In 2011, Liz was working as a client director for an outsourcing company. She was searching for childcare for her young daughter and, disappointed with what was on offer, took matters into her own hands. Now Liz is the owner of two established nurseries - with a third soon to open - and is still the heart of how Red Bus operates.
Over ten years, Liz has gone from manning the phones at Coombe Dingle by herself to overseeing and supporting a growing team. She developed the Leadership Team, a group of people with skills and experience in a variety of areas to ensure the Managers of each setting can focus on what they do best - caring for children.
Su arrived at Red Bus in 2013, and is responsible for the day to day operational running of all our settings. Su has a wealth of experience in early years, project management and HR. Alongside the rest of the Leadership Team she supports our Early Years Managers to ensure our standards remain consistently high.
Laura is truly our People Person! Qualified in HR processes, she is responsible for everything staff related, from recruitment to onboarding new staff to monitoring training and career progression. As part of the Leadership Team she keeps Red Bus as a fantastic place to work, supporting staff and helping them with their goals.
Jenni has many strings to her bow, being childcare qualified with many years of Nursery experience! She started working with us initially at our Downend setting but is now part of the Leadership Team, responsible for all things related to our Nursery environments, keeping our staff and children safe and supervising any improvements that are made to the settings.
Sue has been with us since the start, supporting Liz with financial queries (and so much more) from the get go! Rhian joined Red Bus at our Downend site in 2015, but as the business grew she soon progressed to working alongside Sue. Together they are the people to speak to for all things money related, supporting our internal processes but also providing help to our families with anything related to invoices, payments, funding and more!
Laura initially joined Coombe Dingle as a member of the Pre-School management team, but was quickly promoted and in August 2018 became Early Years Manager of Coombe Dingle. In January 2022 she became Practice Lead, ensuring our current thinking and working practices are in place, driving consistency and quality and supporting our staff in their practice.
Alice started at our Coombe Dingle setting in the office - and after five years learning everything admin, moved into the role of Marketing Assistant! Her in-depth, inside-out knowledge of Red Bus provides a sturdy base from which she is manages our social media and website, advertising channels and all other marketing initiatives.
Chanel joined Red Bus in 2016, working first at Coombe Dingle before moving to our Downend setting. In Pre-School she became SEND Champion, and began studying for her Level 3 SENDCo award. In January 2022 she became SEND Lead, ensuring each setting is compliant in it's legal duties and supporting children with SEND to meet their full potential.
Back in 2011, Kay was the very first person hired at Red Bus - now she helps our trainees start their journey!
After nearly a decade of managing our Nursery room at Coombe Dingle and gaining a Level 6 qualification, she now provides support and mentoring for our staff gaining their Level 2 and Level 3 Early Years qualifications.
Leah joined Red Bus in 2015, working in our Pre-School unit where she quickly became Unit Manager. In 2018 she became Practice Manager for Coombe Dingle and in January 2022 was promoted to Early Years Manager. She is responsible for every aspect of the Coombe Dingle setting, from supporting staff to implementing new initiatives. Leah is passionate about supporting children with additional needs, and creating a warm and welcoming environment where both children and staff can thrive.
Jodie has worked for Red Bus Downend since it's opening in June 2015, first in Pre-School but in March 2020 took on the role of Early Years Manager. As well as overseeing the running of the setting, Jodie is committed to building great relationships - with the children, staff, and all the families at the setting too!
"Hi! I am Kay, I have been working in Early Years for 20 years. I have worked my way from Early Years practitioner to Early Years manager - I have been managing for 4 years. I have had the exciting opportunity to come on board with Red Bus in February 2022 to help open and manage the new nursery in Flax Bourton. In my personal life I have a husband and two sons, who are into sports and all football crazy. My weekends are busy taking them to and from various destinations! In my spare time I enjoy watching dramas, reading, catching up with friends and occasionally running."