Staff On Committee?

[Guest]

Hi

Well think I may be right in saying that the new PSLA 2008 constitution says staff can go on the committee?? Just wondered if any of you had thought about it. I know you would not be allowed to vote on wages etc.

We, as staff are concerned about a few issues...

Not many new parents interested in going on committee

Currently only 20% of the current comm have child actually at pre-school! and some of these members are thinking of staying on!

Finances awful (so much so we as staff ar not claiming for a lot of work and although this would be ok if there was a lot of appreciation for it I cant say Ive heard of much...only complaint..see below!)

Concerned that a new parent was actually turned away from last comm meeting (very politley told that there was an issue being disscussed that was sensitive...it was actually about recruitment of new deputy as comm had not informed parents that the last one waked out! In fact as far as aware parents still dont know!!). Am i right in thinking that they are not allowed to do this? Isnt pre-school owned by all the parents?

Would there be any advantages of staff on committee? or woud it be a conflict of interest? My supervisor hates going to comm meetings as she fels that they all do not actually understand what it is like running the pre-school at th moment.

 

Last complaint was to me in the school playground from my frind that is also a comm member She was disappointed with the file her son came home with when he left...artwork and small photos on paper, laminated bookmark we made, obs sheets and not a nice diary. I had to say to her that given we were not allowed to buy cartridges for printer at pre-school, not allowed to spend money getting photos developed she was lucky she got anything at all as it was down to staffs own time, ink and paper that we printed off over 170 photos!! Finances are really dire! I did however say to her that we were no longer printing off photos, i had given them to other comm member to get developed and sort out expense, that i had just gone out and spent a fortune on scrapbooks for every child and that since EYFS we had printed off 40 learning journals for all current children. Oh and never mind about the fact that staff were filling these in again in own time and that the poor deputy had been trying to keep the pre-school running with no proper deputy since April 08! She then had a nerve to compare us to a private nursery that her son attnded with lovely diaries etc etc...I then turned round and said well they do get a buget to spend which we have not been given for over a year! Oh and the reason her son didnt have much "work" in his folder was that we didnt like to force him to the creative table when he would really rather be elsewhere in th room! Must admit I was a little curt with her (she is my frined too)!

 

Anyway sorry side tracked again...and I do seem to be moaning about them a lot! as you can see we are fed up.

 

Well opinons please!

[Guest]

Can't comment on PSLA constitution but one tip for learning journals, see if committee will buy one CD for each child, put photo's on these, just print a few 'extra speicial' pics for journals. Each of my preschool children left with 200+ pics, showing a real sense of 'life at preschool' which the parents were extremely impressed with. (and they will last for years)

 

Peggy

[Guest]

sorry can't help, but wanted to say to Peggy what an absolute inspirational idea! Thank you

[Guest]

HI Marley

 

We hav 4 staff which are welcome at committee meetings (in the past sometimes it has only been us and chair!)

We do a leaders report and are part of the management structure.

When wages are being discussed we leave the room.

This has always worked and helps build positive relations and feedback with parents.

Good luck with yours

[HappyMaz]

I shouldn't comment on the PLA constitution, but I will!

 

The pre-school is indeed owned and managed by the committee - and I would expect that all parents whether they are on the committee or not would be informed of the meeting dates and encouraged to attend. You never know what sort of help you might get from parents who want to come to the odd meeting but don't want to commit to being on the committee.

 

However, there may well be confidential items on the agenda (such as information about individual families etc) and non-committee parents should not be party to these discussions. One way I've seen of handling this would be to have 'reserve business' after Any Other Business so that parents who are not on the committee but want to attend a meeting can attend the whole meeting and then be asked to leave before the 'reserve business' is discussed. This seems to work well because everyone knows what the procedure is and it is open and above board. The minutes of the meeting should make it clear that attendees who are not on the committee were asked to leave at the appropriate time before discussion of reserve business began.

 

Does all that make sense?

 

Maz

[Smiles]

I believe you are right and that staff can sit on the committee. As I attend anyway as manager I cant see any reason what not and I can make up the number. If they are discussing anything which I shouldnt be privvy too I already go out or arrive later.

 

smiles

[hali]

im the same smilies - only thing i cant sit in on is wages disscussions which they do after AOB - our chair also comes to my staff meetings so we are both kept 'in the loop'

[Shiny]

As I said in a previous thread, come AGM in October I will have no officers and 1 committee member, and none on the horizon!!

[diesel10]

My understanding of the new consitution, is that staff can be on the committee but leave when discussing their wages.

 

I think you have a big problem re the finances. This was the same at the playgroup that I took over running 2 years ago, no money, staff not talking to committee even angry with them and me taking over as supervisor when there had never been a supervisor before. I made friends with the committee first (very popular with the staff- not), well the committee are the employers, I took control of all the budget.

 

Two years later, the playgroup has plenty of funds, committed staff, wonderful committee and fab group of kids, at the last committee meeting, staff got a pay rise, I asked for some story sacks saying they are about £60 each and got permission to buy 10! Some nearly fell off their chairs.

 

It seems like you are under alot of stress.

 

Love the CD idea. Just need some clever person to teach me how to download them.

[Guest]

"Love the CD idea. Just need some clever person to teach me how to download them. "

 

When you've learnt how (it's really quite simple, use your photo suite 'help' for your photo programme methods), why not then teach the children, they could take their own photo's, upload them to PC then download them to their own disc, now that's what I call independent learning, children involved with their own self reflection of what they've learnt, and last but not least a possible method of 'delegating' workload. Not to mention the ICT learning.

 

Peggy

[Guest]

I often snap photos, on my mobile phone, of the babies I care for and text them to their parents, "as the action happens" in effect.

 

They then save them to their computer or CD in addition to the ones in their Learning Journeys.

 

The older children take the pictures themself!

 

Nona

[Guest]

Hi yes we already do this. It helps with communication between the committee and it builds good relationships. There is no them and us syndrome anymore. It also helps with the dirction you want the preschool working towards as a team.

Kat