a total of £330bn has been set aside to cover the government support for this initiative.

What actions can business owners take?

Many owners have spoken to us asking for advice about actions they can take to reshape their business models which will offer them some protection from the current and any future economic and pandemic shocks. The biggest challenge is forecasting the longer term impact of the virus and the impact that it will have on income. It is often the case when projecting future numbers that forecasts are not pessimistic enough and this can lead to a greater cash requirement than originally envisaged at the outset. This in turn drives the need for more borrowings which compounds the issue, hampers recovery and indeed puts the business at greater risk. So the primary initial requirement is to make sure you ask for enough money to see you through the crisis as further refinancing may not be an option. Having got the loan in place then other major actions to consider if faced with this situation are as follows:

Reduce cost base – staff wage reductions – reduced working hours. ● Headcount reduction – ensure you have the right balance of management/operational workers. ● Agree rent reduction / rent holidays with landlord. ● Renegotiate supplier agreements – shop around for better deals. ● Review overheads – when was the last time you reviewed your energy deal? ● Place staff incentives/team building days on hold – preserve cash position. ● Eradicate ancillary, non-essential costs and expenditure i.e entertaining. ● Ensure you have robust business planning in place – do you have detailed actions plans including the staff capable of delivering them? ●

It is vital during such a period as we are going through to ensure that you keep your staff and employees engaged and on board with the situation in what is a stressful and worrying time for all. In considering headcount reductions you need to focus on keeping the people who are integral to the business going forward. Ultimately these are the people that can help you turn this situation around and ensure that you do survive, particularly if you have needed to access a CBILS loan. ■

● Each and every business is different and as such will face its own unique challenges and not all of the above may be relevant. This is a wide-ranging topic and there are many facets to this. The directors at Redwoods Dowling Kerr have many years’ experience running a variety of businesses across a range of sectors, so if you would like to speak to us about your childcare business, be it sale options, acquisition options, business planning, our new cost saving energy service or you would like to register for our future webinars then please email me, andrew.steen@redwoodsdk.com

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nmtproperty sold

properties

recently sold

Redwoods Dowling Kerr have sold Pebbles Kindergarten At the conclusion of a successful deal process, Pebbles Kindergarten has been sold. The journey originally started when Carol and Tim ThorntonJones had a dream to acquire a childcare setting in the local area. Being experienced in the sector, they saw the need for a high quality of childcare, and they knew how to facilitate this. They did so by purchasing a detached 3 storey residential property, of a charming and antiquated design. Gradually and considerately modernised, the building was converted into a nursery, and it has always provided a comfortable accommodation for

their children. Having always been operated by experienced management, and a dedicated team of staff, the high quality of childcare provided by the nursery is evident in its “Good” report from Ofsted upon its most recent inspection. The nursery provides care for over 50 children from 3 months to 11 years of age. The buyer, Mrs Sangha commented; “Thank you, Natasha, for your assistance in getting this over the line.” Lead Negotiator Natasha Satterthwaite commented;

“Pebbles is a highly successful business which is demonstrated from receiving an offer after the first viewing. I’m sure Mrs Sangha and her family will do a fantastic job building on Carol’s success. Best of luck to all parties involved.” Acquisition: We play our role as professional and dedicated business brokerage. Our industry leading Corporate Sales Process is bespoke to your sale and is result driven. Contact us to discuss how Redwoods Dowling Kerr can assist you with your sale and acquisition strategies.

Carr Manor Nursery is acquired by YMCA – Childcare & Community Centres Carr Manor Nursery in Walton-le-dale, Lancashire, was established by Mr Mark Southworth 10 years ago with a dream to create an exceptional nursery in the local area, and to provide high standards of childcare. When he opened this nursery setting, he fulfilled his dream by achieving an excellent reputation in the area, earning a “Good” rating recently. The nursery has a capacity for 80 children and provides care for 0 to 5 years of age. The nursery also operates a before and after school club. Mr Southworth decided that he had achieved

all that he wished to with this nursery, and decided it was the right time to move onto other business interests. His ownership and management had transformed it into a sector leading nursery school in the area, and his efforts had resulted in the nursery becoming a highly flourishing business to acquire. Mr Southworth wanted someone to take control of the setting who shared his passion and values. The Buyer Commented; “Sarah and Karrina at RDK have been

absolutely fantastic to deal with, professional at all times and very patient. We got there in the end.” Lead Negotiator Sarah Ellison commented; “It was a pleasure to help Sue at the YMCA and her colleagues expand their current nursery group within Lancashire. The YMCA are dedicated to bringing award winning childcare into the community. The seller was pleased to have found such a great buyer and we wish him and his family all the best for the future with their other business interests.”

Just Imagine Day Nursery in Essex has successfully sold 3 years ago, the vendor recognised a demand for childcare within their town, and saw an opportunity to acquire Just Imagine Day Nursery in Canvey Island, Essex. The nursery subsequently became a valuable part of the community. The nursery has a capacity for 72 children and provides care for children between the ages of 0 to 11 years of age. The business has an unrivalled reputation in the area, earning a ‘Good’ report upon its most recent Ofsted inspection on 19 December 2018. Both parents who travel to the area and those in the locality rely on this nursery

setting to provide a safe and stimulating learning environment for their children. Due to aspirations to pursue business interests in a new location, the vendor decided it was time to sell their professional childcare setting. Their ownership of the business had transformed it into a highly lucrative business to acquire. The buyer, Tee and Kemi Familusi commented; “Your service was fantastic! You kept pushing until we got there. Thanks for a phenomenal service Natasha.”

Lead Negotiator Natasha Satterthwaite commented; “We had our ups and downs, however the team of vendors at Just Imagine have always been a pleasure to work with, no ask was too big. Kemi and Tee have also been a pleasure to deal with, always keeping in contact and working with me to try and ensure the transaction goes through. Best of luck to everyone involved on their future endeavours.” Looking to sell your nursery: With over 30 years’ experience in the

brokering deals in the Childcare sector, our insightful and professional services are tailored to maximising your sale price and delivering the best deal possible to you.

North West Group of 5, Network Nurseries Limited sold to the MiChild Group This is another landmark deal completed by Redwoods Dowling Kerr, successfully sold a group of 5 revered childcare settings located across

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Greater Manchester and Cheshire. The nurseries successfully operate across 1 freehold and 4 leasehold settings. The nurseries have a combined capacity for 287 children, and each setting benefits from its own robust organisational structure and team of dedicated and highly qualified staff. In the company’s latest Ofsted ratings, each highquality childcare setting earned a ‘Good’ report. The vendors, Barbara Johnson and Brenda Wolstenholme commented; “The RDK experience was a whirlwind of

July / August 2020

communication, data sharing, telephone calls, explanations in a very short space of time. Under pressure the RDK team did not let us down and retained control and essential guidance through the process. The level of service was excellent. The feelings on completion were relief and amazement that in spite of Covid 19 we had completed at all, then a low level of hysteria! We would certainly recommend RDK to any other potential clients. The buyer, Joel Selvadurai commented; “I am pleased to announce that MiChild Group has completed its acquisition of Network Nurseries Limited, operator of 5-day care nurseries in the

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North West of England. Thank you for all your hard work and effort to make this transaction happen. We very much look forward to working with the team at Network Nurseries in the coming weeks and welcome them to the MiChild family. Matthew Scott, Vincent’s Solicitors commented: “I am delighted to have assisted in completing the sale of Network Nurseries Limited in the short time frame and wish the vendors all the very best with their retirement. Whilst there was a number of complicating factors through-out the deal we managed to conclude the transaction in a fourweek period.”

nmtproperty sold

properties

recently sold Smart Start Day Nursery is now under new ownership Concluding a highly successful sale process, Smart Start Day Nursery in the West Midlands has now transitioned to new ownership. The vendors, Sylvia and Stephen Aston are delighted with the result. Thanks to the efforts of Redwoods Dowling Kerr in delivering them the exit that they deserve, they can now enjoy a hard-earned retirement. Sylvia and Stephen’s ownership of Smart Start Day Nursery has seen the setting transform into the excellent quality childcare provider that it is today. Offering comprehensive care for 58 children, the setting provides quality care for children from birth through to 5 years of age. The

business has truly gone from strength to strength and has consolidated an outstanding reputation. Sylvia and Stephen’s nursery operates out of a mid-terraced ground floor property. The vendors saw this property as the perfect premises to provide dedicated care for the individual age groups. The nursery is fully equipped with all the facilities and equipment necessary for operating a sector-leading nursery. The Vendor, Sylvia & Stephen Ashton commented; “We have just completed the sale of our company. Throughout the sale Natasha, at

Redwoods has always been contactable, always pleasant and always tried her best to get the outcome we wanted.” The Buyer of Smart Start, Shazia Dhad commented on the sale; “My experience with Natasha throughout the purchase of my business was excellent Natasha was very forthcoming and very supportive with the solicitors.” Market Appraisal: We have specialist business valuation team providing local knowledge and service on national scale. Having completed several

valuations in Childcare sector, we’ve built up a remarkable database of market intelligence. Get in touch if you would like to opt for our “no obligation” business appraisal service.

Abbots Langley Preschool & North Bushey Preschool have now been sold 9 years ago, Mrs Sarah Purser established this excellent group of 2 nursery settings, located in highly desirable Hertfordshire countryside locations. The first nursery opened in 2011 and operates out of a single storey building located in

the grounds of a primary school. 5 years later in 2016, the second setting opened in a unique premise; an historic church hall. Both nursery locations are fully equipped and are within easy reach of main transport links. Mrs Sarah Purser, the vendor commented on the sale; “Right from the first contact with RDK it was evident that this was a company that was professional, knew their field inside out and actually cared about myself and my business. I personally had most of my dealings with Sarah Ellison and there is not one thing I can fault. She

The Buyer of Abbots Langley Preschool & North Bushey Preschool commented on sale; “Our experience with Redwoods Dowling Kerr has been very satisfactory from initial contact to the completion of the deal. The staff has been very helpful during the sale, all the concerns that required assistance and advice were dealt efficiently. The entire process has been very smooth with clear communication and prompt response. Both my wife and I are very excited and looking forward to taking over the nursery with plans to expand in the future. I would highly recommend using this company for the future."

was exceptional in making me not worry, even when I rang numerous times, she listened to everything, reassured me and continually answered every question and worry I had. The sale of my business took a while, through no fault of RDK and throughout the time Sarah constantly chased everyone on my behalf and bought everything together. On completion, I was so happy and relieved but in a weird way will miss my calls with Sarah lol. I would ONLY recommend RDK to sell a business especially in my field. I can’t thank them enough. Once again Sarah, thank you so much for everything you did.”

To find out more details about the businesses available for sale, and sold, through Redwoods Dowling Kerr please visit: www.redwoodsdk.com

Independent school and day nursery sold to KSI Education by Christie & Co Specialist business property adviser, Christie & Co, is delighted to have facilitated the sale of Heathfield Knoll School and First Steps Day Nursery in Wolverley, near Kidderminster in Worcestershire. Heathfield School was founded in 1620 and has been at its current location since 1967. In 2017, Heathfield School merged with The Knoll School to become the setting it is today. Operating as an independent, non-selective day school in Kidderminster with capacity for 250 pupils, the school educates boys and girls aged three months to 16 years and has a rich history of supporting children through their educational journey, with a focus on happiness, support, nurture and guidance. The school operates primarily from a beautifully converted former-residential dwelling which is set within circa 20 acres of land. The site has also benefited from several new developments and improvements over the years including a purposebuilt education block for reception through to fourth grade, an astro-turf pitch, sports hall and theatre studio. Led by Headteacher, Mr Lawrence Collins, the school holds a strong foundation for the new owner

to build on and develop over the coming years. Mr Collins comments, “Our new partnership with KSI offers significant opportunities for the whole school community. I am delighted to work with KSI on exciting plans for the future development of the school; investment is taking place with immediate effect. There is much to look forward to.” The school has been acquired by KSI Education; an organisation dedicated to providing high quality educational resources across the UK. Company Director, Daniel Wellings, was keen to secure their purchase of the site from the first visit, quickly identifying the huge potential the school and teaching team held. He comments, “We look forward to many years of collaboration with the senior leadership to enhance the wonderful education the school already provides”. Courteney Donaldson, Managing Director (Childcare & Education) at Christie & Co, comments, “We are delighted to be involved in a key success story, which demonstrates the ongoing buyer appetite for solid, well led schools. Despite the challenging times we find ourselves in, we continue to find that demand is high both from

domestic operators, investors and overseas acquirers. This transaction was successfully brought to completion by my colleague Rosie Adlem and while, like many across the UK, amid the impact of

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July / August 2020

Covid-19 we have had to quickly adapt our business, our UK and international team remain available to support our clients whether they be seeking to buy, sell, or grow their business.

NURSERY MANAGEMENT TODAY 51

nmtproperty sold

properties

recently sold

Honeybee’s Nursery in Devon sold to Kiddigalore Limited by Christie & Co Specialist property adviser, Christie & Co, is delighted to announce the sale of Honeybee’s Day Nursery and Forest School in Cullompton, Devon. Honeybee’s Day Nursery and Forest School operate from a purpose built, detached property with an abundance of beautiful outdoor space. This impressive nursery has effective operating capacity for circa 40 children and offers the potential to extend the property and numbers further. The site sits in the countryside town and civil parish of Cullompton in Devon. Cullompton is located within the Culm Valley, 13 miles northeast of Exeter and close to the historic town of Tiverton, and is renowned for its working textile and paper mills.

Since its opening in September 2015, previous owners Phil and Sue Proffitt have grown the business to become widely renowned in the local community and to produce a consistent level of income and profits. Through the couple’s attention to detail and passion for childcare, the business has achieved a ‘Good’ Ofsted rating. Commenting on the sale, they said, “It has been our pleasure working with Sophie at Christie & Co, she has been so supportive and professional.” The site has been sold to Amanda Westie of KiddiGalore Limited. Nick Brown, Director at Christie & Co, comments, “We would like to wish the new owner of this nursery, Amanda Westie all the very best for the future and we believe that this will be an excellent acquisition.”

Christie & Co assist Scottish based little Beehive Nursery Group in latest acquisition

Specialist property adviser, Christie & Co, is delighted to have assisted The Little Beehive Nursery Group with its purchase of Little Einsteins nursery in Sang Road, Kirkcaldy. The nursery has been trading for over 15 years and is registered to accommodate up to 86 children. Little Einsteins nursery has been closed during lockdown and so its new owners have taken this opportunity to renovate the site, transforming it,

through a ten-week modernisation programme, into a contemporary open-plan provision which will accommodate 92 children aged up to five years old. The Little Beehive Nursery Group, which already has a pre-school provision in Kirkcaldy, plans to merge its two existing pre-school nurseries and relocate to the newly refurbished Sang Road provision. The Sang Road site aims to

re-open in time for the start of the 2020/21 academic year, with the hope that the nursery will become a landmark in the heart of Kirkcaldy. The group’s other site, located at Balfour Street, will transform into a dedicated afterschool and holiday club as part of ‘The Hub Club’, a growing primary age afterschool facility also part of The Little Beehive Group. Carol Craig, Little Beehive’s Director and Project lead, comments, "I am thrilled to have the Sang Road provision join the Little Beehive Nursery Group. When the opportunity was brought to us by Christie & Co, we knew it was something that was a great fit for our business and, after viewing the property, it seemed like a perfect match for our ethos and brand. There is a lot of work required to get it up to the Little Beehive standard, but I am excited to get the renovation project moving. From the first viewing, we saw the potential the space had, and our goal is to create a modern, clean child-centred provision, allowing free play between areas of the rooms to give the children the freedom of choice and to encourage learning through play. This purchase will be the sixth facility in the Little Beehive

Group, providing care for over 500 children in Fife and Angus.” Martin Daw, Senior Director for Healthcare at Christie & Co, comments, “I had recently been instructed by my clients Kingdom Homes to consider the confidential sale of their Kirkaldy based nursery. Having recently met the purchasers, Little Beehive Nursery Group, it was an instant match to their requirements to expand their settings in Fife and after the first viewing they moved quickly to have their offer accepted. Formerly Kingdom Kiddies (now Little Einsteins) was originally set up by Colin Smart who owns a local care home group Kingdom Homes. He opened the nursery so that his family could experience high quality childcare and also run a successful business for the community. I was delighted to handle this sale during a difficult time for the sector. The fact the nursery was closed due to lockdown allowed the purchasers the time to plan and refurbish the property before they reopen. Funded by Bank of Scotland showing confidence from the financial sector in the childcare market.” Little Einsteins nursery was sold at an undisclosed price.

Christie & Co has the largest dedicated team of childcare business property agents in Europe. For further information about businesses for sale through Christie & Co, go to www.christie.com/business-search/childcare and for details of businesses recently sold, go to www.christie.com/business-search/childcare/sold

C O N TA C T S U M M A R Y CHRISTIE & CO

YORKSHIRE / NORTH EAST

REDWOODS DOWLING KERR

SCOTLAND

Vicky Marsland..................... 0161 833 6914

SPECIALIST NURSERY TEAM

Martin Daw.......................... 0131 524 3406 Emma Govan........................ 0131 524 3401 Alistair Watt..........................0141 352 7306

LONDON

CHESHIRE / NORTH WEST

SOUTH WEST

Sofia Beck.............................0161 833 6915

Jassie Sunner........................ 0121 452 3708

MIDLANDS

PORTFOLIO TRANSACTIONS

Jassi Sunner.......................... 0121 452 3708 Tareq Haque..........................0121 452 3712

Courteney Donaldson........... 07831 099 985 Nick Brown........................... 07764 241 316

Jenna.Caldwell@redwoodsdk.com Scott.Toward@redwoodsdk.com Karrina.Lee@redwoodsdk.com Robert.Forrester@redwoodsdk.com Sarah.Ellison@redwoodsdk.com Mark.Phillips@redwoodsdk.com Natasha.Satterthwaite@redwoodsdk.com Matthew.Preston@redwoodsdk.com Kim.Emsley@redwoodsdk.com Mathew.Parkinson@redwoodsdk.com Robert.Yates@redwoodsdk.com Andy.Sharp@redwoodsdk.com Head Office Telephone: 08442 488 322 / 01772 775 780 Email: sales@redwoodsdk.com

52 NURSERY MANAGEMENT TODAY

Sophie Willcox...................... 0203 846 0619 Lucy Mclean..........................0203 846 0612

July / August 2020

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REGIONAL DIRECTORS

Increase Occupancy with our UK made BunkCot Both Fafunia & The New Factory are proud to work in collaboration in bringing you their space saving product the BunkCot. The BunkCots are designed for Day Nursery settings as they arrive with you fully assembled and complete with mattresses. Each cot is solidly made from Birch Plywood and fitted sheets are also available including a waterproof breathable mattress protector. Delivery times from point of order are between 2 -3 weeks.

Shop for a BunkCot at www.fafuplay.com

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July / August 2020

NURSERY MANAGEMENT TODAY 53

REPUTATION DISCRETION KNOWLEDGE

We are here to support you! Offering market appraisals with a telephone appointment

Redwoods Dowling Kerr enjoyed a strong start to 2020 and whilst we experienced a dip in buyer enquiry levels during April when compared to early March, we are delighted to advise that enquiry levels are now 51% higher than the rst week in March. There has been a notable increase in deal ac vity levels as we have con nued to agree new deals for our clients who are looking to sell, have concluded several comple ons and dealt with many buyer enquires. We fully appreciate that all Childcare operators are facing major challenges in the current climate but wanted to make you aware of current ac vity in the market. We would like to let you know that we are available should you wish to talk to us. We have introduced virtual video appointments which can be conducted via a secure, con den al video conferencing facility and we can update you on the current market and the op ons available to you.

Everyone at Redwoods Dowling Kerr wish you, your sta and your loved ones good health during the Covid 19 pandemic. Continued Success in Childcare at Redwoods Dowling Kerr

PROJ E C T

EXODUS

SOLD

Network Nurseries Limited Group of 5 Nurseries - Manchester

SOLD Carr Manor Nursery Cambridge

SOLD

Edgbaston Nursery School West Midlands

SOLD Beeches Day Nursery Greater Manchester

SOLD

Just Imagine Day Nursery Essex

Si Liwi Nursery Cardi

To see our latest Childcare opportunities throughout the UK visit: redwoodsdk.com Contact us to discuss your exit strategy

TO BUY: 0844 3877 406 TO SELL: 0844 3877 407

childcare@redwoodsdk.com buy@redwoodsdk.com

www.redwoodsdk.com/childcare

sell@redwoodsdk.com

Redwoods Dowling Kerr

@RedwoodsDK

THE COMPLETE CHILDCARE BROKER CUMBRIA FREEHOLD

KENT LEASEHOLD

LANCASHIRE FREEHOLD

MERSEYSIDE FREEHOLD

Reference: 47775

Reference: 47772

Reference: 47720

Reference: 47820

£725,000

£700,000

£575,000

£700,000

• Turnover of £197k y/e 2018 with an EBITDA of £57k • Capacity of 27 children • Includes 4-bed family home • Excellent reputation

• Activity centre & cafe with capacity for 300 children/adults • Childrens day nursery with capacity for 63 children • Nursery rated 'Good' by Ofsted

• Fee income of £253k y/e 2019 • Capacity for 50 children • Terri c growth potential and run under management • Well presented throughout

• Fee income of £308k y/e 2019 • EBITDA of £93k • Capacity for 33 plus children • Rated ‘Good’ by Ofsted • Experienced team in place

EAST YORKSHIRE FREEHOLD

CORNWALL LEASEHOLD

SHROPSHIRE FREEHOLD

SUFFOLK FREEHOLD

Reference: 47771

Reference: 47819

Reference: 47828

Reference: 47401

£450,000

£425,000

£400,000

£285,000

• Income of £214k y/e 2019 • Capacity for 37 children • Impressive EBITDA of £77k • Rated 'Good' by Ofsted

• Income of £453k y/e 2019 • Capacity for 57 children • Superbly presented throughout and set within large grounds • Ideal for expanding group

• Fee income of £210k y/e 2019 • Capacity for 92 children • Experienced management team • Substantial property

• Former nursery with capacity for 32 children • Deceptively spacious property •Fully enclosed large garden & undercover play area

WILTSHIRE LEASEHOLD

MERSEYSIDE LEASEHOLD

GLOUCESTERSHIRE LEASEHOLD

HAMPSHIRE LEASEHOLD

Reference: 47697

Reference: 46767

Reference: 47835

Reference: 47814

£145,000

• Turnover of £282k y/e 2019 • 2 x leasehold pre school/ nurseries • Capacity for 55 children, with scope to expand

£100,000

• Turnover of £234k y/e 2018 • Capacity for 57 children • Freehold option available • Operated with management team

Bids Invited

• Fee income of £194k y/e 2019 • Capacity for 45 children • Operated under management • Excellent reputation

Bids Invited

• Activity Centre & Cafe

• Fee income of £250k per annum • Capacity for 240 children • Convenient & popular setting • Excellent reputation

CURRENT OPPORTUNITIES

PROJECT

LOUISA

PROJECT

IVORY

CANARY

PROJECT

TYNE AND WEAR

LANCASHIRE

SOUTH YORKSHIRE

WILTSHIRE

A GROUP

GOODWILL & EQUIPMENT

Reference: 47544

Reference: 47685

Reference: 47651

Reference: 46642

• Group of 5 nurseries • Combined capacity for 340 children • Combined income of £1.8m • 3 freehold & 1 leasehold • All 5 settings rated 'Good' by Ofsted in their most recent inspection

• A group of four charming day nurseries • Combined capacity for 307 children • Income of £991k with an adjusted EBITDA of £218k

• Group of 3 day nurseries • Combined capacity for 150 children • Combined income of £1m • Boasts high occupancy with genuine growth potential

> Mobile childcare business > From birth to 10 years-old > Operating across the UK, Europe & UAE > Income of £248k > Fully relocatable > Excellent reputation

£3,200,000

£1,600,000

£650,000

ROBBIE

£120,000

We would like to take this opportunity to thank all nursery owners, operators and their sta who, during these di cult times, have rea rmed their position as frontline providers of care, vital for helping the country through this pandemic. O en referred to as the fourth emergency service, we are so grateful that the sector is run by such an amazing collection of people.

Christie & Co is the UK’s most active adviser to the childcare and education sector, o ering a complete range of services to support operators, investors and developers through their investment and business lifecycle. Business. Built around you. Day Nursery, Essex

Leasehold £200,000

Our Childcare team has advised on virtually every major UK day nursery portfolio transaction since 2006. Day Nursery, Kent

• E ective operating capacity of 100

• Abundance of outside space T: 07736 620855

4280351

Freehold £380,000

• EBITDA of c. £65,000

Day Nursery, South Oxfordshire

• Management team in situ

• EBITDA of c. £110,000

• E ective operating capacity of 118

T: 07736 620855

4270352

Leasehold £350,000

Leasehold £475,000

4280248 Day Nursery, South London

Freehold £565,000

• Ofsted rated “Outstanding”

• Vacant with D1 use

T: 07736 620855

T: 07526 175 857

• Previous capacity for up to 36

• E ective operating capacity of 93

4280111

4280261

Vacant Day Nursery, Skipton

Day Nursery, Su olk Leasehold O ers invited • Plenty of scope to increase revenue

• Full management team in situ

T: 07736 620855

4280338 Day Nursery, West Midlands

Freehold £375,000

Day Nursery, North Yorkshire

• Vacant with D1 use

• E ective operating capacity up to 37

T: 07526 175 857

4280108

Freehold OIEO £750,000

• E ective operating capacity of 55 • Ofsted Rating 'Good'

T: 07526 175 857 5880010

Vacant Day Nursery, Lancashire

Leasehold £225,000

• E ective operating capacity up to 42

• Fully run under management T: 07526 175 857 4280344

christie.com

We’re here to support nurseries

Whilst we know that budgets may be running a little tighter than usual right now, we understand there are some things you can’t go without. We’ve got all the essentials you need to keep your nurseries clean, your children and colleagues safe and your supply cupboards stocked up. Available with FREE next day delivery.

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Orders under £25 will be subject to a charge of £2.95. Further terms and conditions apply.

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