Ask an early years practitioner what they would change about their week, and the answer is almost never about the children. It is about everything that pulls them away from the children.
That is the part of the profession few people see. Observations to write up. Progress checks to prepare. A framework that has been revised, a policy to check, guidance that changed at some point over the summer and now has to be found. None of it is unimportant. All of it matters. But every hour spent searching for an answer is an hour not spent on the carpet, at the water tray, or beside a child who has just worked something out for the first time.
We decided some time ago that this was not an acceptable trade. So we built something about it.
Professional support, always ready
Every Peques practitioner has their own login to a professional support platform built exclusively around early years practice. Not a generic staff system adapted to nurseries, but a platform designed around the way our teams actually work.
Everything a practitioner needs sits in one place. Their calendar. Their staff records. Their supervision notes. Their induction documents. Alongside them, all statutory and non-statutory frameworks, every Peques policy and our full training library, held in written and voice formats so that each practitioner can learn in whichever way works for them, whether that is reading a section or listening to it on the way in.
The part our teams value most is what happens when something changes. When Ofsted publishes an update, when the DfE revises its guidance, when legislation moves, a practitioner does not need to chase it, find it or remember it. The platform already knows, and the answer is waiting.
Within that platform sits an assistant tailored to the age group each practitioner works with. It supports observations and progress checks, it works through practice questions with those who are studying, and it answers the practical questions that come up during a working day, in real time and within a secure safeguarding environment. A practitioner is never far from an answer.
This is not support software bolted on at the edges. It is a professional partner built into the working day, and it is the reason our practitioners can give their attention where it belongs.
What it does not do
We think families deserve to be clear about this, so we will be direct.
The platform is a professional tool for adults. It supports the people who work with your child. It does not sit with children, it does not take decisions about children, and it does not replace the judgement of a qualified practitioner who knows your child well. Safeguarding concerns are assessed by people, through our established procedures, exactly as they always have been. Children's records continue to be handled under our data protection policy, and the standards that apply to them have not changed.
What has changed is where our practitioners' hours go. Less time searching. More time on the floor.
A qualified team, and a team that keeps growing
We recruit qualified practitioners only, at Level 2 and above, and we ask for fluency in Spanish or Mandarin alongside English, because our curriculum is genuinely delivered in three languages rather than offered as an extra.
We then keep developing the practitioners who join us. Those at Level 2 are supported to complete their Level 3 Early Years Educator qualification while working with us, with structured mentoring from experienced practitioners and a salary that rises as they move through the course. Training runs throughout the year. Our leadership team is on site and reachable.
Practitioners who are well supported stay, and children thrive with adults who stay. Continuity is the quiet foundation of everything else we do.
What families see
Parents rarely see any of the systems described here, and they should not have to. What they see is a key person who knows their child's routines without being reminded, observations that arrive when they should, a room that feels settled, and a leadership team that is well established, present in the settings and quick to give practitioners what they need.
To the families already with us, this is the work behind the day your child has just had. You chose us, many of you have stayed with us through more than one child, and we do not take that for granted. Everything described here exists so that the person who greets your child each morning has the time, the knowledge and the support to give them their full attention.
That is what all of this is for.
Joining our team
We are currently recruiting qualified early years educators at Level 2 and above, with fluency in Spanish or Mandarin, for both our Fulham Broadway and Parsons Green settings. The full details of the role, including salary, hours, benefits and how we recruit, are at peques.co.uk/workwithus. Applications and questions go to careers@peques.co.uk, and we reply to every one.
If this particular role is not the right one for you, it is still worth keeping an eye on that page. Other opportunities come up across both settings during the year, and we would rather hear from good people early than not at all.
A note on visits
We are currently close to capacity, with a small number of vacancy pockets and occasional temporary spaces. Places are offered first to siblings of children already at Peques, then to temporary spaces, followed by our waiting list. Visits are therefore by personal invitation, and only where we can see a realistic possibility of a space becoming available.
If you would like to be considered, please go to our contact page, choose Book a Visit under "How can we help you?" and complete the short form. We will then be in touch with you personally.
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