Staff Spotlight: Lianne Schemper, Nursery Manager
Tell us about yourself?
My name is Lianne Schemper, I am from Crieff and have been working at Perth College UHI Nursery for five years now. I first came to Perth College UHI where I completed my first degree, BA Social Sciences when I was 17 years old. I graduated in 2009 before moving to South Africa for a couple of years. I graduated with my second degree from Perth College UHI in 2019, BA Childhood Practice with Distinction. I am now the Nursery Manager at Perth College UHI.
Why did you choose this career path?
I have always enjoyed working with children but I was always unsure of what path to go down. Over the last ten years I have worked in a variety of different childcare settings. When I lived in South Africa, I volunteered in a local Primary school and loved working with school-aged children. It provided lots of hilarity at times as the children found my Scottish accent very entertaining!
It was when I returned to Scotland and working in different nurseries that I found that this was the age group I loved working with. From then on, I wanted to manage a nursery setting where I could put my vision into practice.
What is your role within Perth College UHI nursery?
I am the newly appointed Nursery Manager. I have worked in the nursery for five years as an Early Years Practitioner in the 3-5 room. I am really excited for the challenge and stepping up as Nursery Manger. I am lucky to have a dedicated team around me who share my enthusiasm of high-quality play experiences to give children the best start in life.
I will be very much part of the nursery life and you can find me welcoming families in the morning and overseeing play and learning experiences in all playrooms. I will support improvement and quality by encouraging discussion and self-reflection about relevant practice.
What’s the best part of your job?
I am a people’s person and I love the interaction with families, staff and of course the children. We work well together to make it a great place to work and somewhere the children look forward to coming to. I enjoy seeing the children grow in confidence and for them to achieve their targets - and more.
I am really excited to challenge myself in my new role and to watch my ideas come to life in practice.
How have things changed in the ‘new normal’?
Things look slightly different to before as parents cannot come into the nursery building, and instead drop their children off at the main entrance. The children have adapted to their new routine very quickly and are settled in the playrooms. We sometimes have to wear masks and have enhanced cleaning practices but these are soon becoming the new normal. We are just happy to be back at work and doing the thing we enjoy doing.
How did you cope during lockdown?
Lockdown was great as it gave me an extra couple of months with my little girl, she turned one in May. I enjoyed the slower pace of life and tried to embrace the extra time I had at home. There were challenges and not everyday was easy but the great weather at the start helped.
One interesting thing you’d like to share?
This is where I wish I had time for an exciting hobby but at the moment I am kept busy with ‘everyday life’. One thing people may not know about me was that I played football for St Johnstone until I was 21.
