Supervision That Actually Changes Practice (Not Just Ticks a Box)
Most nursery supervisions are 20 minutes of small talk and a signed form. Here's a structure that surfaces safeguarding, workload and CPD in one honest 45-minute conversation.
The EYFS statutory framework requires supervision, but it doesn't tell you what "good" looks like. Most managers inherit a template, tick through it and end up with a folder that would satisfy Ofsted but change nothing about practice.
Good supervision does three things: it surfaces safeguarding, it protects the staff member's wellbeing, and it moves practice on. Here's a structure that does all three in 45 minutes.
The 45-minute structure
- Wellbeing check-in — 5 minutes
- Safeguarding and child-specific concerns — 10 minutes
- Practice and pedagogy — 15 minutes
- CPD and next steps — 10 minutes
- Agreed actions, both signed — 5 minutes
Same order, every time. Predictability lowers defensiveness.
Wellbeing check-in that isn't fluff
Skip "how are you". Ask one of:
- What has been the hardest 10 minutes of your week?
- Is anything at home affecting how you show up here?
- If you could change one thing about your working week, what would it be?
Write the answer down. Refer back to it next month. That single act of memory does more for retention than any pay rise you can offer.
Safeguarding — the non-negotiable middle
Name every child the staff member has a current concern about. If they can't name any, that itself is a flag — either they aren't noticing, or they aren't comfortable telling you. Both need addressing.
Ask directly:
- Is there anything a colleague has done this month that made you uncomfortable?
- Is there a child whose behaviour has changed and you can't explain why?
Practice — pick one thing
The temptation is to give five pieces of feedback. Don't. Pick one thing you want to see different by next supervision. Make it concrete:
- Not: "Improve your interactions"
- Yes: "In the next month I want to see you sustaining three back-and-forth exchanges with the same child, at least twice a session"
CPD tied to reality
CPD is not a course booking. It is the answer to the question "what would help you do the one thing we just agreed?" Sometimes that is a course. Often it is 20 minutes shadowing a colleague, or reading one Development Matters page.
Supervision is not a form. It is the moment your staff member finds out whether you actually see them.
