Our ladybirds room is our Pre-School Room, and in fact it isn’t a ‘room’ at all. In 2018 our Pre-School moved from what is now the Toddler room, to become an outdoor setting across many areas.

We have the Mongolian Yurt which is our cosy warm round classroom, the outdoor classroom, the mud area, the Art Studio, the forest school garden and Hunger Hills Woods in its entirety.  Every morning the educators, forest school practitioners and atelierista pitch to the children and following this they choose where they want to spend their morning, and then afternoon.  So let’s meet the team who run our 3 and 4 year old areas.

Lisa- Pre-School Manager

For 18 years this year I’ve been part of the Inspirations team, starting straight from leaving school as an Apprentice and gaining my Level 3 Qualification. I’ve worked in both the Toddler and Preschool rooms, spending around 7 years as a leader in the Toddler room before becoming Preschool Manager over a year ago. I find immense joy in engaging with the children during their play. It’s incredibly rewarding to see them grow and prepare for school.I also think it’s such a privilege parents are happy to go to work, knowing their children are so happy and safe in our care. I am passionate about building a strong team of practitioners to create the best outcomes possible for the children.

Ellie-Pre-School Manager

I am one of the Preschool managers working Wednesdays and Thursdays. I have worked at Inspirations since 2018 where I started as an Apprentice. I then worked my way up with the support of our team and of course the children at Inspirations. I love watching the children grow and flourish during their time in the Preschool room and it gives me so much pride when they leave us ready to go to school. The thing I enjoy the most about my job is watching the children learn through exploration and wanting to share their achievements and news with us!

Phoebe- Deputy Room Leader

I have worked at Inspirations for almost 4 years, I started as an Apprentice when I was 18 after surviving lockdown (just about)! Since a young age I have always wanted to work with children as I enjoy being able to help others and believe I am a positive, fun, firm but fair role model to not only children but staff too. Fun fact about me is I am a home owner; I live with my brother Cameron and two cats Willow and Luna. Before Christmas I suddenly lost my mum. This completely turned my life upside down. Since losing her I have made it my life’s goal to make this world a better place and I want to help others in every way possible. Her passion was cooking, now I continue this at Pre-school as we cook and bake daily! At a mass dedicated to my mum a priest said food banks were running low, I saw this as sign, hence why I was so passionate about raising for the food banks the pre-schools helped me take.

Katrin- Apprentice

I am the Preschool apprentice and I have been working at Inspirations for almost 2 years after moving here from South Wales. I love being outdoors and appreciating nature, and I enjoy sharing these experiences with the children and encouraging their love of our environment.

Eleanor- Educator

I have been at Inspirations for three years working in the preschool room. I studied childcare since the age of sixteen and am currently level six qualified. I love working with this age and enjoy the fun conversations we can have throughout the day. I enjoy taking the children out into the community and love to see how they get involved with projects such as visiting and helping at the food bank. I have recently returned to work after maternity leave with my little boy who is now one. He is currently in the baby room which I find comforting knowing that he is here with me and being looked after by the wonderful Hedgehogs team. I enjoy seeing the setting as a practitioner and now also as a parent.

Natalie-Educator

I’ve been part of the Inspirations team since April 2022. I absolutely love working with children. One of my favourite parts of the job is engaging in conversations with them and sharing ideas to make their playtime even more exciting and enriching. I also enjoy exploring feelings and emotions with the children, hearing about their experiences, what they enjoy doing at home, and chatting about our families. It’s incredibly rewarding to connect with the children on such a personal level and help them grow and learn in a supportive environment.

Zoe- Forest School 

I embarked on my adventure with Inspirations Nurseries in October 2015, beginning in the toddler room. Since then, I’ve had the opportunity to work in all the different rooms. Four years ago, I transitioned to the Pre-School room, where my passion for the outdoors grew, leading me to explore working in Forest School.  Engaging with the natural environment on a daily basis fills me with joy. I thoroughly enjoy sharing my knowledge with the children and witnessing the remarkable resilience they display when overcoming challenges. Observing their learning process is particularly rewarding, especially during activities like fungi spotting. The collective excitement we experience when discovering various fungi adds a special layer of satisfaction to the entire outdoor experience. Beyond the fulfilling aspect of watching children grow, what has kept me here at Inspirations for so long is the profound connection with the people here. The anticipation of work is not just about the tasks at hand but the genuine pleasure of being part of a supportive and great team at Inspirations.

Rachel- Forest School

I’ve worked at Inspirations for around 4 years starting in the Yurt as a Level 3 Early Years Educator and progressing to joint lead with Zoe, as Level Forest School Practitioners. I completed my training in September after studying for a year and completing 2 weeks practical training which involved tool work, fire lays, cooking, climbing, risky play and the associated health and safety around these areas. It also involved “seed setting” for imaginative play, shelter building, learning theories and meeting children’s needs. I enjoy doing ID work with the children and listening to them share the things that they have learnt at forest school such as naming fungi, plants and knowing which ones they can forage for. I also enjoy seeing them enjoy their time in the woodlands developing their care and concern for the world around them; plants animals and the environment.

Nathalie- Atelierisa

Hi I’m Nathalie from the Art Studio, although fairly recently back from maternity leave I’ve worked at Inspirations since 2010, shortly after getting my BA Honours in Photography and Video at De Montford University. I originally started as maternity cover in the Baby Room before leaving to run the art department at a summer camp in Maine, USA for 4 summers. I returned to Inspirations after backpacking each year and nannying for a professional footballer in Germany. Inspirations always had me back and so over the years I have worked in all the rooms, until 2018 when the Art Studio was built and I was hired as the Atelierista. I always said I would never be able to find a job where I could combine my love for children, art, sewing, painting, pottery, ukulele and photography, but here we are; the job does exist!  I’m often blown away by the capabilities of our children when given the space, time and resources to create anything out of nothing.