Hear from Alison Bradley as she shares her inspirational career journey from nursery nurse to top council education role.
Following my passion to work with children
Did I set out to become an assistant director when I first trained as a nursery nurse? No
Did I choose to work with children because I loved it? Absolutely!
From a young age, I enjoyed caring for children and naturally gravitated towards working with them. However my parents encouraged me to pursue business administration, so I followed that path, gaining experience in organisation and systems. While I progressed in my career, my passion for working with children never faded.
At 23, I made a bold decision – I left my job to train as a nursery nurse, completing the National Nursery Nurse Examination Board (NNEB) course. My goal was to work in a social services day nursery. During my training, I had placements in various settings, including a school. A teacher there suggested I consider becoming one - a path I hadn’t thought about before.
From nursery nurse to teacher
After completing my NNEB qualification, I gained experience in social services nurseries, private nurseries and mainstream and special schools. While working in a special school, I was inspired by colleagues who were pursuing degrees and teacher training. Following their lead, I completed a PCGE (teaching qualification) while working full-time as a nursery nurse.
As a qualified teacher, I went on to teach in both mainstream and specialist schools, always drawing on my nursery nurse training. Over time, I realised I wanted to make a broader impact, particularly in behaviour management. I joined a behaviour support team as a specialist teacher, helping schools tailor their teaching for children with behavioural challenges. I saw behaviour as a form of communication - an integral part of child development.
My work became more strategic, shaping education and support for children across the authority, but my nursery nurse background continued to guide my thinking.
Person:Alison, Head of Education & SEND
Leadership and greater impact
After a couple of years, I was promoted to team leader, overseeing behaviour management strategies across the local authority. However I missed working directly with children, so I became head of primary at a pupil referral unit (PRU). Just nine weeks into the role, Ofsted placed the school in special measures and I unexpectedly became acting headteacher for both primary and secondary units. It was a challenging time to say the least, but within two years, the PRU improved significantly and was rated ‘Good’ by Ofsted. I was then appointed as permanent headteacher.
During this time, I worked closely with the local authority’s head of service for education quality. When this post became vacant, I stepped in on a temporary basis and was later appointed permanently. In this role, I expanded my focus to early years and childcare services, eventually leading to the creation of an inclusion service. My work became more strategic, shaping education and support for children across the authority, but my nursery nurse background continued to guide my thinking.
Working in a top council education role
My role as head of service led to the Assistant Director for education and SEND position. When my predecessor left, I became Acting Assistant before securing my permanent position. It was a position I never imagined when I first trained as a nursery nurse, but my journey proved that dedication and passion can lead to unexpected opportunities.
A New Chapter
Now, as I step down from my role, I am embracing an equally important job – becoming a grandmother (or Nanny) to my first granddaughter. My early years training will certainly come in handy! I am also considering training as a birthing doula to support new parents, building further on my experience.
I hope my journey inspires others to follow their passion. Careers don’t always follow a straight path, but with commitment and an open mind, incredible things are possible.
If you are inspired to be the next generation of early years educators then visit our careers in childcare page for more information.