Advice Please

[Guest lesboyle]

I have to do a presentation about how Early Years teachers in children's centres impact on outcomes for children - it's for a job in a children's centre. I dont really know where to start - partnerships. inclusion, understanding of vulnerable children??? Can anyone help?

Eternally grateful,

Lesley

[Helen]

I'd talk about the following, if I were you, and refer to the EPPE project a few times.

* Quality of interactions and sustained shared thinking between staff member and child, and modelling these to colleagues

* Using concise observations of children to plan their next steps in learning

* Leading the staff team in planning a challenging and exciting environment

* Recording and tracking children's development through the EYFS to show progression

* Getting the balance right between child-initiated and adult-directed learning

* Partnerships with parents and talking about the EYFS confidently to parents and carers, using non-jargon terms

* Liaising confidently with outside agencies, eg SALTs, Ed Psychologists, HVs, SEN support staff, etc.

 

How long is your presentation?

I worked as a QTS in a CC for a year, and these were all huge issues for me!

[HappyMaz]

And how topical is this? Just been notified of this Ofsted report, which might prove interesting...

 

Haven't read it - but if it does what it describes in the blurb it may provide some 'facts' about children's centres in general - but I'm not sure it mentions teachers though.

 

Maz

Edited May 13, 2008 by HappyMaz

[Guest lesboyle]

I'd talk about the following, if I were you, and refer to the EPPE project a few times.

* Quality of interactions and sustained shared thinking between staff member and child, and modelling these to colleagues

* Using concise observations of children to plan their next steps in learning

* Leading the staff team in planning a challenging and exciting environment

* Recording and tracking children's development through the EYFS to show progression

* Getting the balance right between child-initiated and adult-directed learning

* Partnerships with parents and talking about the EYFS confidently to parents and carers, using non-jargon terms

* Liaising confidently with outside agencies, eg SALTs, Ed Psychologists, HVs, SEN support staff, etc.

 

How long is your presentation?

I worked as a QTS in a CC for a year, and these were all huge issues for me!

 

Hi Helen

Thank you so much, you are a star! The presentation is 10 minutes. How did you enjoy working in the Children's Centre? Were you on your own or were there other teachers there? Can't quite get my head around how the line management system works - would the Manager effectively be my boss or someone from the local authority?

Lesley

[Guest lesboyle]

And how topical is this? Just been notified of this Ofsted report, which might prove interesting...

 

Haven't read it - but if it does what it describes in the blurb it may provide some 'facts' about children's centres in general - but I'm not sure it mentions teachers though.

 

Maz

 

Hi Maz

I have had a skim through it and it will give some useful background, thanks very much.

Lesley

[Guest Wolfie]

Hi Lesley! I agree with everything that Helen says and you could also refer to the KEEP document for over-riding principles:

 

http://www.standards.dcsf.gov.uk/eyfs/reso...s120105keep.pdf

 

There's also an article on the Early Education site that might be useful reading...

 

http://www.early-education.org.uk/pdf/positionpaper.pdf

 

Line management is a real headache for me - my line manager is the head of a maintained nursery school in the area, but she doesn't see me on a day to day basis.....once a week if we're lucky....and so isn't really aware of evertyhing that I do. I tend to report to the Deputy Programme Manager about my movements during the week but she just lets me get on with it and doesn't "manage" me as such!

[Guest lesboyle]

Wolfie thank you!

Both articles really helpful especially the Early Education one!

Lesley

 

Hi Lesley! I agree with everything that Helen says and you could also refer to the KEEP document for over-riding principles:

 

http://www.standards.dcsf.gov.uk/eyfs/reso...s120105keep.pdf

 

There's also an article on the Early Education site that might be useful reading...

 

http://www.early-education.org.uk/pdf/positionpaper.pdf

 

Line management is a real headache for me - my line manager is the head of a maintained nursery school in the area, but she doesn't see me on a day to day basis.....once a week if we're lucky....and so isn't really aware of evertyhing that I do. I tend to report to the Deputy Programme Manager about my movements during the week but she just lets me get on with it and doesn't "manage" me as such!

[Helen]

I job-shared the QTS role, and we divided up the role. The setting had just failed its Ofsted inpsection, and we were employed to improve practice so that when Ofsted returned in six months' time, we would pass

So, I took responsibility for training groups of staff in Birth to Three Matters and the FS curriculum, leading on observation and planning and recording children's learning and development. My job-share partner worked with individual members of staff, mentoring them, and modelling the behaviour and interaction we wanted them to demonstrate. We both worked on the environment and layout, which changed frequently until we felt that we got bits of it right!

 

The nursery had a manager, and the CC had a manager. The nursery manager was a lovely young woman but really out of her depth in terms of providing a high quality setting. Her work kept her in her office, doing staff rotas, invoicing parents, etc. and she was rarely out in the nursery managing and leading her staff. When we tried to help her develop her skills in these areas, she was very anxious, and avoided that role as much as she could. I think even she felt that she wasn't up to the job, unfortunately, and eventually, the job was made redundant. We then had two room supervisors: one for the babyroom and one for the main nursery room.

 

The line management in CCs seems to differ widely, doesn't it? Some QTS/EYPs I know are line managed by the CC Manager, and some by the Quality Improvement/Inclusion teams from the County Council.

 

I did enjoy the year at the CC, although running my own nursery simultaneously was a bit much! We did get through the next Ofsted thankfully so the job satisfaction was sorted, but I hear now that things have slipped again. My feeling is that CCs are too big, with too many children to cope effectively with observations and records, and too many staff who can never meet together to create their own ethos. I've yet to meet anyone who can sort those two problems out.

[Guest]

Hi Helen,

 

In my experience I feel like that too, children's centres can be too big which has an effect on the team of staff which work there- often compartmentalised into smaller teams- such as which room they work in, who employs them or job title!!- rather than one whole team!!

 

feel that children's centres are a good idea, but need clear and effective management role in place!

 

essc