STEPH WESTERN

 

I am a 43 year old, married mom to two daughters aged 15 and 12.  We live in a semi-detached house in a quiet cul-de-sac in Wombourne.   We are a pet-free and smoke-free household.

 

Prior to becoming a registered childminder in July 2015, I worked as a Senior Teacher and Leader in a Wolverhampton Primary School for over 14 years.  I have taught children, of all abilities, in each year group from Nursery to when they leave primary school in Year 6.   My specialism is in Special Educational Needs, having been SEN co-ordinator at the same school for nearly nine years. As part of this role I was awarded the National Certificate for SEN co-ordination by the University of Birmingham.

 

As the education system has evolved over the years, it has meant that I have had less time to spend with my husband and our two girls.  In fear that, as their mom, I was missing out on our daughters growing up, I made the decision to have a change in career in order to spend more quality time with them, whilst sharing my wealth of experience and knowledge with a smaller number of children, in our family home.

 

I believe that all children should be given opportunities, through play and the local environment, to help them become well-rounded, confident and independent individuals who strive to reach their full potential.  Both as a parent and as a professional, I endeavour to establish a safe, warm, caring environment which is both positive and fair.  All children have the right to be happy, to feel safe and to be valued as an individual – this is something I continually strive for, as I believe that children ‘blossom’ and make the most progress, socially and academically, when this is the case.

 

In addition to my teaching qualifications, I have also attended the Local Authority childminding training sessions which include Safeguarding, Business and EYFS (Early Years Foundation Stage) from birth to five.  Both my husband and myself, have valid Paediatric First Aid certificates and the enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service checks (previously Criminal Records Bureau).  I also regularly attend relevant courses run by Staffordshire County Council, to ensure that I am consistently up-to-date with the ever changing childcare/education system.  This is also an OfSTED requirement for me to be a registered childminder.

 

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