Supervision, Assessment & Performance Management
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      Policy: Staff Supervisions & Performance Management

      In this article, we're going to look at our policies regarding staff supervision and performance management. This should be read in conjunction with our Induction and Probation policies

      At Hatching Dragons we believe in the importance of supportive but robust performance management to ensure that our parents and children receive only the best by way of care and education. Staff have a series of measures to ensure that they are both the right candidates from the outset and then on an on-going basis to ensure that they continue to provide the best quality care and education and constantly improve their practice in line with our training and development policies, as set out below

      It is important for parents to note that the nursery reserves the right to terminate contracts with staff who continually fail to meet expectations in the following areas. This may be challenging as parents do build up relationships with their key worker team regarding the care of their child but it is critical that policy is adhered to for the safe and optimal running of the nursery as a whole. We only want the best for your child and will do what it takes to deliver that quality.

      1. Safer recruitment - candidates undergo extensive recruitment and vetting measures to test out both their suitability to work with children and their competence in delivering the requirements of the job description
      2. Structured Induction - to ensure that they understand the requirements of their role, the nursery as a whole and our policies and procedures. Key documents include:
        1. Terms of their Employment - the contract
        2. Job Description with set Key Performance Indicators for their individual role
        3. Room Evaluation - so that they are aware that they will be evaluated both individually and collectively
        4. Code of Conduct - to ensure that staff are aware of the basic requirements for their role with us and what parameters they will have for performance management
        5. Probation - all staff are given 6 months probation as standard for the manager and senior team to evaluate the new staffer on an on-going basis. Methods of evaluation include, but are not limited to:
        1. Peer observations - team members evaluating their colleague’s practice and providing manager with constructive feedback as to their qualities and areas for improvement
        2. Managerial observations - on-going assessment based on Job Description KPIs, policy knowledge, training commitment and outcomes, 
        3. Probationary reviews - SMART objectives set by manager on an on-going basis to identify areas for improvements and to provide timeframes for resolution
      2. Supervisions: On-going supervision of the staff are given by the manager every 3 months as defined and issued by our HR System, Bamboo HR.
        1. Managers formal appraisal supervision: Are structured to identify incidence of lateness, attendance, issues of attitude (from staff feedback surveys) and from performance reviews from the Room Leaders peer observations to help structure the manager’s appraisal and need to fall due within the timeframes specified by Bamboo Assessments for all staff within their schools
        2. Managers review Room Leaders and Room Leaders will assess their room teams in line with the KPIs set out in their job descriptions and will include:
          1. Completion of training programmes
          2. Attendance and Sickness
          3. Peer Assessments from Colleagues
          4. Managerial reviews of individual practice as taken during Room Inspections
      We  implement a system of supervision for all of our staff following their induction and probation period. Supervision is part of the nursery’s overall performance management system and promotes a culture of mutual support, teamwork and continuous improvement. It encourages the confidential discussion of sensitive issues including the opportunity for staff and their managers to:  
      • Discuss any issues – particularly concerning children’s development or well-being, including child protection concerns
      • Identify solutions to address issues as they arise
      • Receive coaching to improve their personal effectiveness
      • Develop their own skills in order to progress in their role
      • Discuss any concerns relating to changes in personal circumstances that might affect an individual’s ability/suitability to work with children.

      The frequency of supervision meetings is according to individual needs but will take place not less than every 3 months post probation and is defined by the timeframes set out in BambooHR. All staff and managers will be automatically notified via email when the assessment period falls due. All staff are invited to submit their own self assessment via Bamboo HR, and their manager is also invited to submit their feedback on their direct report via BambooHR. Managers can also choose to upload a signed and completed Supervision Form available on Bamboo Documents to this assessment progress. It can be done via the BambooHR IOS/ Android App, and / or via the web app hatchingdragons.BambooHR.com 

      Managers can choose to book in direct one on one supervisions with their direct reports via the schools HR & Staffing (Google) Calendar to have more structured sessions to run through the areas outlined in the Supervision form. Failure to fill out the assessments for direct reports (be it manager or room leader) is a breach of practice, as it is for the direct report to fail to fill his / her own self assessment within the allotted window.

      There should always be something that a member of staff can discuss, e.g. a particular child’s development, strengths or concerns. However, if there are times where staff may be struggling to identify areas to discuss in a supervision we will ask them to identify three things they have enjoyed about their job/done well since the last supervision and one thing they have least enjoyed/requires further improvement. They will be asked to complete this prior to supervision (as set out in their responsibilities).

      There may be times when supervision may be increased for members of the team as and when needed, i.e. if they have particular concerns about a child or if they are going through personal circumstances at home, for new starters, staff returning after long-term illness, on request from staff.

      It is the responsibility of the manager to plan time to ensure that all staff have supervisions. At Hatching Dragons supervision is carried out by the the reports direct line manager - this may be the nursery or deputy manager but equally it may be the room leader managing his / her team in her room. If for any reason a supervision is cancelled a new date will be rearranged within 7 days.

      All members of staff responsible for carrying out supervisions are trained and supported prior to carrying these out.

      Supervision meetings also offer regular opportunities for members of staff to raise any changes in their personal circumstances that may affect their suitability to work with children. This should include any incidents resulting in a reprimand, caution or prosecution by the police, any court orders or changes to their health.]. These changes are recorded as a declaration on the individual member of staff’s supervision form and appropriate action is taken, where applicable, in line with the safeguarding/child protection and disciplinary procedure.

      Staff have a responsibility to ensure that they are available for supervision meetings and that the necessary paperwork is complete. Information shared in supervision sessions is confidential. The supervision process will be evaluated once/twice a year through staff feedback and is used as part of the overall performance monitoring system at the nursery.