PRACTICE


As soon as I became Head I focused on three key tasks:-


Engaging with families: I enabled the creation of informal provision where parents and children were learning together


Developing core team values and a shared


All that talking took a lot of time, but as a team we came to see the value of it.


All that talking took a lot of time, but as a team we came to see the value of it.


philosophy for our work: I facilitated our journey as a core team so that we could know and understand one another better. I believe that discussion and debate is an important tool for improvement. I made friends with a local academic who became an important mentor for our team thoughts, ideas and plans.


Raising the profile of Hillfield’s work with all the


key leaders in Coventry: I attended all the networking events in the City, ensuring that I copied-in to correspondence about our work at Hillfields all the leaders from key local organisations and potential partners.


Differences in professional backgrounds and qualifications were and still are a challenge in Early Years work. I always tried to create opportunities for sharing of ideas and the development of skills. I used team meetings and training sessions to focus on ‘thinking skills’, our attitudes and expectations


three and their families and the quality of recording in our Child Protection work. It is the role of the leader to take the initiative; to find solutions to any difficulties we faced as a team. I managed to persuade the Director of Education that we should close the Centre for half a day a week; which we used to


our team working and achieve a shared understanding.


My vision was that as a team we would ‘mature with confidence’. I believe strongly that as leaders for children’s services, it is important


systematically develop for children under


20


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