The Big Cycle! Four countries, four days
Intrepid Ella, our Atworth nursery manager, is peddling her way to Amsterdam this April with local charity, Sporting Family Change. SFC supports individuals and families in Bath and North East Somerset using sport to build confidence and self-belief. Ella and the team, including volunteers and the community they support, aim to complete the epic cycle trip across four countries in just four days, in a bid to raise funds for this inspiring charity.
What is Sporting Family Change?
SFC is a local needs-led charity founded in 2014 with the aim of supporting amazing individuals and families across Bath and North East Somerset. They believe in spreading unconditional kindness and have seen this have a significant impact on society. Their core values, which underpin how the charity operates, are the belief in the abilities of humans, showing kindness and dignity and giving individuals time to show they are valued. The charity uses sport and healthy activities to engage with families and encourages them to believe they can achieve more than they think they are capable of! Previous challenges achieved by SFC include the Bath Half Marathon and climbing Mount Kilimanjaro. SFC empowers the whole family to achieve their goals and supports them in their own communities, supporting more than 200 families last year.
So, four countries in four days?
Leaving London on 24 April, they will cycle to Dover to board the ferry, then peddle their way through Dunkirk, Bruges and Rotterdam, before finally arriving in Amsterdam on 28 April having visited a total of four countries in four days!
This is a huge challenge, especially as some of the group have never cycled before training began. The whole experience of training and working together is giving the team an amazing sense of achievement, as well as providing experiences out in the community and the opportunity to see other parts of the world they may never have visited otherwise.
Ella has started her training both at home and with the SFC team. There are fortnightly training cycles increasing in distance aimed at building up bike fitness in preparation for the charity ride. The charity will be supporting local mums to complete the cycle, some of whom have never cycled before!
Sounds tough! So why is Ella doing it?
“I’ve seen first hand the impact”
“I have previously completed events with SFC such as the Bristol inflatable 5k alongside some of the mums they support and their activities with young adults with learning disabilities. I have seen first-hand the impact this has had and I’m keen to tackle a challenge with them!
“I have previously completed events with SFC such as the Bristol inflatable 5k alongside some of the mums they support and their activities with young adults with learning disabilities. I have seen first-hand the impact this has had and I’m keen to tackle a challenge with them! I am absolutely no cyclist. You may have seen on my bio on our website I popped ‘cycling’ down as a hobby – this was absolutely in anticipation of my training starting last year which in fact did not start until a few weeks ago! It will be a huge achievement for me to make it to Amsterdam especially alongside SFC with Snapdragons spurring me on every pedal turn of the way!”
Can you help?
We’re so impressed by Ella’s determination and the wonderful work that SFC does that we’re supporting the Ella’s Four Countries in Four Days Big Cycle with a £500 donation.
If you’d like to sponsor her too and donate to SFC please follow the link to her Local Giving page. Ella's four countries in four days | Localgiving
If you would like to learn more about the charity, please go to Sporting Family Change
Snapdragons Cribbs Causeway is Outstanding!
The “dedicated staff team” pose with some of the children at Snapdragons Cribbs Causeway
We are exceptionally happy and proud to announce that Snapdragons Cribbs Causeway has been judged Outstanding in its first Ofsted inspection since opening in late 2020. The inspectors found the nursery to be Outstanding in all areas and commented that parents are full of praise for the dedicated staff team.
“Very nurturing and affectionate care”
“Throughout the nursery, children form secure emotional attachments with the staff. They demonstrate a real sense of belonging and visibly flourish. This close and genuine environment is evident to all.”
The inspectors pointed to the “very nurturing and affectionate care” for babies and children which is conducted with “warmth and respect”. They said, “New children are very sensitively supported to settle with caring attention from staff who build their confidence and let them explore at their own pace. Throughout the nursery, children form secure emotional attachments with the staff. They demonstrate a real sense of belonging and visibly flourish. This close and genuine environment is evident to all. Parents are full of praise for the dedicated staff team.”
“The extremely conscientious staff team effectively implement the nursery's clear intentions and targeted curriculum. Each child's key person diligently monitors their progress and effectively supports any developmental delays. This leads to unique targeted support, such as highly effective small group sessions to build children's listening, attention, language and social skills.”
Healthy lifestyles, literacy skills, physical and emotional development, partnership with parents, safeguarding and staff wellbeing were all picked out for praise in the report which also said that children who speak English as an additional language “swiftly become confident communicators”. In their assessment the environment of the nursery supported the excellent work the staff do, with cosy book corners and a dedicated children’s kitchen for healthy cooking activities.
“Children have
superb opportunities to develop healthy lifestyles”
“Children have superb opportunities to develop healthy lifestyles. Outdoor areas offer children rich exciting areas to explore, to build their physical skills and strength. The nursery's full-time cook provides nutritious meals. She ensures children's dietary requirements are strictly adhered to. She also leads interesting and very useful cooking activities and older children have great fun making wholemeal bread.”
“Leadership and management are inspirational!”
“The new manager's passion for her work, her high attention to detail and excellent leadership inspires her team”
Manager, Sam Charalambous, was praised by the inspectors who said, “Leadership and management are inspirational. The new manager's passion for her work, her high attention to detail and excellent leadership inspires her team. The drive for improvement is exceptionally well supported by the senior leadership team from the nursery's parent company. There is rigorous monitoring of all aspects, educational programmes, staff practice and children's progress.”
Sam was understandably delighted with the outcome, “I am so incredibly proud of our team who have all worked so hard to make this nursery what it is. Their love of the children and determination to make this a nurturing place to grow and learn is what shines through in this report. It’s no small thing to be rated Outstanding in a first inspection and it’s all down to my fantastic team, so I’d like to say a huge thank you to them all”.
The team celebrate their achievement on a well-earned night out
The team were treated to a celebration meal in recognition of their amazing achievement. We couldn’t be prouder of them and the amazing job they’ve done, working together to make their nursery truly outstanding. Well done Team Cribbs Causeway!
You can read the full report here 50209088 (ofsted.gov.uk)
Paediatric first aid training comes to the rescue for baby Brodie
Hayley and Brodie
All our childcare staff at Snapdragons are trained in Paediatric First Aid and even staff with non-childcare roles are welcomed on the training. In fact, three of our nurseries are now proud holders of Millie’s Mark Accreditation which means that ALL members of staff, from childcare practitioners and lunchtime assistants through to chefs, the maintenance team and office staff are trained in Paediatric First Aid. Snapdragons Weston completed Millie’s Mark last year and they’ve now been joined by our settings in Atworth and Grosvenor as we roll the programme out across our other sites.
Our colleague Hayley, the Admin at Snapdragons Broadwood, could never have imagined that her decision to attend Paediatric First Aid training at work would end up saving her own baby’s life. Hayley was on maternity leave after baby Brodie was born prematurely in the summer. After a stay in NICU at the RUH in Bath, Brodie was finally home and Hayley felt ready to take him on his first outing. Together they popped to the vet’s to pick up some medication for the family pet and, as they left, Brodie suddenly started crying uncontrollably then went limp.
As she told an ITV news reporter “He just stopped and went floppy. He was white, blue, black – a horrible colour”. She rushed him back into the vet’s shouting for help, then her training kicked in and she started to perform the specialist CPR for young babies that she had learned on the Paediatric First Aid course at the nursery. Her quick action kept Brodie alive until the ambulance arrived and the paramedics took over.
Hayley is so relieved she opted to do the training and has now launched a petition calling on the government to make paediatric first aid mandatory for new parents. "I just think it's better to have the knowledge than not, which is why I opted to have the training - and I am so relieved that I did it."
“I’m appealing for the government to introduce mandatory paediatric first aid for all new parents. Approx. 5% to 10% of the newly born population require some degree of active resuscitation at birth and SIDS is the leading cause of death among infants. More than 5 million deaths occur worldwide each year. We can help prevent this by providing new parents with the tools they need to save their baby just like I did.”
After Hayley and Brodie’s traumatic experience we all share in the family’s relief and joy that this terrifying incident had a happy outcome, and we are so glad that Hayley made the choice to take paediatric first aid training.
If you would like to support Hayley’s call for first aid training for new parents, sign her petition at Change.org.
As part of our Millie’s Mark Accreditation we offer Paediatric First Aid training to parents so look out for your invitation to attend.
Snapdragons Redland Sizzles for Ofsted on Hottest Day
As temperatures soared close to 40 degrees on the hottest day in July, the team at Snapdragons Redland shone brightly for their first Ofsted inspection. Despite the intense heat, they kept their cool and were judged to be Outstanding in all areas in their recent Ofsted inspection …. and the inspectors were full of praise.
The report, published in August, describes the inspirational leadership and management, skillful and sensitive staff, and excellent partnership with parents. The inspectors went on to praise the “brilliantly created curriculum” which was described as exceptionally and uniquely well-sequenced.
The report opened:
All children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), make exceptional progress in this beautiful and inspiring setting. Babies gladly reach out for their key person as their parents drop them off. Toddlers and pre-school children rush with eager anticipation to enter their rooms. They excitedly explore the activities staff have expertly provided for them. The curriculum is exceptionally and uniquely well-sequenced. This ensures all children succeed from the day they start.
Megan Day, Head of Early Years Practice and the Acting Manager and at Snapdragons Redland, was absolutely delighted with the outcome:
“I am incredibly proud of the team at Redland for achieving an Outstanding rating, in our first inspection, in the middle of a record-breaking heatwave!
Having worked so hard to support our children and families through the pandemic, we are thrilled to have come out the other side and been able to showcase the wonderful curriculum and care that the children receive here at Snapdragons.
The inspectors rightly recognised that while our beautiful building provides an impressive backdrop, it’s the staff and children who fill the rooms which make Redland such a special place to be. I can't wait to see what we keep achieving together!”
We’re so proud of the team and happy for everyone at Redland. It’s wonderful to get such a positive report, especially regarding our curriculum and opportunities for learning which are universal across the group.
Wonderful Wendy Bows out of Broadwood
After 16 years with Snapdragons, our inspirational and truly wonderful colleague, Wendy Crowe, is putting her feet up for her well-earned retirement. Wendy has been an amazing teacher and colleague at Snapdragons Broadwood and will be deeply missed by the staff, parents and, of course, the children. Her calm, caring and knowledgeable teaching has enabled literally hundreds of children to grow and learn in our Pre-School. They leave her care ready for school with the confidence and skills they need to thrive.
Now it’s Wendy’s turn to graduate from Snapdragons and we wish her all the best for a long and happy retirement. She’s promised to come back and do some of her legendary storytelling sessions and we’ll make sure we hold her to that! In the meantime, we will be celebrating with Wendy at Snapdragons Broadwood on Wednesday 31 August, 6-7pm, and we would love to see you there. Children, parents, colleagues both current and past, please come along and show Wendy what a wonderful legacy she has left and just how much she means to us.
Wendy gets a special (and tearful) mention at the Snapdragons Broadwood Graduation,.this summer.