Links Nursery has a dedicated and professionally qualified staff team, all of whom are registered with the Scottish Social Services Council or the General Teaching Council for Scotland and are PVG registered under the Disclosure Scotland scheme. All of our staff are also qualified or we are supporting them to work towards an Level 3 SVQ in Social Services (Children and Young People) at SCQF level 7 or equivalent. All staff have completed child protection training and first aid for children, and are required to undertake training in the form of continual professional development which we help facilitate through the provision of in-house, after hours workshops and training sessions, or online learning modules. All new staff are subject to a comprehensive induction programme.
Heading up the Balmedie team is Nursery Manager Laura Laird, who has been with us for over five and half years and formerly served as our Deputy Manager. Laura is joined on the management team by Lynn Keys, Deputy Manager, who has previous room senior experience. Laura and her team are supported by Links Nurseries’ Area Manager, Jenny Shearer, and owner and Director, Mairi McCrae, and our business team in Edinburgh, comprising Accounts Manager, Iwona Barnat, and Business Support Manager, Liz Salvin.
The nursery also has the benefit of the expertise of trained primary school teacher Lyndsey Colls, who works peripatetically for all three of our nurseries as our Education and Learning Officer.