PURPLE POST September 2022

A warm welcome to the September edition of Purple Post!

This month has been dubbed 'Sweet September Success' because of what a success it has been.

Not only are we FINALLY able to shout from the rooftops about our Ofsted 'good' rating across ALL inspection criteria but two of our very own represented Parenta at the Childcare Expo in Coventry and blew away our competition (more on this later).

A big thank you to our People Team who anticipated this month's success and brought us the Big Purple Bake Off, finishing a successful month with a well deserved sweet treat. 

Let's dive into it.

Ofsted Success

All new sessions are now in full swing! The process has been streamlined and now learners are invited by being sent a Google form to complete, which this is a much quicker and easier process.

Our last new sessions start early October then the next entry points are as follows:

English – 14^th November, 21^st November, 28^th November and 6^th December

Maths – 9^th January, 16^th January, 23^rd January and 31^st January

Again, these will be invitations by Google forms. It is important the learners complete these and send them back. It is especially important that they do not delay maths as this is a difficult qualification and we have found that learners have a better chance of achieving when they start early.

Please use the FS Tracker and OneFile for learner updates

The FS trackers are sent out on a Friday as well as communication being put on a learner’s journal. Please check either of these sources for updates: the FS tutors have very high caseloads and full timetables, and it is very difficult to respond to tutors’ requests regarding specific learners when all the evidence is sent out or added to the journal.

ALS process

The process for an ALS referral is as follows:

Complete the ALS form and along with any evidence send to als@parenta.com This will then be reviewed, the learner will either be invited for a referral meeting or the evidence for exam concessions will be reviewed and sent to the awarding body. Tutors will be informed of any exam concessions that have been allowed. SkillsFirst require 30 days’ notice for concessions, therefore if this is for an EPA please do not book the exam until you have received confirmation that this has been awarded.

Reminder of email addresses:

FS queries: fs@parenta.com

ALS queries and referrals: als@parenta.com

Exam queries: exams@parenta.com

Private Medical Insurance Update

For those of you who are part of the Private Medical Insurance (PMI), we just wanted to share with you the Digital GP app by Aviva. It’s a really quick and easy way of seeing a GP without having to wait. All you have to do is download the Aviva Digital GP app from either the App Store or Google Play. You’ll need to register and for this you will need the Access Number. This number is 211412.

Once registered, you can sign in and book appointments straight away. Please note that this is only available for those who are already part of the PMI.

If you would like more information or are interested in joining the PMI, please reach out to the People Team and we’ll be happy to help you. 

The continuing adventures of the Parenta Bear

Keep those high fives coming!

We have a Kudos winner for September – Amber Rush, congratulations, Amber!

We caught up with last month’s winner, Darryll Jones, and this is what he had to say about working in the Parenta family:

"My name is Darryll and I work as an Early Years tutor in the Central Region Team. I have worked in Parenta for a little over 3 years, where I have been able to gain new qualifications as well as learn a lot within my role. I joined Parenta from being deputy manager at a nursery, where I gained a lot of experience in early years and saw it as an opportunity to have a change and support others to gain their qualification, as my assessor did with me.

Some things I find challenging in my job role are; ensuring tasks are addressed in a way that proves to be most productive to those involved, balancing meeting deadlines with preparing for upcoming tasks, to attempt to stay ahead or on target. I do enjoy supporting others and try to do this as and when I can whilst supporting my learners and keeping them engaged to the best of my ability.

In the few years that I have been here I have been able to create a very supportive network within the Central Region Team, for example, Nichola, Beth, Kerrie and Sachia, who often help me progress in my role if I have queries or need additional support with progressing learners. I have also been able to create a supportive network outside of my own team which has allowed me to gain a better understanding of how things work outside of my role.

I like the flexibility of my role as it allows me to address things in my personal life whilst still being able to continue progressing in my role. I am surprised about the kudos but appreciate them from those who sent them, many thanks."

“Just completed my level 3 Early Years Educator course. Parenta, and especially my assessor, Nichola, have been very supportive. I would definitely recommend Parenta for childcare courses”

Jo H

“I was struggling to sign up new learners for an apprenticeship. The government website is really quite confusing and Billy and the Parenta team took the stress out of it for me. Billy answered my endless questions patiently and supported me to get the learners signed up, Richard met with me and the learners and eased their worries about signing up for a new course, and their tutor, Sachia, is just amazing. She has been so supportive and knowledgeable. If you would like a friendly but professional team to support the upskilling of your staff, you cannot go wrong with Parenta!”

Tatia Singleton

“Very friendly staff, and a lot of support when needed. Would definitely recommend Parenta for any course they offer!”

Heidi Davis

“Amazing company all round with everything in the early years industry. Support received by customer service is second to none highly recommended.”

Anastasia Taylor

1.     Don’t forget to use the staff intranet! It is a treasure chest of resources all ready and waiting for you to use.

2.     When sending documents to the Marketing team for creating and/or branding, please ensure that the FINAL version which has been approved and signed off by all relevant parties and line managers – including those from other teams – is sent to the team. Please ensure that the correct data with all the required fields is included as a CSV file. This will avoid re-work and delay in returning the documents back to you.

Thank you!

Resources to help us, our learners, and our settings

A reminder that all Parenta resources can be found here on our staff intranet, all in one handy place.

We publish additional industry expert advice, news articles and crafts in our free magazine and on our blog.

Here are this month’s How to Guides and documents that have been added to the staff intranet:

Parenta Magazine

Our free monthly magazine is packed with news articles and advice pieces - all of which are written to help nursery managers with the efficient running of their settings and to promote the health, happiness and well-being of the children in their care. Please do read it and send the magazine link to your contacts.