ABOUT | Nicky Shaw Care and Learning

About Me

A caring and nurturing professional with experience in care, education, and leadership roles, I have spent my career working with children and families across Early Years, Childcare, Primary and Higher Education settings. From local authorities to private and third sector organizations, I support child and adult learning journeys across the UK.

CPL and Consultancy Clients include:

Oldham Council PVI sector and Childminders

Glasgow City Council

Educational Institute of Scotland

Leicestershire Council

Brighton and Hove City Council

Brent Council

Shetland Isles Council

Renfrewshire Council

Surrey County Council

Hamilton Early Years Unit, South Lanarkshire Council

Scheuchan and Park Primary Schools, Dumfries and Galloway Council

Windmill Nursery, Motherwell

Marlborough Primary School, Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea

Colville Primary School, Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea

Step-By-Step Nurseries, Glasgow

Craighead Country Nursery, North Ayrshire

Kingfisher Pre-School, Hampshire

Bright Little Stars Nursery, Middlesex

Stepping Stones Nursery, Helensburgh, Argyll and Bute Council

Craigneuk Family Learning Centre, North Lanarkshire Council

Forgewood Family Learning Centre, North Lanarkshire Council

Arcadia Nursery, Edinburgh

Escape to the Story Nursery, Hamilton

St Andrew's Primary School, North Lanarkshire Council

Arthurlie Family Learning Centre, East Renfrewshire Council

Freelance Professional Learning Trainer and Consultant
BA Childhood Practice Course Leader at University of Strathclyde
Early Years Lecturer and Early Level ITE Lecturer
LA Early Years Outdoor Play Quality Assessor
LA Nursery Class Teacher
LA Professional Learning Team Leader for "Building the Ambition"
Solihull Approach Parenting Group Facilitator
LA Children's Centre Manager
LA Primary School Teacher
Private Nursery Teacher
Third Sector School-Aged Daycare Leader
Third Sector Playgroup Leader

Masters in Education in Early Years Pedagogy
Mind, Brain, and Relationships in the Cultivation of Well-Being (PESI & Mindsight Institute Certified)
PGCE Early Childhood Education
PGDE Primary Education
BA Degree Sociology and Psychology
Advanced Diploma in Learning and Development (Level 5)
First Aid for Mental Health (FAA certified)
Emotion Coaching Practitioner Trainer (EC UK accredited)
Safeguarding Everyone (Level 3)

Oldham Council Quality Improvement Project across PVI Sector
Oldham Council Quality Improvement Project with Childminders
Scottish Emotion Coaching Interest Group Lead
Advisory Panel Member - Thin Raft (Supporting Young People's Wellbeing through Gardening)
External Advisor for Masters Degree in Home-Based Childcare at Norland College, Bath.
Member of Scottish Curriculum Review Group : Ethos and Life of the School collaboration group
External Advisor for SUNRISE Scotland Project: 24-hour Movement Behaviours, Child Development, and Early Childhood Settings
Monthly online CPL events aligned with SSSC and GTC Standards
In-Service and CPL events for Childminders, Nurseries, Schools and Colleges located across the UK

Mission

My teaching, training, and writing aims to support all aspects of professional education and childcare practice with a focus on emotionally intelligent, empathic interactions with children, parents, and staff teams.

Vision

Human beings are innately social beings. Building solid relationships is key to supporting children and families.

Research suggests that IQ accounts for only 20% of your success in life. The remaining 80% comes from non-IQ factors including your capacity to relate to others.

I work to support individuals, parents, and teams to adopt a relational approach to all aspects of care and learning, with the aim of creating a community thrives on social connections.