The purpose of this policy is to set out how we ensure all staff are engaging in self-evaluation to improve individual and team provision, and how this is used and valued at Bristol Childcare.
“…practice will not develop or improve if the staff are not thinking about what they do and the difference they can make…”
“Reflective practice is about understanding your professional involvement and the impact on the children.” Mary Evans, Nursery World 23 August – 5 September 2011
- We fully support the process of self-evaluation. We believe that reflective practice at all levels is an important part of ensuring our care and service are always the best they can be. The table overleaf sets out how we are continuously reflecting on how we can improve all aspects of our provision.
- We encourage all staff to engage in reflective practice. Regular staff meetings provide an opportunity to reflect and evaluate as a team.
- Learning activities are evaluated “in the moment” to ascertain the impact on children’s learning and development and how the provision can be improved.
- Staff are expected to reflect on their practice as part of their Continuing Professional Development. All staff have a Professional Development Plan (see table over) which is regularly reviewed and updated. All staff are encouraged to keep a personal reflective practice diary.
- As part of our commitment to professional development, all staff are encouraged to undertake regular training. They are asked to read industry publications such as Nursery World and consider how articles they read can be used to improve outcomes for children. Cascade training meetings are held when all BCC staff meet for a training, discussion and review session.
- Management are constantly evaluating all areas of practice through training, network meetings, management meetings, observations, discussions, lead teacher/setting support officer visits and using the Ofsted Descriptors. Ideas from training are shared and evaluated. Any issues raised are discussed at manager’s meetings as appropriate.
- Annual parent and staff questionnaires are evaluated by managers and senior managers and an “actions” document is created if required. Through management evaluation and with the staff team, areas for improvements and initiatives are added to the Nursery Development Plans. Parents and staff are informed what action has been taken in response to their feedback. Any issues raised by the questionnaire are evaluated against the results of the following year’s questionnaire to determine improvement.
How we evaluate the quality of our nurseries:
