A student and two graduates from Bishop Grosseteste University in Lincoln have each won a prestigious early years award from Nursery World magazine.
Carolynn Fletcher, who is currently studying for a Foundation Degree in Applied Studies at BGU, won the Nursery Manager of the Year prize at the Nursery World Awards last week.Carolynn manages Swineshead Pre-School near Boston in Lincolnshire which has grown from 24 sessional places to 78 full-time places under her management and achieved an Ofsted grade of outstanding. Carolynn’s colleagues at the nursery told the judges that she was born to manage the pre-school and since joining the setting in 1999 has been the driving force behind its success.
Marie Walker, who graduated from BGU two years ago with a first-class BA (Hons) degree in Applied Studies in Early Childhood, is the owner of Little Learners Pre-School in Skegness, Lincolnshire, which won the Pre-school of the Year award. Little Learners Pre-School is rated as outstanding by Ofsted even though it has only been open for less than a year and is part of Little Learners Nursery School, which won Nursery World’s Nursery of the Year in 2010.
Sally Forster, Lead Practitioner and Deputy Manager at Kidzone Cranwell, won Nursery World’s Outstanding Contribution Award. Sally graduated in 2010 with a first-class degree in Applied Studies in Early Childhood which is a one-year top up degree that follows a Foundation Degree.
Sacha Mason, Academic Co-ordinator in Applied Studies at Bishop Grosseteste University, commented: “Carolynn, Marie and Sally are all extremely gifted early years professionals and we’re delighted to see their talents recognised with these prestigious awards. ‘The strength of the FdA and the BA (Hons) Applied Studies in Early Childhood top up degree is that it enables early years practitioners to really think about their practice in relation to what the research tells us about how to support and enable the best outcomes for young children.”
To find out more visit https://www.nurseryworld.co.uk/awards