After identifying significant issues in performance, communication, continuity  and morale, I led the voluntary committee and staff to plan and implement a costed improvement plan, tailored to the academic year and organisational priorities. After six months, with careful staff and service mentoring, evaluation results consistently demonstrate parents’ satisfaction levels at 100% (rising from 33%); numbers of children have increased; staff morale has improved; the charity’s financial forecast is healthy; and we recieved a ‘good’ result in the 2014 OFSTED inspection!

We invited staff from the other local schools and volunteers from our community to join us on a 3 day Forest Schools training course. Outdoor and Real-World learning are now core parts of Preschool’s practice. The kids have been building dens and hammering leaves to make patterns on bunting, and there’s a lot more cross fertilisation happening – talks of shared outdoor activities on transfer days, plans for re-using vacant buildings, running play schemes in the holidays, and offers of volunteering in the different settings. www.allendalepreschool.co.uk