Cygnets Pre-School
Chairperson’s annual report – November 2020
Current committee:
Alex Reynolds – chair Gemma Price – treasurer Sarah Pike – secretary Nicole Sheppard Jenna Micallef Martin Mangan Kitty Cole Laura Colborne
This time last year if you had mentioned the words ‘lockdown’, ‘social distancing’ and ‘global pandemic’ I think we would all have laughed. The prospect of a looming Ofsted inspection and attempting to open a new pre-school seemed like quite enough to contend with for one year thank you very much! I would like to start by saying an enormous and heartfelt thank you to everyone involved with Cygnets for their hard work and support through what has been an exceptional year. First and foremost to the staff in both Westbury and Bratton for everything you have done to keep Cygnets running and to keep the children safe and cared for. Please do not for one moment underestimate how highly valued you are and how essential the work has been that you have continued to do during scary and worrying times. Thank you to all the parents for continuing to support Cygnets and adapting to the necessary new rules and procedures; and to the committee for their loyalty and work behind the scenes to make important decisions that have kept Cygnets going through the toughest of years.
Before Covid came along (if you can remember ‘normal’ life’) the biggest challenge for the early part of the year was to get the new Bratton setting up and running. We are enormously grateful to the community of Bratton, the Parish Council and numerous local businesses for their contributions and support that enabled this project to get off the ground, and of course to Emma and her family for all the hours they put in to make sure the dream was realised. We were just ready to open the doors at the end of March when lockdown hit, so it was delayed but Bratton finally opened in June and we are delighted with the response so far. Sessions are full and there is now a waiting list, with both staff and children having settled in wonderfully. Opening a new setting has not been without its challenges and special thanks must go to Emma and the Bratton team - Olivia, Tara, Sam and Lucy - for the work they have all put in above and beyond expectations to make sure things run as smoothly as they possibly can.
At the same time as attempting to race to the finish line in Bratton, Ofsted finally came knocking in Westbury for the long-awaited inspection in February. To say that we were thrilled at the outcome is an enormous understatement. To quote the report briefly:
Children are extremely happy and actively engage in activities, building a vast range of exciting and lasting memories to treasure. They have exceptionally high levels of confidence and self-esteem and thrive in the care of the dedicated and highly committed staff team. Children thoroughly enjoy their time; excel in everything they do and feel extremely safe.
On behalf of the whole committee I would like to thank Emma and all the staff for everyone’s contribution to such a fantastic result, it is something we can all be very proud of and is a testament to the hard work of the team. We know that over the last few years a huge number of changes have been brought in and everyone has had to
learn and adapt, but this shows that it has all been worth it and Cygnets is becoming a model for other settings too.
As well as adding the ladies on the Bratton team to our Cygnets family, during the last year we have said both goodbye and hello to several staff, plus have celebrated not one but two Cygnets babies! We were sorry to lose Theresa and Lucy, both of whom have been great assets to us, but in their place we are very pleased to have been joined by Sian, Charlotte and Ellie, all of whom have slotted straight in and have responded extremely well to the challenges of joining a new working team at such an unusual time. Emma has had her work cut out running two settings and special mention must go to Hannah too, who has really grown into her role as assistant manager at Westbury during the last six months particularly and thanks to the rest of the team for the support they continue to give her. On behalf of all Cygnets parents, past and present, we hope that you all know just how much you are appreciated and how important the work is that you do every day to keep our children safe and our families supported.
The final thanks this evening goes to the unsung heroes of the Cygnets team – the committee. These are all volunteers, who give their time and expertise willingly behind the scenes to help keep the wheels turning. A mixture of current and past parents, alongside members of the wider community, the committee give up evenings and free time to give something back to Cygnets. This year has been harder than most and as a committee we have had to make really tricky decisions. I would like to extend my personal thanks to everyone on the committee for their contributions over the year, we haven’t been able to meet in person since February but thanks to Zoom and Facebook Messenger, we’ve managed to stay in regular contact. Unfortunately, the pandemic has affected everybody’s lives differently and due to other pressures, we have had to say goodbye to two members of the committee – Beccie Durham and Sarah Pike – ahead of this meeting. We are also saying goodbye tonight to Laura Colborne who has been an important member of the committee for the last two years, thank you Laura for all your enthusiasm, particularly in supporting our fundraising efforts. This does mean of course that there are vacancies on the committee for anyone who would like to join our team so please don’t be shy!
Despite everything that 2020 has thrown at us, I’m extremely proud that Cygnets is continuing to go from strength to strength and firmly believe that we’ve risen incredibly well to all the various challenges. No doubt there will be more to come before ‘normal life’ can return, but with an ‘Outstanding’ Ofsted report under our belts, a thriving new setting and an excellent team, I’m confident that Cygnets is more than ready for whatever the next 12 months will hold.
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