Help Please!

[Susan]

Trying to establish working hours for a Nursery Nurse, who we have been supporting with day release throughout her training (which has taken 3 years not 2).

She was employed initially as an unqualified nursery nurse to support in Reception, with a 32.5 hr contract which was reduced temporarily to 30 hrs when she had trouble with childcare arrangements.

She has never resolved those problems and actually works the same teaching hours as the full time LSA who has also trained alongside her ie 25 hrs. They have both qualified or are about to and we wish to employ them as Nursery nurses from September with the afterschool planning, display etc. commitments.

Our other NN works a nominal 8.30- 4pm. What is acceptable?/ the norm?

She is adamant she wants to work as a NN in Reception not esewhere in school as an LSA. but that she only needs to find another 30 mins a day to be on track.

She's never in school before 9am (we open our doors for the children at 8.50, although school starts at 9am),

and she leaves at 3pm to collect her own children (school finishes at 3.15). She always goes off site at lunchtime for an hour.

Am I unreasonable in wanting contact time with her without the children and help with displays etc.

We need to resolve this one way or another quickly, to run an advert if necessary. And establish fairness across the team.

[Guest]

My TA is an NNEB and she works from 8.30 - 12 - in reality because of childcare arrangements she arrives at about 8.40 and usually leaves about 12.30. We don't plan together (this is reception / y1) but we have time on a morning to brief about the day's lessons - she does display and general odds and ends needing doing while I'm in assembly and we get time after lunch to debrief and discuss children with difficulties etc.

[Susan]

The job I want filled is not part time.

 

We don't go to assembly, at least a whole school assembly is only once a week & all staff attend, especially in Reception to help keep children focused.

Reception assemblies are very short & would be over before any thing had got started.

We don't put up displays when the children are in the class, unless we are involving the children in that process.

 

Priority is to support the children & their learning.

Most of our children are EAL & she's the community language speaker so I need her with me at all teaching times.

[mundia]

Susan,I have been in this position myself and it was very difficult. In my case, my TA worked exactly the hours she ws paid for which was actually shorter than the school day so liaison time was imposssible. Have you talked to this person about the hours if she is to be paid as a NN she has to be able to fulfill the 32.5 hours? If she cant, then she cant be employed as such. If she starts at 9 and leaves at 3, with an hour for lunch that sounds more like 5 hours or 25 a week anyway so she is a long way short. Or is she paid for lunch because our NN are not? I hope you can sort something out.

[Susan]

Mundia, We are having just those negotiations at the moment!

I've been having this conversation with her on and off since at least Christmas and we now want her to commit either to a 32.5 hr week employed as NN or less hours as an LSA (in yr1) and paid on that scale.

My Heads view is that she will employ her as a NN to work in Reception or advertise a vacancy.

 

Her view is that she has trained as NN so wants employment as such, her present contract is for 30 hrs so she only needs to work another 30mins a day to fulfil this.

But she is as you say only working 25 hrs. The mistake was made about 2 yrs ago when she had childcare problems and her contract was adjusted to reflect this but was obviously not reduced sufficiently.

We've not been able to get her to appreciate this and I now need to be able to say you must work from x to y.

 

SO, if you have a fulltime NN working on a 32.5 hr contract what are the daily hours/ expctations.

 

I don't want to lose this lady but she must be able to support us more efficiently.

I suspect come Monday we are gonig to be advertising and she will refuse to take the LSA position and the next 5 weeks are going to be difficult.

[Guest]

I realise this doesn't help much but our borough contract for NN's are only 30 hours a week anyway 8.30 - 3.30.

 

If you are happy with the hours she does can you not employ her on a pro rata contract rather than a full-time one???? A couple of hours will not make that much difference to her pay, or make a condition of work she does at home count towards the full-time hours. God knows we all do it-with out pay.

 

If you need her there before and after school, there really isn't much you can do to help???????

[Helen]

Hi Susan,

I'm so sorry you're in such an awkward situation; I can't think of any other suggestions than those already posted, but I wanted to offer you sympathy and support Hope you get it sorted amicably.

[Susan]

Situation resolved temporarily. She has agreed to a work pattern that gives 32.5 hrs a week.

 

I actually suspect that she will find it difficult to stick to and will certainly not be flexible, but time will tell.

 

Meanwhile she continues to work 25hrs and get paid for 30!

 

Thanks all for your suggestions.

[Helen]

Phew! She has got it made hasn't she? I'd like to be paid for more than hours than I do

[Susan]

When do we ever stop??

 

but that's another story!

[Guest]

We have three NN working a 6 hour core day but with the expectation that the additional 2.5 hours are for attending meetings alongside teachers - for planning or INSET.

 

I am currently working in a nursery school but was previously in a nursery unit in a primary school and before that in a nursery class. The NN's have always worked a 30 hour core week with the expectation they attend at least one meeting per week to make their hours up to 32.5.

It should be a basic requirement that a NN paid 32.5 hours should attend at least one planning meeting per week with the teacher.