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For years our leaders and decision-makers have attempted to persuade society to stop, reduce consumption and use alternative technologies.  In response, we have collectively made relatively small attempts to curb our behaviours.  As a society, we have creatively used off-setting theory and meagre attempts to reuse and recycle.  We have continued to justify our addictive desires to drive, fly, move around, see each other, eat world foods and generally buzz around like busy global bees.  Much to the chagrin of those who hold the purse strings to the world’s finite resources.  We have watched disapprovingly as wars are waged over them.

That was until this year.  Covid-19 has been the single most effective mechanism that has achieved what our global leaders have wanted us to do all along.  Which must be enough to germ the seed of any conspiracy theory.  It just seems far too convenient for my liking.  Instead, maybe it’s coincidence, if you believe in them.  Perhaps it is a fortunate convenience – but for who?  And for how long will these new ways of working and living be a feature of daily life?

Society, both social and business, has been rebooted.  Someone somewhere has switched us off and turned us back on again.  For now, anyway.  We’re fast approaching the milestone of six months with the reality of the pandemic.  Our lives, routines and preoccupations all changed.  Holidays are spent at home, or nearby, at least mostly in the UK.  Those not yet able to let go of a foreign holiday have run the risk.  Many squeezing in a two-week quarantine before the start of the new school term as I type.  Social events like birthday parties, weddings, get togethers and even funerals have been curtailed.

Despite shortages in those early days, international food chains have remained and supplies of the all-year-round produce haven’t been affected.  In quiet moments in between growing a few vegetables I look up and watch the freight flights – packed with such goods – soaring over the house, where once holiday flights were.

Our global worlds have become local communities. The car is more a weekly not daily feature.  Our miles travelled have become steps taken.  The goal of achieving a dramatic reduction in consumption has been achieved.  The office commute is now the equivalent of walking into the next room.  Work has become smaller in many ways.  Although online video meetings have brought so many clients and colleagues closer.  Working at home means we need to be our own IT departments, literally controlling, ‘alting’ and deleting for ourselves. COVID-19 in turn is powerfully controlling society, successfully altering our behaviours and deleting previous ways and people’s lives.  What happens next remains to be seen.

So, today was GCSE results day. ‘O’ (ordinary) levels in old money. A day I recall well – mine were in Orwellian 1984. The official end of school for me. Which was indeed something to celebrate. A sad and disappointing one academically though. I needed three passes to do my BTEC in design and that’s what I got. Only just. With an A, a B and a C. A tear came to my eye when I realised all that effort and the trauma of attending school had resulted in four fails. They promised me seven. That’s what they predicted. But that day I learned for sure what I already knew. That the school had let me down.

Today almost passed me by until a friend just messaged about her son’s results. A reasonable set I must say, and he is a talented young man. But his real sense of disappointment was echoed in his mum’s text. It can be really hard to be defined by a number, for all that effort to be reduced to a grade. This year, things have been especially difficult, frustrating and uncertain. Hence this blog.

It’s so unsatisfactory, particularly when children are put under so much pressure to work so hard, for so long. Seemingly at the expense of spending time doing other things that make balanced young people – like hobbies, exercise, vegetating on the sofa, or lurking in their rooms in a cloud of disapproval and latent anger. Yes, studying is important at school, but it does not, and should not define anyone’s ability to continue to study after school and throughout life. I am a keen advocate of lifelong learning – the demise of which in universities is something I lament. It’s not dead yet, it still has a pulse, but it really could do with a good defibrillation. That way I truly believe our universities will be more sustainable in the future and will cement links with industry to boot. Something that has the potential to help universities publish much better, and much more relevant and useful, research.

What a shame we don’t measure children and young people’s attitudes to learn, their capacity to do so, confidence, social and employability skills, teamwork, and their ability to be self-starting and curious learners. All skills they need when progressing on to FE and HE, and indeed their working careers. I think we should. But that is an art not a science.

I won’t bore you by falling into the trap of listing the academic achievements I’ve had since leaving school. But they don’t reflect the results I left with. I flourished in FE and at every stage then and since someone has said to me I could do more and go onto the next level – when I had my doubts. I felt for those not receiving their BTEC grades today. My course was a challenging and stretching and technical one. It gave me an amazing foundation. And I never imagined I would be the first family member to go on and do a degree at university. But I did and I was. I didn’t stop there, and I don’t think I have finished yet either. For anyone out there feeling that sense of disappointment today, live with the emotional response, then when you are ready dust yourself off and plan your future. Take my advice there is one out there.

Summer is still here, as the title of this blog reminds us.  But autumn term is fast approaching, a fact that is very much occupying minds in the early years world.

Looking ahead, I am being told a growing number of early years providers are saying their expected numbers are higher this autumn compared to last.  How could that be?  Especially given we are also hearing stories of closures and uncertain or uncommitted re-openings.  Well, in some areas, autumn term 2019 was a little slower than usual.  There is also a strong message that those providers who were able to remain open throughout lockdown now perhaps have stronger relationships with families and have attracted new families to their provision in addition.  And with changing employment, travel and household patterns, families may be looking for something different, or could be choosing to stay with these new settings.  This means some settings will be in more demand, some less so, and of those this could be an emergency.

I am told repeatedly by local areas that closures of early years and childcare settings in recent weeks and months have commonly been attributed to existing pressures and conditions prior to the COVID-19 outbreak.  They have not been as a direct result of the pandemic.  So what next?  The ability for LAs to provide full early years funding (for funded places based on previous levels of attendance), access to the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme until 31 October, and gradual and cautious increases in take-up may be enough to sustain some settings until the end of autumn term.  This will not be the case everywhere.  Half term will be the next tipping point, especially given its proximity to the end of furloughing and likely spikes in redundancies or changing employment terms and conditions.  Another factor is the choices schools will make to their delivery models and how their decisions will affect the delivery models of the PVI sectors.  This is something that should be done under the spirit of effective business relationships, not in isolation or disregard for other small businesses or charities.  There may be enough in the support pipeline to achieve survival until the end of autumn term and the Christmas break.  But it is what happens next that has the potential to be a biggest challenge yet.  How are parents actually using provision, what are the income streams and what are providers’ abilities retaining the capacity and capability to survive and thrive?

On the flipside, many areas are also reporting new group care openings and new childminder registrations, these are encouraging and hopefully will meet changing and redistributed need, demand and preferences.  It would be an additional challenge, an own goal, if such provision was set up in competition with existing settings.  By monitoring trends and identifying risks in the sector, or sub-sectors, we may be able to target support and interventions where they are needed.  Every area is different, and so is their childcare supply, its type and proportional splits in the maintained and PVI sectors.  These affect local expectations and patterns of use and marry-up with local employment and social behaviours.

Whatever, everyone, whether considering closure, maintenance, re-opening, or expansion needs to have the ability to read the intentions and actual behaviours of parents and families.  I urge everyone to think about human behaviour as a huge factor in how need, demand, and preferences for childcare use are employed from now on.  This is something to watch under intense scrutiny.  It will most likely change, shift and be unpredictable throughout the twists-and-turns of the next phases of the pandemic and economic response.  This is because there is a big difference between intent and actual.  It’s like putting a towel on a sun lounger.  Are people really intending to use a place they have registered for, or are they doing what they can to ensure it is there should they decide to use it in the future?  We should all be mindful of what people are saying now, watching with hawk-like interest at the start of tern, and observing carefully how patterns of use are manifesting throughout the weeks to come.  It’s a long term and the stakes are high.

There are lots of day-to-day ways to present yourself as a professional.  Such details are key in presenting yourself and your business in ways that exude confidence, warmth, and the highest quality standards.  In this article, I would like to focus on some very specific areas.  Namely, your email address, your email signature, and your mobile phone and voicemail message.  It is something of crucial importance, and it helps maintain personal and professional boundaries that can be blurred if care is not taken.

So much of our communication these days is by email.  Obviously the content of your emails is important, but so is your email address.  What is yours?  It should be professional not personal.  Personal email addresses should be kept for friends and family only.  I have seen some really shocking email addresses, too rude to even mention in this blog, okay then, things like hotsuzy69@hotmail.com  Not what one might look for in a childminder.  So, does yours hint at your sense of humour?  Your other passions in life?  Your nickname?  Or your personality?  If you have answered yes to any one of these questions, I say it is probably time to change it.

And each email is also a terrific opportunity to provide the basic information people need from you, and some marketing messages too.  I am staggered by how few people put even their phone number(s) and address on their email signature.  So many people nowadays look at emails (on their phone) for that very information, so make it easy for them.  Also include your business name, a logo, website address, and a message about what you are up to (the latest thing or celebration, or special offer or event).  Change it every few weeks for maximum effect, and point of difference.

If you have a mobile ‘phone for work and personal use, be careful.  With greater demands for flexible working and the 24-hour work culture, it could be very advantageous for you to take calls in the evenings and weekends.  However, there may be pitfalls and disadvantages.  First impressions count when it comes to how you answer your ‘phone.  There shouldn’t be a problem if you always answer your ‘phone in a professional manner.  If you don’t, then that is a cause for concern.  And background noise is a key consideration too – what sort of impression will you give by taking a call in the toilet or a bar?

So, for those occasions you can’t take a call, let your voicemail do the work.  Your message should include your business name, a little hint of your culture and aims, and a link to your website.  Here is an example: “Thank you for calling (name), we are not available now, so please leave a message with your name, number. We will get back to you as soon as we can, or visit our website at (insert web address).  Many thanks.”

These little details go a long way to not only give people the information they need, and offer you valuable opportunities to promote what is best about your business.  Do them and you can promote your professional approach and how people can work with you in the future, because first impressions definitely count.

If one thing is for certain, it is change.  In the last 20 years, the work environment has transformed almost from all recognition.  Take a breath and celebrate this change, and our success in making it work’, before you read on.  And take from that, whatever change happens in the future, we have the skills to survive it!

As leaders and managers we all need to reach a position where we embrace change, and have a ‘can do’ approach to making it work. Sometimes we can see change coming, or it can take us by surprise.  In a leadership role we must support all of those around us to travel positively and safely through change before, during and after it happens.  Without effective leadership, change can be damaging, unsettling and stressful.  It needs a considered and inter-personal approach that is built upon some tried and tested structures and models.  This is because we all have emotional and organic responses to changes, and this varies according to a whole raft of individual reasons that are affected by our role, experience, qualifications, health, personal life, and personal goals and ambitions.  Natural responses to change include feelings of: anger, depression, fear and pessimism; as well as excitement, happiness and optimism.  The potential for work-related stress is real and therefore ups the importance of sound management.

A key message is that we all operate on different timescales.  Some of us will adopt change more quickly.  Others will need time to think things through before they accept it.  And there is nothing more annoying than being with someone who is really keen about change very early if you are still on the journey!  Whatever way, try to avoid wasting time fighting things that will not change and you have no control over.  You won’t enjoy it, you will drain your energy and it will be very frustrating.

The response will depend on a number of factors which include:

• Is the change fairly minor and being suggested by staff or
• Is it a major strategic change which is being externally imposed, for example the introduction of new legislation or policy?
• The speed at which the change is introduced

To support the introduction of change consider the six C’s of change as suggested by Schrag et al., 1985:

• Challenge – turn perceived threats into a positive challenge
• Communication – consult widely and regularly with all staff keeping them informed
• Commitment/collaboration – encourage shared ownership avoiding any suggestion it is being imposed
• Control – allow all staff to feel they are sharing in control and shape and pace of any change
• Confidence – encourage resilience and self-confidence in staff
• Connection – promote networks of support, both within a setting and from outside agencies where appropriate

Change will be a hot topic for 2020-2021 as we get used to living and working with the effects of COVID-19. So, with a little forethought and care, you can support you and your team to make a success of it.