Dave Sheppard

My Provision

I have been married to Ann for 48 years (August 2023). We have three grown up children (we married very young!) a son & two daughters. Our son has three girls, our older daughter has two boys and two girls and our younger daughter has three boys and three girls, blessing us with thirteen wonderful grandchildren. I have been childminding, with Ann, since July 2007. Initially as Ann's assistant and then as a Registered Childminder in my own right. At my first Ofsted inspection in 2009 I achieved the highest possible grading of Outstanding in all categories, a feat I repeated at my second and third inspections in 2016 and 2020. My latest inspection took place on Thursday, 6th February 2020. I was one of the first male childminders in the country to achieve EYPS Early Years Professional Status (September 2009). I have been a Registered PACEY Childminder since September 2008 and have a current Public Liability Insurance. From 2009 to 2012, I acted as a mentor to Early Years Foundation Degree students who were studying at Chichester via Fareham College, Winchester and Portsmouth Universities. I have previously created and delivered theory and practical training workshops to other Early Years practitioners covering Schemas - Repeated Play Patterns, Heuristic Play and Treasure Baskets. These have also previously been delivered to childminders across Hampshire through PACEY. More often behind the lens of the camera, rather than being in the photographs myself! I take great delight in composing thousands of photographs annually to share with my children’s parents. Having missed much of my own children growing up, as I was away from home completing my Royal Navy Service commitments, I vowed to fill as much of the gap for others as I possibly could. As such, I go to great lengths to share as much of a child’s day with the parents through imagery, daily dairies, videos, slide-shows, Learning and Development Journals and emails.

A little bit about my earlier careers.

From leaving school, at the tender age of 16 in 1972, I joined the Royal Navy. I served in a number of surface ships and shore establishments during my first 14 years as a Weapons Engineer. During that period I successfully completing an HND engineering apprenticeship. After being commissioned in 1986, I served for another 14 years as a Weapon Engineer Officer. During that period I successfully completed my Post Graduate Diploma in Advanced Information Systems and worked mostly in the IT world and particularly with weapons and sensors data. I specialised as an IT consultant for the navy. I retired from the Royal Navy in 2000 at the rank of Lieutenant Commander. From 2000 to 2007 I provided contractual IT consultancy in business analysis, data analysis and database design to clients like the National Air Traffic Service (NATS) and the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) in London. During that period I achieved a professional status of Chartered IT Professional and full membership of the British Computer Society BCS. Since 2005, I have also enjoyed writing the fiction series ‘The MoonBridge Way‘ under my full name David G. Sheppard. To date, I have completed four volumes and am actively working on book five. Also, the pre-school age adventure stories of Whizardy Witch. The latest video is also available on YouTube.

My Safeguarding Training Courses

Current Safeguarding Training Certificates

Paediatric First Aid, Safeguarding, Food Safety

My Continuous Professional Development [CPD]

No matter how much I learn, I never lose sight of the reality that there is so much more to discover and understand. My learning expands daily as I read, listen and comprehend. I believe my own Continuous Professional Development has never ceased, from my earliest memories as a small child, right up to today. Below you can view the courses, workshops, training and development I have completed since becoming a childminder in 2008.