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‘Kim gave me excellent support and advice when I was registering the new Totstars Pre-School with Ofsted’
Melanie Creasey
Totstars Pre- School and Academy Manager
‘We would like to thank you for inviting us to your nursery setting. We are particularly grateful for the time you took to answer the numerous questions we had concerning our practice. You were ever so patient and you allayed most of our worries and concerns. We wish you great success in all your future endeavours and will be celebrating with you when we get our 'Outstanding' report.’
Sherry Kolawole
Kiddies Kottage Day Nursery
‘ After getting Requires Improvement from Ofsted, I searched online and found Kim who started to help straight away. She came to visit us and gave us loads of suggestions on how to improve our setting. Kim sent us templates, lesson ideas and links for resources which were really relevant and useful. When Ofsted returned they gave us GOOD in all areas! We can not thank Kim enough!’
Lyn
Manager of a South London Day Nursery
‘From my very first encounter with this lady I was blown away by her commitment to deliver the very best standards to children and support to her staff. What I like about Kim is that she eats breathes and sleeps all things early education and is constantly striving to do better and improve in all areas. I would encourage other providers to learn a thing or two from Kim who offers support and advice without criticism or judgement’
Suasan Taylor
Specialist safeguarding consultant
‘Kim is an amazing manager and owner of two very successful pre-schools. She has grown these settings to an outstanding level, due largely to her passion for everything Early Years. Kim is a very dedicated educator and keeps herself updated by attending a range of continuous personal and professional development activities, both face-to-face and online. I will fully recommend Kim to work with you in achieving excellence.’
Laura Henry
Award winning international Early Years Consultant

Blog

I've always got time for a good idea

18 May 2017

Blog

Why? Why have I always got time for a good idea? Because ultimately it saves time, or at least it saves grief and strife!

Welcome to my consultancy blog. I hope to share some of my work, some of my ideas as well as the ideas and theories of others. I believe in variety and different approaches, converging to suit your own practice. Early Years Consultant, Kathy Brodie suggested I make the above statement my catch phrase, as she says it is "so me!”

As a manager of two settings and as a consultant, I surround myself with good people so we can mutually support and share good ideas.

So the latest good idea I'm following up at the moment is from Kathy Brodie's Spring Early Years summit on the Phoenix Cups theory. It’s all about reacting and responding to children's needs in a visible way, and about how we offer opportunities to (in Sandi's words) "fill children's metaphorical cups,” e.g. the freedom cup. Do we offer enough freedom, or do we expect too much rigidity and routine perhaps?

The concept is from Sandi Phoenix in Australia, so we are messaging back and forth on how best to make her resources available in the U.K. I like the way Sandi has also thought of staff wellbeing as well as the child's, and love even more that she wants to make her programme accessible to practitioners all over the world!

These are exciting times! The postie will be arriving with the goods any day now! I Will let you know how it goes. Please have a look at Kathy's website (some guest blogs by Kim Benham on there!) and Sandi's website. They’re inspirational people!

Here are some useful links:

Kathy Brodie's Spring EY Summit and website:

https://www.earlyyearssummit.com/2017springstore/email=&firstname=&lastname=

http://www.kathybrodie.com/

Sandi Phoenix:

http://www.phoenix-support.com.au

‘Kim gave me excellent support and advice when I was registering the new Totstars Pre-School with Ofsted’
Melanie Creasey
Totstars Pre- School and Academy Manager
‘We would like to thank you for inviting us to your nursery setting. We are particularly grateful for the time you took to answer the numerous questions we had concerning our practice. You were ever so patient and you allayed most of our worries and concerns. We wish you great success in all your future endeavours and will be celebrating with you when we get our 'Outstanding' report.’
Sherry Kolawole
Kiddies Kottage Day Nursery
‘ After getting Requires Improvement from Ofsted, I searched online and found Kim who started to help straight away. She came to visit us and gave us loads of suggestions on how to improve our setting. Kim sent us templates, lesson ideas and links for resources which were really relevant and useful. When Ofsted returned they gave us GOOD in all areas! We can not thank Kim enough!’
Lyn
Manager of a South London Day Nursery

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