‘We’ve all been working hard and having fun’
As We Enter the Final Quarter of the Year
As we approach the close of another productive year, it’s the perfect moment to reflect on our progress and set our sights on the opportunities ahead. This month, we’re delighted to share several important updates that will help shape the future direction of our organisation.
You may have noticed that we haven’t sent out our usual newsletters over the past two months. This was intentional. We found that many of the questions coming from parents were already covered in previous newsletters, suggesting that the content wasn’t always being read or wasn’t presented as efficiently as we’d hoped. During this period, we received no communication regarding the missing newsletters, which further confirmed our thoughts.
Each newsletter requires approximately seven hours of staff input per month. Given the limited engagement, we’ve decided to take a new direction that we hope will be more impactful and accessible.
Moving forward, we’ll be introducing a combination of blogs and Director’s Newsletters, where I’ll highlight the month’s key strategic and operational updates. This will replace the previous leader summaries, as their daily updates already appear on Famly for parents to see. Our goal is to ensure that the most important information stands out and nothing meaningful gets missed.
We’re also expanding our social media presence to share concise, engaging updates that enhance both our marketing and parent partnerships. Kayla will be taking the lead on this, ensuring regular, high-quality content that keeps everyone connected and informed. We can’t wait to see more interaction and feedback on our platforms, Facebook and Instagram.
If you haven’t already, please take a moment to like, share, and comment on our posts. Your engagement really helps us grow our community and reach more families who might benefit from what we offer.
Operational Efficiency
We’ve made significant progress in enhancing our work processes. Several new process improvements have been successfully introduced, helping us streamline workflows, reduce costs, and operate more effectively across teams. These changes are already delivering positive results, and we remain committed to continually refining our operations to provide even greater value to our families.
I’ve also been working on some research and development projects recently, which aim to further enhance our systems and processes. These will improve how we manage information, support staff, and communicate more efficiently across the organisation. I’m excited to share more details soon as these initiatives roll out.
This focus on efficiency is especially important given the financial pressures facing all businesses, with further tax rises on the horizon and the minimum wage set to increase by 6.7% in April. By strengthening our systems and processes now, we ensure that we remain resilient and well-positioned to manage these changes responsibly and sustainably.
New Website and CRM Launch
We’re thrilled to announce the successful launch of our new website and CRM system. Early feedback has been incredibly positive, reaffirming the strength of our vision and teamwork. This expansion not only strengthens our market position but also sets the stage for continued growth and innovation.
Please also take a moment to sign up for our new mailing list directly through the website. We’ve moved away from Mailchimp as part of our ongoing cost-cutting and efficiency improvements, so this will now be our main way of sharing news, updates, and important information.
We encourage everyone, staff, parents, and partners, to visit and explore the new site. It’s essential that everyone is familiar with the location of everything, as we’ve reorganised sections to make information easier to find and more user-friendly.
Contracts
As part of our annual review process, we’ve completed this year’s contract update. This review involved only minor changes, primarily to improve clarity and consistency. In line with our ongoing efforts to reduce costs and simplify systems, we’ve also moved away from using third-party e-signature platforms.
Instead, we’ve invested in integrating our contracts directly into our new CRM system. This approach helps minimise external data handling and creates a smoother, more secure experience for everyone involved.
In the coming days, you will receive an email from Kayla with your new contract. Please take the time to read it carefully. Where required, both parents will need to sign before submission. Once completed, your details will automatically be added to the CRM system.
We hope you find this new process clearer, more efficient, and easier to use. It’s already proving to work brilliantly at our end.
Policies Update
As part of my time recently, I’ve been head down working through a full policy update to bring everything in line with the newly updated EYFS, which came into effect in September.
All of our revised policies are now live and available for you to review on our website.
We encourage all parents and staff to familiarise themselves with the updates to ensure clarity and transparency across the setting.
Safeguarding Data and GDPR
At SPLAT, we have always taken pride in our strong commitment to data protection and GDPR compliance. We are fully registered with the ICO, renewing our registration annually to ensure transparency and accountability.
Following the recent cyber attacks on Famly, one of the systems we use, we carried out internal checks and reviews to ensure we continue to uphold best practice. Within the nursery, we operate two secure data streams, one for staff and one for visitors, with access limitations in place to reduce operational risk. Management also conducts termly device audits to review practice within rooms and maintain a detailed log of compliance.
We also use Google Chromebooks and the Google Workspace suite, which benefit from built-in security protections and automatic updates. This provides an additional layer of defence and helps us maintain the highest possible standards in safeguarding digital information.
We are also proud to share that we’ve invested in commissioning an independent external company to conduct comprehensive cyber health checks on SPLAT as an organisation. This includes a Cyber Gap Analysis and a Cyber Intelligence Subscription for ongoing monitoring, scanning, and consultancy support.
Not only does this investment strengthen our data security and resilience, but it also reflects positively on our insurance, enabling us to manage premiums and avoid rising costs in the long term, while providing our families with added security.
Images and Parental Consent
We’ve also recently received a number of parent suggestions regarding how we handle children’s images within the setting since thr hack on Famly. While we completely understand and respect these concerns, many of the proposed solutions are unfortunately very time-consuming for our team and would significantly impact our ability to maintain smooth day-to-day operations.
As such, we’ve decided to advise parents to review their choice of whether or not they wish for us to share images of their child. The risks surrounding digital imagery are continually evolving, and we believe this is a decision best made by parents as individuals.
In the coming weeks, we’ll be sharing some helpful information from a trusted NSPCC contact, who provides valuable insight into online image safety and privacy. We encourage you to take time to read this and make an informed decision.
If you’ve already consented for us to use your child’s images (on all or selected platforms), this can be adjusted in Famly at any time. However, please also email Kayla to notify us of any changes, as Famly does not send automatic alerts when permissions are updated.
Unfortunately, if you wish to view your child’s photos throughout the day, there is currently no alternative system available that allows automatic removal or timed visibility of images after posting. We will, however, continue to review options as technology develops to balance both safety and parent engagement effectively.
Our social media sites remain open and accessible to the public.
Staff Changes
As we reached the end of October, we experienced a few team changes across the setting.
We said a fond farewell to Maddie, who has now started her maternity leave. We’re all so excited for her and can’t wait to meet her little one. The children and the team will miss her very much, and we look forward to welcoming her back next year.
Siobhan has also gone into hibernation for the winter. We hope to see her again next year for some more forest fun.
Meanwhile, Gemma P and Lee will be back out in the forest, working their magic with some exciting new plans and adventures in store for the children.
We also warmly welcome Ellah to the toddler team, stepping in to support during Maddie’s leave. She has already settled in wonderfully.
We are still recruiting a full-time, Level 2/3 qualified Early Years Practitioner to join our preschool team. If you know someone with the passion and experience to thrive in our forest school environment, please share the opportunity with them.
Ofsted
Ofsted has recently launched its new inspection framework, and with our next inspection due in February 2026, the team has been reviewing this document closely to ensure we’re meeting all elements of the framework to the highest standards.
We were delighted to receive recent visits from the Early Years Officers at Central Bedfordshire Council, who were extremely pleased with what we have to offer and have expressed an interest in using us as a model of exemplary practice. With this feedback and the continued dedication of our amazing team, we’re confident we’ll be fully prepared to achieve the results we’re striving for when the big day arrives.
Consultations
Once everyone is fully set up on the new CRM system, we’ll be sending out our next round of parental consultations.
You may have already received some of the smaller, more focused consultations from your room leaders. We trialled this approach to make feedback more specific and meaningful for both staff and parents. We’re delighted to see how well this new method is working, and we hope you’re also noticing the positive impact on your child’s experience and development.
Our New Neighbours
You may have noticed that some of the new units on Kingfisher, the site for HLB that has been under construction, have now opened. We’d like to extend a very warm welcome to our new neighbours and wish them every success as they begin their new ventures.
In light of these changes, we have also carried out updated risk assessments for the local area surrounding the forest to ensure we continue to maintain the highest standards of safety and awareness.
It’s well worth taking a walk past to see the new additions to our local community!
Where to Find Me
If you need me, I’ll be working from a combination of our Shefford office, continuing to carry out regular drop-ins to the nursery, as well as delivering forest sessions on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays.
You can book a meeting, call me anytime, or reach out via email or Famly message, whichever is easiest for you.
Alternatively, I look forward to seeing many of you at our Open Day on Saturday, 13 December from 9am to 12pm. I’ll be in the forest with my good friend Santa, so please do bring along your child’s wish list to hand to him in person.
Gemma Porterfield – Managing Director
manager@splat.ltd