Guest Posted July 14, 2009 Posted July 14, 2009 Hi, we are currently planning to offer this to our maintained nursery parents from January. We currently offer 2 2half hour sessions and would be interested in what other schools are planning to do in terms of offering flexibility to parents and also in terms of staffing etc... Any practical suggestions we would be most grateful!
Guest Posted July 14, 2009 Posted July 14, 2009 We have offered the 15 hours for almost 2 years now (as a pathfinder county!) It has worked well for us!! We used the extra half an hour as "lunch club". I think there have been other threads on here regarding this subject.... it might be worth doing a search. Let me know if I can help!
Guest Rouse1 Posted July 14, 2009 Posted July 14, 2009 (edited) Hi, we are currently planning to offer this to our maintained nursery parents from January. We currently offer 2 2half hour sessions and would be interested in what other schools are planning to do in terms of offering flexibility to parents and also in terms of staffing etc...Any practical suggestions we would be most grateful! hi wish i could say its been good for us were are part of the pathfinder and were offered the carrot and we took it but it hasnt worked out for us. we're a day nusery and the fee we get paid does not match the amount our other customers pay, the flexibity works for parents but as for staffing and £ id say not. Unless im doing it wrong love to hear how other nurseries do it//// Edited July 14, 2009 by Rouse1
Guest Posted July 15, 2009 Posted July 15, 2009 (edited) Our 15 hour entitlement started at the same time as the changes began after the education review in our area, and at this point we lost our afternoon maintained sessions (because school went down to one form entry) So we opened up privately in the afternoon! (This is the VERY quick version of events!!!!!) The 15 hour entitlement was going to be tricky because of staffing (teacher only doing 2.5 hour session) and because both sessions needed to be offered exact same hours, however we worked it AND we still needed to finish inline with school at the end of the day!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! So morning nursery is 9 - 12 and it finsihes with lunch Afternoon nursery is 12- 3 and it starts with lunch. Parents can pay for the whole hour of lunch club (£1) if they need that extra half hour, or parents can pay for a 3 hour afternoon session on top of their free funded hours,and their child can stay all day. I have 2 nursery lunch staff usually. Sometimes 3 dependant on numbers (1:8 ratio) Then I work the afternoon session (I am the NNEB from the mornings) as manager, along with one of my lunch club staff who is also a NNEB. When number are up, usually spring and summer term my other lunch club staff works with us for the afternoon sessions. Lots of continuity for the children!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Although resistant to change at first I think it is now better for the children, for the parents and for me!! Edited July 15, 2009 by Scarlettangel
Guest Posted August 23, 2009 Posted August 23, 2009 Hi just picked this thread up. Have any of the pathfinder counties offered the 15 hours flexibly i.e. 'packages' such as a choice between - two full days and one morning or five mornings or five afternoons?? If yes -how have you assured continuity and coverage in planning??? We are offering a 'package' from September and our heads are spinning trying to answer the planning question so would be REALLY grateful if anyone has previous experience they might share!!!
Marion Posted August 23, 2009 Posted August 23, 2009 I'm also in a pathfinder LA and we have worked quite differently. We were told we couldn't count lunch as part of the 3 hours so we start 15 mins earlier and finish 15 mins later than KS1/2 Our nursery sessions are 8.45 - 11.45 and 12.30 -3.30 Some parents (only a very few ) have opted for the 2 full and 1 half day option . These children have lunch in the Children's Centre and are cared for by the private day care staff for the 45 mins and parents pay a small fee. After tying ourselves in knots (and on the advise of the LA EY team) we have had to accept that it isn't possible to offer all experiences we would like in a school setting - FSU. The nursery staff highlight what development matters (ELGs) have been covered on the days each child has attended to try and keep some track of things but it is a bit of a nightmare - much easier with 5 separate days. Luckily as I said earlier this only involves a handful of children.
calicojo Posted August 25, 2009 Posted August 25, 2009 We are in a pathfinder county - same one as scarletangel - and surely the 15 hours can be taken whenever the parents want? Gosh i think you guys in maintained nursery settings want it all! As a community pre school we offer 2 days of 5.5 hours and 3 mornings (inc lunch) of 4 hours because many parents want longer sessions and the flexibility. There is a LA nursery nearby which one of our children has moved on to this year but the mum really agonised about it cos the sessions were only 2.5 hours a day with the extra 2.5 hours being made up by the odd lunch hour and a forest school session. She coudn't do the morning sessions as wouldn't get there in time after taking her older child to school. Whats the problem with planning? We cope with children being in for only say 3 days out of 5 - and a greater age range of children. Surely your planning should be based round the child's needs not some prescriptive topic coverage. Jo
Marion Posted August 25, 2009 Posted August 25, 2009 (edited) As a community pre school we offer 2 days of 5.5 hours and 3 mornings (inc lunch) of 4 hours because many parents want longer sessions and the flexibility Jo As a maintained nursery we offer 5 days of 2 x 3hour sessions taken in any combination parents want Whats the problem with planning? We cope with children being in for only say 3 days out of 5 - and a greater age range of children. Surely your planning should be based round the child's needs not some prescriptive topic coverage. Jo Firstly we haven't used topics for years but planning in a school isn't just down to a single class of nursery children access to resources and rooms is timetabled for a whole school (single class entry means 7 classes means that time and space has to be shared over the week) so it isn't possible to offer the same experiences every session. So if a child is attending 2 days at the beginning of the week they will probably for example miss out on the trip to the park or the dance session in the hall if they are in the school time table for the end of the week. Combine that with very different adult child ratios and you might see what the problem is 1-13 and if you are the only adult ...... Edited August 25, 2009 by Marion
calicojo Posted August 25, 2009 Posted August 25, 2009 I guess there needs to be plenty of variety in what's offered to parents so that they can make their choices as to what's right for them....... no, we don't offer the same experiences every session of the week and yes, some children will miss out on something, so we try to offer music or PE or whatever on varied days. I still think that with a stable group of children, all the same age (roughly) and not having to pack away, you have it easier than us in some respects. Not keen on the adult /child ratio though - for staff and children!! Really just wanted to answer NannyB's point about planning - it is possible!!!!
Marion Posted August 25, 2009 Posted August 25, 2009 (edited) Schools no longer have stable groups of children all the same age though. In a nursery class you can have children who have just had their third birthday mixed with children who are about to have their fifth - throw FSUs into that mix and you have rising sixes too As a school it isn't possible to change the days you have access to the hall or support staff to go for that walk, hall and room timetables and staff time is organised at the beginning of the year. Remember too a nursery teacher may be planning for 52 plus children each day makes individualised learning a nightmare. It doesn't matter whether you work in a pre school, day nursery, as a childminder or a nursery teacher there are obstacles to working how we would like to in an ideal work. Different obstacles certainly but there non the less. Edited August 25, 2009 by Marion
calicojo Posted August 25, 2009 Posted August 25, 2009 Just wanted to make the point that the 15 hour funding has been nothing but good news for us and our parents. I appreciate that different settings may have different views. Jo
Guest Posted August 25, 2009 Posted August 25, 2009 Again as a pathfinder nursery we have been offering the 15 hours for 2 years and it works. Most parents still prefer to spread it over the five days and many take the 15 and pay for say another couple of sessions. We are full to capacity constantly and are on school grounds with the maintained nursery full as well
Guest Posted August 25, 2009 Posted August 25, 2009 We are in a similar position to sadiesmith, with a wrap-around care nursery alongside the LA nursery so we are already planning for children from the age of two years to rising 5's, with a number of children already accessing different sessions in the wrap around nursery. So yes we do realise it is possible to plan - but we are also aware that we do not have a perfect system and are therefore always open to new ideas - and where better to access them than this site?? Hence my question. As Marion and others have said - we all have constraints to work within! And I am very grateful for those who have shared their experience and advice.
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