Grass Roots Private Day Nursery, Calderdale, West Yorkshire, recognises the importance of strong partnerships in improving children's outcomes and decided to implement a strategic approach to foster effective collaboration.
The strategy
1. Building strong foundations:
- Staff training: Our setting prioritises ongoing in-house training for staff on effective communication, conflict resolution, and building partnerships. We collaborate with Calderdale Council, Locala (Health Visiting team), and Family Hubs to enhance our skills.
- Staff members frequently participate in bite-sized workshops and webinars hosted by external agencies, engaging with other settings for shared learning.
- Shared vision: A clear and shared vision for partnership working has been developed and communicated to all staff. This is shared and updated in staff meetings, planning meetings and training days.
2. Engaging parents:
- Regular communication: We use several communication channels to keep parents informed, such as regular newsletters, parent-teacher conferences, and online portals. Key workers conduct handovers during drop-off and collection times. Parents can message the room, key workers, and management anytime through the Famly app. Additionally, the room leader shares a weekly update on the children's activities and observations, allowing parents to stay connected and engaged with their child’s learning experience.
- Parent involvement: We invite parents to take an active role in shaping activities and decision-making at our centre. To facilitate this, we use 360 parent feedback through Google Forms. Parents can also reach out to room leaders, key workers, and management anytime via the Famly app. When the room leader shares a post each week about the children's activities, they encourage parents to share their own observations. Additionally, we organise competitions to boost parent engagement, such as submitting observations for a chance to win a family ticket to Eureka (The National Children’s Museum).
3. Strengthening external partnerships:
- Collaborative planning: We regularly organise meetings with external agencies, such as health visitors, social workers, and educational psychologists, to discuss the specific needs of each child and create collaborative plans. With the increasing number of children with special educational needs and those on safeguarding plans, we've expanded our support network to better understand the roles of different sectors in positively influencing children's outcomes.
- Shared resources: Our nursery works closely with other early years settings to exchange resources, knowledge, and best practices. In the past, we have organised network events that allow other settings and local authorities to visit and seek our advice. As an outstanding provider, our nursery managers have participated in Ofsted's experts programme, which offers guidance to lower-graded settings aiming for improvement. Additionally, these settings often spend time with our practitioners and management to learn from their experiences. This collaboration helps enhance the quality of care and education across the board.
Impact on children's outcomes
The implementation of this strategy had a significant impact on children's outcomes:
- Improved social and emotional development: Children developed stronger social skills, increased self-confidence, and are better equipped to manage their emotions.
- Enhanced cognitive development: Children benefit from a more stimulating learning environment, enriched by the expertise of external agencies.
- Positive behaviour: Children exhibited more positive behaviours, such as cooperation, sharing, and problem-solving.
- Increased school readiness: Children were better prepared for school transition, with improved language, physical and social skills.
Lessons learned
- Effective communication is key: Open and honest communication is essential for building strong partnerships.
- Shared ownership: All stakeholders should be involved in the partnership process.
- Regular evaluation: Partnerships should be regularly reviewed and evaluated to ensure their effectiveness.
- Celebrate successes: Acknowledging and celebrating achievements can boost morale and strengthen partnerships.
By prioritising partnership working, Grass Roots demonstrates that collaborative efforts can significantly enhance the quality of early years education and improve children's outcomes.
November 2024