Parenta Magazine May 2019

Invitation to attend the House of
Commons for Hartlepool nursery
Footprints Learning for Life owner and manager, Sharon Birch, and her colleague Vivienne
Dempsey were privileged to be invited to the Parliamentary Review at the House of Commons
- to put forward a paper for ‘best practice’.
MPs from all parties, some of the UK’s
leading business people and a few
celebrities were in attendance at the
gala ceremony on 27th March. The
nursery’s aim was to raise its profile as
a nursery in the north of the country and
to put forward its paper highlighting best
practice in early years childcare.
The staff at the nursery school, founded
in 2006 in Hartlepool, focus entirely
on providing every child with an equal
opportunity for a great start in life,
regardless of circumstances. They
believe that one size does not fit all, and
they cater for individual requirements
irrespective of need, culture, race,
gender and abilities.
Sharon Birch explains a little more about
the background and philosophy of her
nursery: “I founded Footprints after a
20-year career in the police service. As a
mother of three children born within five
years, I knew what a busy family needed
in terms of childcare. My husband was a
service police officer and we spent years
juggling childcare with shift work and
school hours. It was difficult, and the
system was inflexible. My children were
not able to attend school nursery ahead
of reception due to this inflexibility
and we took up their free nursery
entitlement. It worked well for us as a
family, but I believe parents should have
choice. Rigid systems are not compatible
with families today.
“I took on my children’s old nursery
when it was due for closure, and with
a personal investment, turned it into
‘Footprints Learning for Life’ – 12 staff
and 55 children returned to the nursery
after the takeover. The first thing I did
was devise a ten-year plan that focused
on three main areas: for Footprints to
become financially viable, to have a
reputation that other providers aspired
Happy staff
make happy
children - which
makes happy parents
who can carry on
their day knowing
their children are
well cared for. We
employ staff at the
start and the end of
their careers, and
everyone in
between.
towards, and to gain an “outstanding”
rating from Ofsted.
“In 2016, we achieved these goals, but
we had a difficult journey along the
way. I was new to running a business
and had never employed anyone, but I
knew the sort of childcare I wanted to
provide. It was hard to break the mould,
but, even today, we are one of the few
nurseries in the UK that provide these
services.”
Leadership
“I enrolled Footprints in the Investors in
People (IIP) programme and we have
learned a lot, achieving the standard
in 2008 and Gold IIP in 2010. Happy
staff make happy children - which
makes happy parents who can carry
on their day knowing their children
are well cared for. We employ staff
at the start and the end of their
careers, and everyone in between. We
have apprentices, students on work
placements, nursery nurses, teachers,
cooks and drivers, of both sexes. We
have low staff turnover and believe
in giving staff proper contracts, with
only three ‘bank’ staff on zero-hour
contracts. They have the same benefits
and entitlements as contracted staff,
and everyone works very well as a team,
irrespective of job role. We invest in staff
training and appreciate that everyone
works very hard for their wage. We
embrace opportunities and encourage
students with additional needs and
those who have been marginalised due
to their circumstances. We also employ
staff that are returning to work after a
long break. Although we can’t increase
wages, I give staff other benefits, such
as paying for a health therapist to give
treatments, recognition awards at every
staff meeting, a Christmas event, highstreet
vouchers and a subscription to a
scheme that offers perks to employees.
In 2012, we won a UK Nursery World
Award for team development and we
achieved our “outstanding” Ofsted rating
in 2016.”
Finances
“Our income is low in comparison to
our geographical area, because our
prices are half what our rivals charge,
and we have the same overheads.
Profits are minimal and there is no
spare cash, but thankfully we have a
good working relationship with the local
authority who ensure that payments
for the two-, three-, and four-year-old
funded places are completed promptly.
Payments from parents, many of whom
are in receipt of benefits or are on a low
income, are often late, which can also
cause cash-flow difficulties. Hartlepool
is an area with high deprivation and
poverty, and we care for around 180
children a week from a variety of family
environments. As a result, many cannot
afford additional services, so we provide
all meals through our grants and
funding. We do not charge for extras,
other than transport, and we provide
healthy menus, in line with early years
guidance from the government. We cater
for cultural needs and cook all foods on
our premises with fresh, locally-sourced
produce. We work with many local
businesses and actively support the
charities Changing Futures NE and Miles
for Men.”
Families and childcare
“We offer a range of services –
breakfast, after-school, holiday club,
half and full day care, late evenings and
Saturdays – depending on demand.
We also open on bank holidays, aside
from those over the Christmas period.
Every child receives breakfast, a twocourse
lunch, a two-course dinner and
two snacks throughout the day. Busy
families often need to be in two or more
places at once, and working patterns
and school schedules are often not
compatible. Footprints offers flexible
childcare sessions for shift workers,
as well as term-time-only places for
teachers and those that need it. We offer
a fully inclusive transport service across
town, which is tough to schedule but is
complemented by staff who also work
flexibly. We have a fleet of four vehicles,
operated by qualified, experienced
drivers and nursery nurse escorts. This
service fosters good relationships with
the primary schools across the town,
enabling positive transitions for children
preparing for school. Our parents
currently favour social media as a
means of communication.
“We are in the process of developing
an app for parents to book and pay
for sessions, and we have also gone
online with a new system that enables
parents to view their child’s learning and
development journal.”
What does the future hold?
“We are always looking to enhance
our nursery and grow the business
within our tight financial constraints.
We are innovative and embrace change
in a sector that has strict regulations.
My vision for the future is to continue
giving the families of Hartlepool quality
childcare, fit for purpose. I would love to
offer children up to the age of seven the
opportunity to continue their education
with us, as we know that not all are
ready for the formal school system.
Our emphasis is learning through play
and discovery in a variety of different
environments, in a variety of different
ways.”
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