By far, the most valuable and important resource to our babies and children is their key person.
"Children have close relationships with their key person and all staff. The staff know the children exceptionally well and successfully promote their confidence and well-being."
Ofsted, 2017
“Staff expertly support children to become self-confident, resilient and independent.” “They are very confident and happy.”
Ofsted, 2022
Key workers will ensure that their high quality ongoing provision and focused activities enable each child to be suitably challenged and extended in their learning, providing the base of a secure relationship that will enable young children to gain the confidence to explore, learn and make discoveries.
Through their interactions and communications, children will gain the security and confidence to investigate, whilst being guided by an interested adult who can observe the children at play and take forward possible lines of development where the child shows interest. We believe that children should be allowed to play freely without constant adult interruption, but rather be given opportunities to explore with adult interaction when appropriate. We know that children learn best when they are interested, therefore our planning will always be flexible to allow us to take the children forward in the best possible way. We also value the fact that parents are the first and foremost educators of their children and will ensure that we work together in enabling the children to develop and grow to reach their full potential.
The Key Person is by far the most important and valuable resource within the nursery. The role of the key person is paramount in ensuring that the child feels happy, secure and becomes confident in exploring and trying out new things. A key person helps the baby or child to become familiar with the nursery and to feel confident within it, by allowing a loving and secure bond to develop and grow.
Each child will have their own key person, whose role it is to ensure that your child is being looked after properly, within the bounds of a secure, caring and trusting relationship that they will build together. It is also important, in time that other secure relationships are forged with the adults responsible for care, to enable your child to continue to enjoy nursery when their key person is on holiday or absent.
The key person meets the needs of each child within their care, responding sensitively and with encouragement to their feelings, ideas and behaviour. When children are happy, secure and valued, they will begin to blossom and flourish and begin to take healthy risks, try new things and grow in many positive ways.
Babies and children will become independent through depending upon a trusting adult for reassurance and comfort, when needed.
Children exhume more confidence and independence when they feel self-assured and secure within the relationships built with them by a caring adult, this is why the key person is everything to the child in supporting them to develop in the best possible way at nursery.
The key person will communicate regularly to parents to ensure that the child is being cared for appropriately. Ongoing communication is key to an open and successful relationship with parents – which is always in the interests of the child.
A close emotional relationship with the key person does not undermine the value of the child’s relationships with his/her parents/carers and family.
The key person will be responsible for planning a stimulating and enriching curriculum that challenges the child in order for him/her to make progress and take positive steps forward in his/her development. This is made possible when a child feels secure and confident in their relationships with their carers and benefits from their guidance, support and encouragement.
The Key Person is responsible for providing intimate care to the child, which may relate to cleaning and changing their nappies.
A dual system or key person ‘buddy’ will ensure that in the short term absence of a child’s key person (holiday/sickness), another familiar and known practitioner will assume responsibility for the child.
The key person is also responsible for maintaining records on the child’s progress and sharing this information with parents.
Parents should always feel that they can communicate openly with their child’s key person. This communication is vital in ensuring that we are delivering the best care for your child that we possibly can. If a parent has a concern or is not satisfied with any aspect of our practice, we welcome and encourage their ability to communicate this to us so that we can work in partnership together, moving forward positively and in the interests of the child.