Celebrating professional development at Devonshire Day Nursery

There was cause for celebration at Devonshire Day Nursery in Chiswick as the proud staff team marked the achievements of their colleague and Apprentice, Sara Lates, as she graduated from the Childbase Academy of Excellence as a Qualified Nursery Practitioner.

Having worked at the Ofsted-rated ‘Outstanding’ Day Nursery on Bennett Street alongside her studies since March 2021, Sara is the first in her cohort of learners to complete the NVQ Level 3, passing her professional discussion and exam the first time. She is now showcasing her talent in the setting’s ‘Caterpillar Room’ with the youngest children aged from six weeks.

Established in January 2021, the Childbase Training Academy of Excellence was created to deliver a centre where all Apprentices are supported in-house by Childbase Partnership experts as they gain practical experience in nursery. The team provide face to face training, conduct in person observations and support learners in achieving their qualifications.

Through an extensive range of bespoke training days, Apprentices gain essential knowledge across all areas of their standard, with topics covered including Health and Safety, Equality and Diversity, Child Development, Safeguarding and SEND. These sessions are also supported with additional online training courses and resources to instil confidence.

Devonshire Nursery Practitioner, Sara Lates explained;

“I can’t explain how amazing this journey has been for me and I can’t believe how quickly the time has gone. The knowledge and confidence I’ve gained throughout is unbelievable and having the opportunity to go on training days helped so much as I could come back and put everything into practice. I had support throughout from my assessor and management team and I knew I could ask them for help anytime. It’s so helpful to be able to look back at all my work and studies to enable me to continue as an outstanding practitioner.”

Devonshire Day Nursery Manager, Emmy Avery said;

“We are so proud of Sara, turning 18 during her apprenticeship and going from strength to strength as she worked alongside her studies. The academy has put so many amazing things into place for apprentices, from the training days to the Teach to Reach training. As a manager I can really see how beneficial the courses have been for my team members.”

Learners must be at least 16 years old and be successful at interview for an Apprenticeship position. Vacancies can be found here: https://search.childbasecareers.com