A message from our founder
Dear Parents, Grandparents and Carers,
You may be aware, through recent television and newspaper coverage, of the very serious offences committed in some nursery settings. Like many providers across the country, we were deeply shocked that such behaviour could go unnoticed, even briefly, let alone over a period of time.
I am writing to personally reassure you that at Buttercups we have stringent and robust safeguarding procedures including safer recruitment, monitoring systems, and comprehensive training in place to ensure that such abhorrent behaviour could not occur within our settings. We fully recognise the immense trust you place in us when you entrust your children to our care, and we never take that privilege lightly.
Buttercups is a small, family-run group of nurseries which I founded in 1980. Forty-six years later, my passion for early years care and education remains stronger than ever. The nurseries continue to be directed full time by myself, my son Paul, and my daughter Karen, alongside our dedicated Senior Team who share the same commitment and vocation. As a qualified early years and infant teacher, I have always maintained high expectations for children and remain committed to providing exceptional early opportunities and school readiness. This drive for excellence underpins our consistent Ofsted judgements of Outstanding.
Safeguarding is at the heart of everything we do. Our safer recruitment procedures include thorough review of CVs for accuracy and employment gaps, enhanced DBS checks, verified references, comprehensive interviews, and “stay and play” interaction sessions. We operate a strong Whistleblowing Policy which encourages all team members to raise any concerns immediately. Vigilance, professional accountability, and regular monitoring of attendance patterns are embedded into our daily practice.
All Buttercups settings are equipped with CCTV which records 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Each Nursery Head has live CCTV monitors on their desk throughout the day. CCTV is also used constructively for professional reflection and reviewing team deployment and practice. In addition, our Internal Quality Advisor, Miss Janet, undertakes four hours of daily live and playback CCTV monitoring across our eight settings when she is not visiting them in person. This provides an additional, rigorous layer of safeguarding oversight.
We place significant emphasis on continuous professional development. Our programme includes weekly training and daily communication, structured face-to-face courses in High Scope and Outstanding practice, Montessori training (we are Montessori accredited with MCI), weekly online training sessions, safeguarding training and regular refreshers, safer meal times, and external courses delivered by local early years authorities. We firmly believe that ongoing training and reflective practice are essential to maintaining the highest standards of care and education.
I sincerely hope this overview provides reassurance and confidence in our professionalism and continued commitment to excellence. Please do not hesitate to contact us should you wish to discuss any aspect of our safeguarding practices further.
Thank you for your continued trust and support.
Yours sincerely,
Carol Whitehouse,
Buttercups Day Nurseries.