Nursery Nurse to Early Years' Practitioner

Role, Relationships and Responsibilities

Hazel G. Whitters

• Publisher: Routledge
• Year: 2017
• ISBN:
  9781351628860
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Pedagogía
• Subtopic: Educación general

The role, relationships and responsibilities of the traditional 'nursery nurse' have changed markedly within the last 20 years, demanding a high level of skill, knowledge and understanding which pertains to formal international standards. This book responds to the needs of a workforce who have experienced rapid developments and challenges. It supports an understanding of 'self' and the creation of an organisational pedagogy.

Concepts are explored by reference to research indicating the importance of relationship-based practice with children and parents. Experienced practitioner Hazel Whitters draws on practical examples from the field, such as attachment, inclusion, pedagogy and child protection to bridge the implementation gap between current research, policy and practice of work in the early years.

Nursery Nurse to Early Years' Practitioner will be of interest to early years' practitioners, academics, post-graduate students, researchers and course leaders in the field.

1
Nursery nurse to early years’ practitioner

This chapter looks at the changing role, relationships, and responsibilities of the worker in a context of early years. The chapter describes the development of care to include education and the development of education to encompass the therapeutic relationship and attachment with a primary or secondary carer: parent or professional. The change in identity from solitary practitioner to a worker within an extended integrated team is explored, and the impact of registration upon practice, accountability, and responsibility is discussed. The changes in comprehension of different types of play (including therapeutic play) and the links to pedagogy are explained through reference to research. The topics of cultural sensitivity and of implementation of the curriculum within each organisation are introduced in this chapter and further explored throughout the book.

Nursery nurse

Two hundred years ago, nursery nurses traditionally cared for children in a family home, hospital, or institutions which supported children who would be currently termed as vulnerable due to additional support needs. The role was primarily provision of physical and social care and of elementary education. Emotional care was a concept which was prominent in the 1800s by association with child development. During the nineteenth century, researchers and theorists sought understanding of the concept of learning and of development during childhood years. It is clear that there are differences and similarities between the philosophies of past educators and current significance, which is given to aspects of learning. Froebel, in the early 1800s, had identified a correlation between learning, a mother’s love, play, and the input from trained educators. Macmillan, in the latter part of the 1800s, emphasised the importance of holistic development by focusing upon a child’s physical, educational, and emotional needs. Rudolph Steiner promoted children’s individuality and expressed that education and mental wellbeing were achieved through a balance of skills, knowledge, and the human spirit. Comprehension of education and care in the 1900s was influenced by Montessori teaching the importance of the intellect being led by the five senses. Additionally, at this time, Vygotsky included social interaction with adults and peers as necessary to cognition, and Piaget identified that each child’s interpretation and comprehension of the environment related to knowledge acquisition and, ultimately, to development. Bowlby presented the basis for learning as emotional in the form of a secure relationship with an attachment figure (Macleod-Brudenell, Cortvriend, Hallet, Kay & Walkup, 2004).

Education and care of children were promoted by the use of different approaches – for example, the American High-Scope programme which commenced in the 1960s supported children to learn by planning, exploring through play, and reflecting upon outcomes and potential future goals. These strategies from High-Scope were adopted within UK nurseries in the 1980s and followed the mandate of ‘Plan (Think), Play (Do), and Put Away (Reflect).’ The Reggio Emilia approach was developed in Italy and placed emphasis on the self-worth of individuals by supporting each child to recognise skills and talents. These principles were also applied within the UK and based upon the premise that high self-esteem enables the learning process to take place with optimum value for the child. The Plowden Report (Central Advisory Council for Education, 1967) recommended a child-centred curriculum which reflected the needs of each child in addition to whole class teaching. New Zealand’s Te Whariki considered the importance of influences from family and local community upon learning, and these principles are reflected in National Practice Models (Department for Children, Schools and Families, 2009; Scottish Government, 2008).

The curricula and practice models which are applied in services in the UK today have been influenced by these aspects of learning from past educators in the field of child development. The main themes which have been established as important to learning in the early years are emotional wellbeing, play, support by practitioners and parents, a holistic approach, environment, and an outcome of educated, caring citizens.

Towards the end of the twentieth century, there was a growing realisation from researchers and educators that the period from birth to 5 years of age, or pre-school stage, required a specific approach to provision of learning opportunities rather than ‘watered down school activities,’ as frequently expressed by early years’ practitioners. By this time many establishments were providing day care for children in the birth to 3-year age group in the form of parent-toddler groups, play-groups, and local authority day care in nurseries for the most vulnerable children. Organisations had started to create local curricula for the youngest children in their care, and, at the turn of the twenty-first century in the UK, a national curriculum was disseminated to the early years’ workforce. In the UK context, the first curriculum framework for pre-school children was published in 1999 – A Curriculum Framework 3 to 5 Years (Scottish Executive, 1999). The Early Years’ Foundation Stage (Department for Education and Skills, 2000) was published soon after and followed by the Welsh Foundation Stage, 3–7 (Welsh Assembly Government, 2004), and the Curriculum for Excellence, 3–18 (Scottish Executive, 2004). Birth to Three Matters (Surestart, 2002), Birth to Three: Supporting Our Youngest Children (Scottish Executive, 2005), and Pre-Birth to Three: Positive Outcomes for Scotland’s Children and Families (Scottish Government, 2010) are curricula with a focus upon children in the pre-3-year stage of development. Getting It Right for Every Child (Scottish Government, 2008) and the Common Assessment Framework (Department for Children, Schools and Families, 2009) are national practice models to support assessment of needs and delivery of the curriculum.

The term ‘nursery nurse’ began to be replaced in order to reflect the changing responsibilities of the early years’ practitioner: educator, carer, communicator, and safe-guarder. Common role names which remain in use within the UK include child development officer (local authority), pre-five worker, early years’ practitioner, early years’ development worker, and, more recently, pedagogue.

Emotional wellbeing and play

The Concise Oxford Dictionary defines well-being as the state of feeling comfortable and happy – thus linking physical and emotional status. Play is defined as engaging in games or other activities for enjoyment rather than serious or practical purpose (Oxford University Press, 1999). It is difficult to present a universal definition of play which is relevant to today’s children. The concept of play is equated with learning; therefore, it relates to a child’s interaction and involvement with the environment. The setting in which play occurs has a direct or indirect impact upon the child’s exploration through the promotion of boundaries: natural or human-made environmental parameters, behavioural boundaries, the expectation of an outcome, or emotional boundaries created by the relationship and interaction with an adult or peer. The effect of play can be understood by the main attributes as demonstrated by the child – for example, physical play encompassing gross and fine motor skills; intellectual play focusing upon linguistic, scientific, mathematical, and creative learning; and social and emotional play which includes therapeutic interaction (Moyles, 1989). There is a current tendency to categorise play by the principles which relate to the pedagogy of an organisation – for example, adult-led, child-centred, or child-led. Research (Siraj-Blatchford et al., 2003) has indicated that the richest environment for child development includes a range of opportunities for play in a variety of settings with the support of an attachment figure.

Children’s needs and interests can change rapidly. A responsive practitioner observes a child, recognises implicit and explicit cues, evaluates in relation to the child’s current and past circumstances, and uses her or his skills and knowledge to implement practice. Each child should be offered care and education which responds directly to need in a timely manner. This approach may involve changes to the environment, adult intervention or withdrawal, and emotional support. An aim is to increase involvement and wellbeing of every child due to the correlation between learning and emotional status. The outcome is to include and to integrate every child into the early years’ learning environment. Pedagogy should reflect individuality of children, and the approach should be understood by all practitioners, students, seniors, management, and parents within a setting. For example, child-led pedagogy encompasses environmental, social, and emotional boundaries as described previously, and practice can be affected if this aspect is unclear to workers, children, or parents.

Ferre Laevers (1994) created the Leuven Involvement Scale, which is increasingly popular throughout the UK as a tool which supports practitioners to gain an understanding of the link between emotional wellbeing and learning for each child. The child is observed for a short period and assessed in relation to five stages of involvement and five stages of emotional well-being; thereafter, the results are evaluated and contribute to the formation of a care plan. Good practice entails practitioners being supported by their team to interpret the scales and to identify contributory factors to the child’s involvement/wellbeing. The team have a responsibility to implement strategies which support the child to develop. The following aspects relate to interpretation of the five stages from the Leuven Scale within a practice context of early years.

Child involvement

1. The child may observe the environment without involvement or create a barrier between himself or herself and setting – for example, by covering his or her eyes or turning towards the carer.
2. The child’s involvement is easily interrupted by an external factor which stops the child’s interaction.
3. The child’s involvement does not have a focus, and the child is easily distracted but can resume the activity.
4. The child appears to have a plan and focus for involvement in play. The child is able to concentrate on the activity for short periods.
5. Fully engaged in meaningful play – the child demonstrates that he or she is following his or her interests, creating and implementing a plan, and responding to his or her needs.

Child wellbeing

1. The child shows clear signals of distress and may attempt to leave the environment or seek support from the carer.
2. The child may observe but not interact with the environment. Facial expression and neutral posture show little or no emotion.
3. Facial expression and posture demonstrate that the child is beginning to relax and feels comfortable to interact within the environment.
4. The child demonstrates obvious signs of self-confidence and enjoyment in play.
5. The child demonstrates obvious signs of self-confidence and high self-esteem.

If emotional wellbeing is a requisite for play, then play is confirmation of a child’s emotional wellbeing. The concept of play has developed over the last two centuries from a leisure activity directed by children on an ad hoc basis, with limited adult intervention, to structured play used by adults as a teaching method. Planned structured group play was used as a teaching medium within the early years from the 1960s to the 1990s. Each nursery nurse planned and presented an activity, to a key group of children, which had defined learning outcomes relating to developmental checklists. This behaviourist approach created an environment in which the child was integrated into the society of the playroom but not necessarily included. Thomas and Loxley (2001) describe inclusion as the assimilation of children (with additional needs) into a mainstream setting which involves comprehensive education, equality, and collective belonging. Integration entails the children adapting to the status quo in order to conform.

Edmunds and Stewart-Brown (2003) made the distinction between socially competent, socially desirable, and socially conformist behaviour. Children who experience structured activities learn social and emotional competence by achieving socially desirable and conformist behaviour. Social and emotional competence may promote emotional wellbeing but only within an identified setting. Edmunds and Stewart-Brown suggested that this behaviour may be counter-productive in terms of nurturing desirable attitudes for long-term gain, such as positive mental health and good citizenship. This type of approach results in the child being reliant on the adult to regulate his or her behaviour. Additionally, the child’s ability to demonstrate socially acceptable behaviour, within a breadth of settings, is dependent on his or her capacity to transfer learned social conformity between settings.

Concepts are granted prominence in relation to research, and this may create a philosophy which can lead to national recognition in the form of curricula or teaching practices. Society’s attitude to a concept often changes when ideas become enshrined in legislation or formal publications. The Effective Provision of Pre-school Education 1997–2003 identifies elements of effective pedagogy as being the level and type of interactions between adults, children, and the environment (Siraj-Blatchford et al., 2003). Play is promoted as the interface between the elements, and the adult and child’s sustained shared thinking is the main catalyst. The findings from this research project have had a significant impact upon the pedagogy in early years’ establishments.

Today, play in early years’ settings is primarily associated with child-led active learning which is directed by a child following his or her interests. Practitioners support the child to access and choose from a range of activities, and they extend the learning opportunities by acting as co-facilitators. Opportunities for participative and cooperative play allow children to learn the social rules of their micro-systems, including appropriate communication techniques and the formation of friendships. Symbolic and imaginative play enables children to make sense of their past experiences and associated emotions and to prepare for future events.

Bowlby (1979) described how the attachment process is a forum for young children to display their most intense emotions; therefore, the quality of attachment relationship greatly influences emotional wellbeing. Three directions of motivation in babies are identified by Trevarthan and Aitken (2001), as well as three corresponding functions of emotion which contribute positively or negatively to the fundamental organisation of a baby’s learning. This research provided practitioners with an increase in comprehension of the rationale for sensory activities which had been introduced to the workforce many years previously – for example, Treasure Basket and Heuristic Play.

Treasure Basket and Heuristic Play

The Treasure Basket and Heuristic Play were introduced to nurseries in 1985 (Goldschmied & Jackson, 1985). The rationale was to support learning for children under 3 years of age by creating an environment and using supportive strategies which responded to emotional and intellectual needs. These activities are designed to support children’s comprehension of themselves – the child’s inner working model. The Treasure Basket and Heuristic Play are examples of play being presented to children through a planned structured environment. The execution of the activity involves a child’s active learning, and the adult relinquishes control of the situation as soon as the child enters the area; therefore, the power-base is given to the child. The adult’s role is that of silent observer and attachment figure who portrays support and reassurance by positive body language. If ideas were to be promoted by an adult through verbal interaction, then it could lead the child’s thoughts in a direction dictated by the adult perspective rather than the child’s own interests and needs. Sensory activities facilitate children to learn by using their personal bases of knowledge and understanding which encompass their previous emotio...