Skills for the Job: Improving a struggling nursery

What are the signs that could indicate a setting is struggling?

Occupancy is the lifeblood of any nursery, so an unseasonal dip in occupancy (compared to the same time the previous year) is a key warning sign. Lower than usual enquiry or conversion numbers are an early sign that occupancy may be slipping.

Changes in the culture of the nursery are something to look out for, including a decrease in staff morale, staff appearing less motivated or an increase in sick leave.

Negative comments from parents or parent complaints, either in online forums, social media or directly to the nursery, can indicate that there may be an issue with the quality of the provision.

How do you begin a conversation about the need to improve?

If you have come across an issue, the first thing to do is dig a little deeper to explore what might be causing it. Talk to your staff and your parents to find out how they are feeling.

Always keep a close eye on operations and build a strong relationship with the nursery leadership team so you can explore potential issues informally. This can include putting in place structures that allow you to continually appraise what is happening in the nursery.

Can you create support mechanisms to help identify problems before inspectors do?

From a reputational perspective, it can be very difficult to recover from a poor Ofsted judgment, or a very negative parent complaint, so there are a range of early warning systems that can be put in place to flag up problems.

At London Early Years Foundation (LEYF), we use mock Ofsted inspections as a benchmark for settings to improve their practice. Mock inspections help our teams to prepare for how an inspection feels, as well as identifying areas of strength and areas that need improving. Our area managers also monitor their nurseries every six to eight weeks, followed by one-to-one meetings to identify areas for improvement.

If you are managing an issue in the nursery, support networks - both internal and external - are vital. We promote and train our teams in peer-to-peer learning and observation - a great way to strengthen practice and drive consistency and improvement, often leading to a "light bulb moment".

How do you ensure the hard work is recognised and delivers improvements?

The key to ensuring that your setting is delivering exceptional outcomes for children - in the eyes of parents, visitors and Ofsted - is continuous evaluation and the ability to embed changes quickly.

Self-evaluation of your nursery should cover all key areas of practice. It should come from a wide range of sources - your team, yourself, parents and the community. It should also be action-focused, highlighting clear steps that you can take to improve.

The challenge is then embedding any changes. For this to work, practitioners need to understand the context and the "why" behind the change, which means taking the time to communicate the background to the change as a two-way conversation.

Where can you get peer advice and support about tackling challenges?

Often the best advice is available through peers in the early years sector. LEYF has set up a network to connect nursery mangers and owners to share experiences so we can learn from each other. Contact Fiona@leyf.org.uk

There are often early years experts who you work with at your setting who you could approach for support, such as local authority visitors. If there is something on your mind, it cannot hurt to talk to them and ask for feedback.

There are other nursery networks available, for example the Big Ofsted Conversation, which you can join at www.thebigofstedconversation.co.uk

TOP TIPS

• Network and seek out peer-to-peer advice
• Do not overcomplicate your performance indicators. Focus on occupancy and staff ratios
• Always be prepared for Ofsted. Understand the inspection framework and know the language
• Evaluation of the nursery should be honest and action-focused
• Seek feedback from a wide range of sources

By Louise Cooper, director of business development, LEYF