Guest colechin Posted January 26, 2008 Posted January 26, 2008 We currently open 5 mornings a week with a max 16 children per session. Time open from/to is 9am to 11.45am with optional lunch for 1 hour bringing collection time to 12.45pm We currently have 26 children on our books meaning we are full at each session with majority of the children doing 3 sessions a week. I have only 4 children that do 5 sessions a week. We have all the children in one room (A portacabin) on a school site. We would love to have a extra room, so we can take the under three's away from the over 3's and 4 year olds. Unfortunetly we have no room for extension and the school are unable to help with space too. If I had bigger premises I could have 24 children in each session as the demand is there. We already have 8 children on the waiting list and all the children doing 3 sessions want 5 sessions. From September I was thinking about introducing a afternoon session. Mornings would be for grant aged children, or children a term away from grant age. I have 12 children staying on with me in September so would only need another 4 children which isn't a problem. Afternoons would be for the under 3's. I am registered to take from age 2 years of age. These children then would eventually move up to morning sessions the following September or as and when spaces became available and depending on their age. I would offer 3 afternoon sessions per week for the under 3's. I do feel this way would help from a planning point and creating more opportunities for observing children if they come more often. Also my staff would be alot happier. I currently have 4 members of staff per session. I do find the older childrens parents want more sessions as their child becomes older, especially if they are to start school that academic year, but I don't have morning sessions available as I give the available sessions to the younger children. Does anyone out there run a nursery this way? If I was to open in the afternoon will it be straight forward with Ofsted or is it a lengthy procedure? I would reduce the current lunch club from 1 hour to 3/4's of an hour. I wasn't going to reduce the session time which is currently 2 3/4 hours long as in 2010 we will have to provide a 3 hour session so didn't think it was worth reducing for a couple of years only to introduce it later. The afternoon session would be run from 1 - 3 o'clock (2 hours) the school ends at 3.15pm so staff would be able to leave to collect their own children on time. Please let me know what you think. I'm sorry for the long posting.
Shiny Posted January 26, 2008 Posted January 26, 2008 We tried a similar thing a few years ago. Although we can have up to 40 children per session we are still running a lengthy waiting list. It didn't work for us as a lot of the younger children still had a sleep in the afternoon or were very tired. We then changed the afternoon session to children leaving for school in the September. This worked much better, we were able to offer more advanced activities, a PE session that children got changed for etc. Ofsted are not a problem, no need to re register or anything so I would trial the idea. Shiny
hali Posted January 26, 2008 Posted January 26, 2008 we did this but are still sessional as our sessions are 2/12 hours each 9.30 12.00 and 12.15 - 2.45 ours worked out very well and now we do have a mixture of 2 1/2 to 5yrs as the ones that started the pm sessions have kept them and just added am sessions to it, as long as you have the uptake to fill it will work well
Inge Posted January 26, 2008 Posted January 26, 2008 we also have 2 sessions a day, offering them to parents as available,giving choice as to sessions they want. we don't have the younger ones as we are already full with 3yrs plus, but do find that when they start at 3 they are often tired in the afternoons, and can find that we have a few 'napping' during the sessions...not a problem, but something to consider. Ofsted should not be a problem as you are adding sessions, we rang and then wrote with a plan as to how we would manage the sessions and sleeping or tired children, staffing,including cover, break between sessions etc and they just extend our hours but we do run 2 sessions of 2.5 hours and have a mix of ages. Suggest a questionnaire to parents to see what they would like before making changes.. we found many preferred the afternoon to morning sessions when they had a baby or younger one at home , others if older ones at school like mornings, and we have a lot of mums who do night duty so prefer mornings so they can have a sleep!! (we make sure we know who is on nights so we know who to ring if they are late and oversleep!!) Once you start this route we have found parents wanting all day sessions, which we are unable to do as we have no toilet for staff!! otherwise we would be even busier. Inge
Andreamay Posted January 27, 2008 Posted January 27, 2008 (edited) we do the same,morning afternoon and lunch club for all dayers.Could quite easily offer more but only one room.So have 5 sessions for fs1 children and 5 for 2half -3 yrs.Our fs1 children have option of lunch club and staying all day as they can have younger sessions (the mix is good for our littlies)but the littlies dont have the fs1 sessions,which enables us to deliver much more and use the schools facilities more.We dont offer our 2half year olds 5 sessions on start though we start on 2 and then build up to 3 when funded i would love to offer them the 5 they are entitiled to but havent room.howevr alot of our children attend either a day nursery and another playgroup,so are able to use it up that way. We are considering changing our little sessions to all mornings as we have had so many this time who need a sleep in the afternoon.but one word of caution YOU CANT PLEASE ALL OF THE PARENTS ALL OF THE TIME dont beat yourself up about it just do your best. Edited January 27, 2008 by Andreamay
Guest Posted January 27, 2008 Posted January 27, 2008 we do 2 sessions per day and a lunch club. we offer pm and lunch club for wrap around for school nursery and have 2 grant funded 3yr olds in there too as they just missed nursery and are nearer in age than the am session which are 2-3 yrs. great for planning we have always mixed them up to this year which also works. we have 12 per session so either way would work for us. like Inge we do not have seperate staff loos so do not do full day. this will however change in september as the standards say all groups should have a staff loo. we will put up a portaloo on the pavement as that will be the only space available Im sure the big O will be ok with this. we prefer the younger children am as it cuts down on the need for naps. when we added sessions we had to be re-inspected but I think it has changed to a short visit and questions ring them they will tell you what steps to take. for us moving fro 5-10 sessions increased flexibility and income and employed more staff for the ratios which is good for our co-operative hope you do well sue
Guest Posted January 27, 2008 Posted January 27, 2008 just thought of the soon to be new 15 hr entitlment how would you fit that in? we are struggling with how we would do this. sue
Inge Posted January 27, 2008 Posted January 27, 2008 In new EYFS it is not a legal requirement to have the separate toilet...if it was we would close as would many other settings in halls etc. It is statutory guidance for which we should have regard. we are setting up an explanation of how we cope without and why we cannot have one, if this is not suitable it will be the end for us!! And like you 15 hours is impossible for 2 sessions a day, other hall hirers, no time, parents not wanting to collect after 3pm etc etc and it come in our area next year... so may be the end of 2 sessions then anyway. Inge
Guest colechin Posted January 27, 2008 Posted January 27, 2008 Thank you for all your replies. Yes, I think afternoons could be a problem with younger children being sleepy. I wouldn't be able to offer the 3's and over afternoon sessions, as I can not give them the 2 1/2 hour session their entitled to, or a 3hour session when that comes in later. Mornings will have to be for them unless I shorten the morning session for the under 3's and give more time in the afternoon for the other 3's! I will talk to parents and put out a questionnaire. Once again thankyou, alot to think about.
Guest Posted January 27, 2008 Posted January 27, 2008 like you Inge we have an assesment of how we manage without a seperate adult loo and are currently working with school to secure a grant to update all our loos and adding an adult one in our store room thus taking the only store room we have! they are looking at developing a grotty tiny bit of garden that is unusable at present for a better outside area for us but this takes an age. our family services adviser told us we would have to have a loo so I said does that mean settings all over the country like us will shut as the EYFS comes in, I dont think so where would all the children go ? or is this a cunning plan to fill all the childrens centres that have sprung up? shiny have you spoke to your local early years buisiness adviser they can help with advice on costs and feasability? we also have an ey consultant who gives us advice on how to manage our practice and curriculumn they advised us on planning for the younger children. sue
Guest Posted January 27, 2008 Posted January 27, 2008 sorry put in shinys name instead of colechin trying ti concentrate on not burning lunch at same time sue
Guest Posted February 24, 2008 Posted February 24, 2008 We are in the process of offering afternoon sessions in our village hall for playgroup. our times are 9 - 11.30am, lunch will be 1 hour and the afternoon session will be 12.30pm to 3pm. from my experience all the secretary of the committee had to do was ring up ofsted and state our intentions. from the initial phone call to get the necessary certificate it was less than 4 weeks. We have had to satisfy ofsted about ratios, provide a quiet area - we have a small carpet area that will be toddler/ sleep quiet area. use a seperate staff toilet but we had that any way, and a small room for staff breaks which are 20minutes if you work for 6 hours. Like some of the other respondents we are a mixed session but with only 24 children on our books to limit mornings and afternoons to different age groups cannot do that. Also some parents are desperate for their children to be with us all day regardless of their age. 17th march is d day for us!!!!!! here's hoping to success!!!!!!!!!
Guest Posted February 25, 2008 Posted February 25, 2008 We offer morning, lunch time and afternoon sessions....again with a mixture of 2 1/2 - 5 year olds. The nursery is run in a portacabin building and it works well for us....we have been running this way now for 2 years.
Guest Posted February 25, 2008 Posted February 25, 2008 Hi, We used to run just morning sessions but found the need to increase. We gradually increased, so started with mon and wed, then to fri etc. We have NEVER segregated the age groups and have always had 2-5 yrs together. I have had intergrated learning for 6 years now and would recommend it. Due to ratio's we can have upto 6 2yrs a session 4 staff and have found this one of the best ways to help children gain independance, social skills and gain respect for others. The older children love having the younger ones as they can act like a big brother/sister. We also run sessional 2 and a half hour sessions as well as daycare. Net x
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