Who we are
A Message From Our Manager
I, Sarah Walker, am the Owner and Manager of Halesowen Day Nursery. I am a qualified Teacher with an advanced diploma in Child Psychotherapy. I am complimented by a strong, passionate team of lead practitioners and a group of fully qualified Early Years Educators. We refer to all of our team as “teachers” because we passionately believe that that’s what they are – every interaction teaches a child something, whether that be something about themselves or something about the world in which they live.
I am so proud of my setting and of what my team provides every day for the children in our care. We always have safety and connection as our starting point, knowing that a child cannot learn if they don’t feel safe and loved first. From a mindset of growth, we are constantly moving forward, supporting one another in enhancing the nursery environment, implementing the curriculum and developing professionally. I hope that you enjoy finding out more about us and we look forward to meeting you and your family.
Our Management Team
Sarah Walker
I Sarah Walker, am the owner and managing director of Halesowen Day Nursery. I am a Qualified Teacher with an advanced diploma in Child Psychotherapy and an extensive background in working with children.
Emily Hobday
Emily Hobday is our Deputy Manager and Toddler Room Leader. She has a degree in Early Childhood Studies and has over 10 years experience in childcare.
Jade
Jade Jolliffe is our Deputy Manager and Baby Room Leader. She has worked her way up from a volunteer and is a valued member of the team.
Melissa
Melissa Farrell is our Nursery Development and Operations Manager. She has her ‘Early Years Teachers Status’ and a Masters Degree in Psychology with a focus on Developmental Psychology. She works with our teachers on a 1-2-1 basis, supporting with planning, observations, personal development and interactions. In addition, she works with the management team on an organisational level to refine and implement the long term vision of Halesowen Day Nursery.
Our Childcare Team
In addition to myself and my staff members above, the nursery employs three more fully-qualified Lead Practitioners, who, together with Emily, supervise the four playrooms.
They are supported by a team of qualified Nursery Practitioners whose photos and names you can see below.
We call all of our practitioners ‘teachers’ because we feel strongly that that is what they are! Every interaction with a child teaches them something; something about their world, themselves and how to integrate the two. We feel that the Early Years Sector is of paramount importance and want to raise the status of those who are educating our youngest children.
Jade
Babies and Toddlers (under 2’s)Deputy Manager – Baby Room Leader – Nursery Teacher
Emily
Babies and Toddlers (under 2’s)Deputy Manager – Toddler Room Leader – Nursery Teacher
Kate
Babies and Toddlers (under 2’s)Nursery Teacher
Nicole
Babies and Toddlers (under 2’s)Nursery Teacher
Summer
Babies and Toddlers (under 2’s)Nursery Teacher
Robyn
Kindergarten and Preschool (over 2’s)Nursery Teacher
Sofia
Kindergarten and Preschool (over 2’sPreschool Room Leader – Nursery Teacher
Jennie
Kindergarten and Preschool (over 2’s)Nursery Teacher
Ben
Kindergarten and Preschool (over 2’sNursery Teacher
Eleanor
Kindergarten and Preschool (over 2’s)Nursery Teacher
Marie-Claire
Office and Operations Manager
Laura
Office and Operations Manager
Sarah
Chef
Emma
Nursery Teacher
Sharon
Nursery Teacher
Alice
Nursery Teacher
Charlotte
Nursery Teacher
Ellie
Nursery Teacher
Lily-Mae
Nursery Teacher
Qualifications, Training and CPD
All of our teachers are qualified to work with children. All staff have an up-to-date enhanced DBS clearance and we maintain a robust recruitment system. Safeguarding, First Aid & Food Safety training is mandatory training for all staff – these are regularly accessed and updated appropriately.
A quality learning experience for children requires a quality workforce. To ensure your child is getting the very best out of Halesowen Day Nursery, our practitioners have access to numerous training opportunities, both internal & external and are encouraged to be ‘reflective’ about their practice and provision. We have monthly staff meetings which are used for staff training and we also hold up to three Training Days per year.
Professional Development and Standards are monitored through a strong appraisal and supervision system with regular focused observations. This is paramount to ensuring that we continue to provide the very best care and education for the children we care for.
