At the end of April, our Nursery Managers and team from Central Support gathered in Birmingham for our very first Manager Away Day.

After rapidly growing from 6 to 16 nurseries in the last 12 months, these 2 days were a great opportunity to have our management team under one roof to meet one another, share learning experiences and celebrate our growing knowledge base and support system.

Aside from sessions on new operational systems and group wide updates, workshops included Leadership & Management training from ACAS and Physical & Cognitive Development with Neil Farmer. ACAS provided the team with tools to handle difficult conversations effectively and productively. Staff found the session very informative with the chance for some interesting role plays.

The eye-opening session with Neil was not only insightful for managers as early years professionals but also the parents within the team at Central Support. Full of quirky illustrations and relatable examples, the session covered the psychology behind the way girls and boys learn and how best to facilitate the positive development their young minds. Neil also touched on the importance of reading and conversation with children to prevent the rise in language poverty.

The Great Storal Bake Off provided a much-needed sugar boost and a bit of healthy competition. Out of the 12 entries, our Wilmere Lane Nursery came out on top with a delicious, triple layered salted caramel cake decorated with their nursery logo.

Our nominated Charity of the Year, SANDS (Stillborn and neonatal death) came to share with us about the great work they do to support families affected by the death of a baby, the research they do to prevent this tragedy and the creative ways we can fundraise.

We also took the opportunity to discuss some of the initiatives we aim to introduce in the near future to make our staff feel valued and Storal Learning a great place to work, including our Storal Awards and the Time to Change pledge. Statistics show 1 in 6 workers are dealing with stress, anxiety or depression so we’ve put in place actions to support those within our team who are struggling with mental health.

Overall, managers found the time away very inspiring and left with fresh ideas to further improve their nurseries. We can’t wait to see the learnings they brought back in action at their settings.