Beth Anderson always thought she would follow her grandfather in accountancy but, thankfully for Clever Clogs, she is now counting her childcare qualifications rather than numbers on a spreadsheet!

Beth, 28, started at Clever Clogs in January 2022 and works as a Senior Practitioner in our Little Owls room for children aged 3-5.

She says: “It’s lovely seeing how much the children develop at this age and knowing you are making a difference. There are not many other jobs where you can say that.”

It could have worked out very differently for Beth had she opted for the family career path.

She explains: “I was always good at maths at school and my grandfather was an accountant, but I decided I didn’t want to sit behind a desk all day and wanted something much more hands-on.”

After gaining her A-Levels, Beth started an Apprenticeship in Childcare working at a nursery in the Sunderland area.

She was there for eight years before the nursery closed and she was made redundant, just before the start of the pandemic.

With a mortgage to pay, and other responsibilities, Beth took a job working in a shop but hankered for a return to childcare and didn’t hesitate when the opportunity arose at Clever Clogs.

She says: “Returning to childcare and working at Clever Clogs feels like being home again, and I am really enjoying my time here.

“My previous setting was once put in special measures by Ofsted and we worked our back to good, so to now be at an outstanding nursery is fantastic, and you really can see the difference.”

Beth has always been keen to continually develop herself professionally and has a range of childcare qualifications.

She adds: “I have never believed in standing still so in addition to having my Level 3 in Childcare, I have other qualifications such as outdoor learning and managing children with behavioural problems.

“At my previous setting, there was a child with leukaemia so I went to the RVI hospital in Newcastle to learn how we could support him in the nursery.”

When she’s not at work, Beth enjoys spending time with her husband and watching her beloved Sunderland Football Club.