To the women of Snapdragons

This is a message from us to all the wonderful women in our lives on International Women’s Day, the day when men and women celebrate, together, women’s achievements across the world. You are kind, caring, supportive. You are strong, resilient and empowered. You are funny, passionate, emotional and sometimes even quiet. Without you, the women at Snapdragons, we would not be us. Thank you all.

Horfield is Outstandingly Good

A big round of applause and well deserved congratulations for our fantastic Horfield team after their recent Ofsted inspection. The inspector was impressed and very complimentary, saying:

“Children flourish in this highly welcoming and nurturing nursery.”

“Staff value all the children as unique individuals. They have very high expectations and their enthusiasm to be there for the children is inspiring and infectious.”

“Babies are cherished and form close bonds with the calm and considerate staff who care for them. They enjoy the frequent cuddles and comfort they receive as and when needed.”

“Children are exceedingly curious and enthusiastic. They enjoy being outside and take part in fantastic outdoor experiences.”

“All children show an excellent attitude towards learning and their behaviour is exemplary.”

Overall the nursery was graded Good with Outstanding areas:

The quality of education Good

Behaviour and attitudes Outstanding

Personal development Outstanding

Leadership and management Good

Read the full report here

A festive celebration

We held our annual Snappy Christmas party on Saturday, at the grand location of the Bristol Museum & Art Gallery.

As always, it was the perfect chance for our teams across Snapdragons to meet up and come together for an evening of fun and celebration. We love the opportunity to show everyone how valuable they are to us, honouring their hard work, dedication and commitment in a series of awards, ranging from the serious to the playful.

The awards are all nominated by their peers, so they count that little bit more as everyone loves knowing that their own teams recognise the effort they put in.

We’re always delighted to share this evening with the incredible team of individuals we have working across Snapdragons and know that their skillset, talent and passion for the children is second to nobody else in the industry. We’re proud to have them and honoured to work alongside them.

As we round of 2019, here’s to another great decade!

Coming to Cribbs Causeway next year...

We are very pleased to announce that we will be opening our tenth nursery in the Autumn of 2020. The new nursery, on the outskirts of Bristol at Cribbs Causeway, is being developed in response to the growing need for childcare for families living and working in this rapidly developing community within South Gloucestershire.

The 150-place nursery has been designed especially for us and will offer all the elements that we know make stimulating, safe and nurturing environments for babies, toddlers and pre-school children. Ground floor rooms for all the children will ensure easy access to the outdoors, where the gardens will be developed to bring age-appropriate challenges and even more space to learn through play.

We have thought carefully about the environmental impact of the building, which will feature solar panels, underfloor heating, intelligent lighting and electric vehicle charging points. Our builders, Oakland Construction, have already begun work on the site and the work is due for completion in the Autumn of 2020.

If you are interested in hearing updates about Snapdragons Cribbs Causeway, either for your children or for your career, please register for updates here.

At the moment, foundation work is still underway, but you can begin to see things taking shape.

Lifetime winner

We are very proud to announce that Nick Holder, from Snapdragons Horfield, was named the Early Years Apprentice of the Year at the eighth annual Lifetime Learner Achievement Awards at a ceremony at Bristol’s We the Curious on 24th October.

Lifetime is the training provider who works with us on our apprenticeship programme which offers in-work training for aspiring early years practitioners, from school leavers embarking on their careers, through to graduate apprentices working towards Early Years Teacher status. The Lifetime awards celebrate exceptional learners across every Lifetime sector, as well as inspirational employers, managers, and Regional Trainers.

“Nick showed complete focus in achieving his apprenticeship, impressing his trainer with his levels of independent study and self-drive”

— Award judges

Nick, who has since completed his Early Years Educator Level 3 qualification, was nominated for the award by his Lifetime trainer, who singled him out from apprentices from across the region. He was praised by the judges for his “complete focus in achieving his apprenticeship, impressing his trainer with his levels of independent study and self-drive”.

Alongside Nick, our HR Manager, Nicki Jones, was nominated for the Apprentice Champion of the Year award for her work overseeing our Snapdragons Apprentice Programme. Sadly, she wasn’t a winner this time, but it was high praise to be nominated.

Congratulating the winners, Lifetime Chief Executive Officer Alex Khan said:

“On behalf of everyone at Lifetime Training I’d like to say congratulations to all finalists and winners of the eighth annual Lifetime Learner Achievement Awards.

This is our chance to celebrate outstanding learners and their exceptional achievements and wish them every success in their careers.

The awards also recognise the employers, supervisors, mentors and trainers who champion apprenticeships and make it all possible.”