Top tips: Inclusion starts here
Creating a genuinely inclusive team doesn’t just happen. It requires nursery leaders to look honestly at the culture they are building, not only policies in the file, but the everyday moments that let each member of the team know they are valued and belong. The following tips are starting points for reflection and action.
Top tips for inclusion starts here
- Audit your team meetings. Notice who speaks, who stays quiet and whose ideas get picked up. If the same voices dominate, change the format. Try written contributions or paired discussions before the meetings, or simply ask quieter colleagues directly for their view
- Separate capability from communication style. A team member who is quiet or softly spoken, indirect, or less confident in formal settings, is not less capable. Build in one-to-one conversations so that appraisals and feedback reflect actual practice, not just those who express themselves most fluently
- Make induction genuinely welcoming. A new colleague’s first weeks tell them everything about whether difference is tolerated or valued. Pair them with an empathetic buddy, check in regularly and ask explicitly what they need – don’t assume that the standard induction works for everyone
- Look closely at your team’s working patterns. Rigid hours, last minute rota changes and a culture of staying late all disadvantage carers, people managing health conditions, or those with less financial flexibility. Flexibility, where it can be offered, is a well-being issue as much as an inclusion issue
- Address low-level exclusion. Cliques, in-jokes at others’ expense, or colleagues being routinely left out of informal chats may not constitute a formal grievance, but they erode any sense of belonging very quickly. Leaders need to act on what they see and not wait for behaviours to escalate
- Reflect your community in your team. If the families you serve speak multiple languages, hold diverse cultural and religious backgrounds, or include disabled people, reflect on whether your team reflects your community, and whether recruitment practices make it more or less likely that they will. Consider strategies to positively attract and build a more diverse team
- Model the culture you want. Teams watch leaders closely. If you acknowledge your own mistakes, ask for help, invite challenge and speak openly about difference, you give others permission to do so too.
NDNA products to support you with this tip
Top tips: Ensuring inclusion – myNDNA blog post
Inclusion and equality – Policies and procedures
Disclaimer: Activities with children must always be risk assessed, including for allergies or choking. Children must always have adequate supervision. Resources and materials must always be appropriate for children’s age and stage of development.
- MyNDNA
- Tips
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