A nursery manager who will be graduating from Bishop Grosseteste University this summer has been named as one of the top five most inspirational people in UK childcare.

Nursery Management Today magazine has awarded the accolade to Carolynn Fletcher, who manages Swineshead Pre-School Centre near Boston.

It’s the fourth prestigious national award Carolynn has won in the past two years – in October 2014 she was named Nursery Manager of the Year by Nursery World magazine and last year she won Outstanding Contribution from Nursery World and Nursery Management Today Manager of the Year.

Carolynn began currently studying for a Foundation Degree in Applied Studies at BGU in 2013 and has since completed a top-up year which means she will graduate with a BA (Hons) Applied Studies in Early Childhood degree at Lincoln Cathedral next month.

Swineshead Pre-School has grown from 24 sessional places to 78 full-time places under her management and achieved an Ofsted grade of outstanding.

The NMT Top 20 awards were presented at a ceremony on the panoramic 31^st floor of the Barclays HQ in Canary Wharf.

The Top 5 Most Inspirational People were:

• Carolynn Fletcher, Swineshead Pre-School Centre
• Jean Hudson, Queensborough Community Nursery
• Rachael Lyons, Elmscot Group
• Sarah Mackenzie, Childbase Partnership
• Diane Wycherley, Tops Day Nurseries

“I was surprisd to be nominated because this award is quite a big one, and I felt really special on the night,” said Carolynn.

“I’ve never been a shy person but I’ve become more confident now that I’ve got all the academic knowledge behind me. Studying at BGU has made a big difference.”

Sacha Mason, Academic Co-ordinator in Applied Studies at Bishop Grosseteste University, said: “Carolynn is highly committed to meeting the needs of the young children at the setting and we’re delighted to see her talents recognised with this prestigious award.

“The strength of the FdA and the BA (Hons) Applied Studies in Early Childhood progression route is that it enables early years practitioners to really think about their practice in relation to what the research tells us about how to support and enable the best outcomes for young children.”

Ends

Notes to Editors

• Bishop Grosseteste University was established in January 1862 and celebrated its 150th anniversary in 2012.
• It is an independent higher education institution based in Lincoln which awards its own degrees at foundation, undergraduate and postgraduate level.
• It changed its name from Bishop Grosseteste University College to Bishop Grosseteste University in November 2012.
• BGU has over 2,300 students, including undergraduate, postgraduate and research, with over 280 students at collaborative partners across Lincolnshire.
• In 2015 BGU was the second highest ranked university in the UK for employability with almost 99% of leavers in work or study six months after graduating (2013/14 DLHE).
• To learn more about Bishop Grosseteste University visit www.bishopg.ac.uk

For media information please contact:
Jez Ashberry
Shooting Star
01522 528540
07780 735071
jez@weareshootingstar.co.uk
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