Mary Barlow wins Trainer of the Year

Early Years specialist Mary Barlow has been named the UK’s Trainer of the Year at the prestigious Nursery World Awards. Mary, who founded The Totem Pole in the grounds of the Belton Woods Hotel near Grantham two years ago, received her award from Gaby Roslin at a ceremony in London on Friday 30th September. For more information on the awards have a look at the Nursery World Awards website.

“It’s a wonderful accolade to receive this award and recognition of all the work I have done in the Early Years sector over the past 30 years,” said Mary. “Developing The Totem Pole has enabled my practice to move up a gear and in turn is inspiring people in the sector to become creative practitioners and to think outside the box when working with children and their families.”

The Totem Pole is a dedicated Early Years training and resource centre for Early Years workers, teachers, teaching assistants, parents and carers and Mary offers a unique approach to training that is lively, practical and hands on. The Totem Pole offers a range of training courses for early years professionals, including Beginning With Babies, a four-day programme where Early Years practitioners develop skills to recognise, acknowledge and nurture babies as independent active learners. The Totem Pole also sells a broad range of open-ended resources that can be creatively used throughout nurseries, schools and homes, both indoors and out.

Liz Roberts, Editor of Nursery World, said: “Our awards shine a light on the hard work, innovation and dedication of those in early years education and childcare, communicating aspects of best practice and helping to raise the profile of the sector. “Early years education and childcare services are facing challenging times, with the new Government bringing in many policy changes, funding cuts starting to hit and the Early Years Foundation Stage under review. “Yet the fantastic work going on in the sector is often not recognised and rewarded, and the Nursery World Awards aim to put this right.”