Hursthead, Cheadle Hulme

Staff Qualifications

Ofsted require 50 percent of staff to be trained to NVQ level 2. At Elm Cottage 98% of our staff are qualified to level 3 or above-2 % are presently training on the childcare apprenticeship scheme and a huge 25 % have degrees in Early Childhood Studies. This includes a qualified teacher with a BEd (hons) and an Early Years Teacher as part of the team. All staff are supported and guided by the area manager and experienced Nursery Teacher, Tina Kapp who has worked at Elm Cottage for 22 years.

“Highly skilled staff have excellent knowledge of how children learn and couple this with a very secure knowledge of each child’s individual needs. This enables very successful promotion of children’s care and learning.” Ofsted, January 2013

“Robust recruitment and vetting procedures help to ensure that all staff are suitable to work with children. All staff undergo an induction programme and their progress is monitored by room leaders and more formally with an annual review. The manager sets very high standards and staff are fully committed to achieving standards of excellence in all areas. This is demonstrated by the support given to all staff to continue further with their professional development, which has led to the setting team being very highly qualified and skilled.” Ofsted, January 2013

ALL our staff are trained and are kept up to date in Paediatric First Aid.

For the 34 years that Elm Cottage has been caring for children we have always believed that every member of our team should be trained in and kept up to date in paediatric first aid, this is something we have felt very strongly about and has been implemented since first opening in 1989.

We now work with Millie’s Trust regularly and are proud to also provide support for our parents/carers with evening paediatric first aid workshops across our nursery settings.

We are now delighted to announce that our Orrishmere Nursery is one out of ten childcare providers across England that have become the first to achieve Millie’s Mark, the new quality mark for excellence in paediatric first aid for early years settings.

Click here to see Millie’s Trust and Elm Cottage on Granada Reports