Guest ChunkyMan Posted February 7, 2010 Posted February 7, 2010 Hi there I just wanted to ask how people are organising their F1 (if they have them) in light of the change now we have to be in line with the PVI sector? We have to offer 15 hours and be more flexible. Also what do people think about single funding?
Guest Posted February 7, 2010 Posted February 7, 2010 In Worcestershire the SFF has been put off for a further year as everything is not properly in place yet.... I had expected this county to be a pathfinder county and iron out the problems, but thankfully NO!!!! I think on one level the SFF is a good idea. The whole level playing field etc.............. I think it is better on paper than in reality!! If you get a set amount per child, how will this reflect the staff you are paying? For instance I work in a maintained nursery in the mornings which is then run privately in the afternoons. In the morning the teacher I am with is super experienced and been over the threshold. I am a NNEB on the top of my grading. How will the formula reflect this???????????????????? I doubt it will. I forsee places shutting down because if you have to run at 85% occupancy to make ends meet without very experienced staff to be able to afford to pay will there even be enough money for these wages if we are full??????????????? I don't know!!!!!!!!!!!!!! We do offer 15 hours and if we are all paid the same it will work out more flexibly because currently if my morning children are in a morning place, regardless of how many hours they take up they are seen to be using a 15 hour maintaned nursery place and would have to pay for any afternoon hours they need. I will wait to see what others think on here. Should be interesting!!!!
Marion Posted February 7, 2010 Posted February 7, 2010 The NUT has published information for their members http://www.teachers.org.uk/files/Early-Years-A5.pdf There are other ways that the school could implement the additional hours: • parents don’t have to be offered the precise pattern of hours they wish – there’s no expectation that schools should please everyone • imaginative and flexible solutions are possible. For example the 3 hour per day provision can include breakfast clubs, lunch and after school clubs, with which teachers do not need to beinvolved and which can involve in some cases working with children’s centres or private, voluntary and independent (PVI) providers - our F1 children have lunch in the children's centre which parents pay for but still access 3 hours in our nursery • part time teaching staff may wish to work more hours – if so this is an obvious way of making up the shortfall provided that a commensurate increase in pay is offered.
Guest Posted February 17, 2010 Posted February 17, 2010 Hi I think as private nurseries we should not be told by the goverment how much we can charge for our children to attend our nurseries. As private business's we are unable to secure fundings as charities can such as playgroups. What do you think?
purplewednesday1 Posted February 17, 2010 Posted February 17, 2010 On a recent fact finding seminar the point was made clear to us that: 1) offering 15 hours in more than one way is flexible (i.e. you don't have to offer a miriad of flexible options) 2) it is the LEA that has to be fully flexible ... not the provider (i.e. as long as parents have the potential to access their hours fully flexibly (possibly at more than one setting) then that is ok! Hope that helps pw xx
Rea Posted February 17, 2010 Posted February 17, 2010 Hi I think as private nurseries we should not be told by the goverment how much we can charge for our children to attend our nurseries. As private business's we are unable to secure fundings as charities can such as playgroups. What do you think? I'm not sure we can access funding any differently to private settings ellwoodn, I've never found claiming to be particulary easy or even widely available, its certainly never been openly promoted!
HappyMaz Posted February 17, 2010 Posted February 17, 2010 offering 15 hours in more than one way is flexible (i.e. you don't have to offer a miriad of flexible options) In our LA's single funding formula (before it was deferred) settings received an enhancement depending on how flexible they could be. The minimum you can offers is three hours a day. Whilst this is unfair on those settings who physically can't offer any more than three hours a day, but I don't think the Government meant for settings to be forced to open at all hours of the day and night. However, since ChunkyMan made his original post in the Reception and Key Stage 1 Forum, I'm guessing that fitting in two three hour sessions a day is really what's causing the problem here. I'm not sure we can access funding any differently to private settings ellwoodn, I've never found claiming to be particulary easy or even widely available, its certainly never been openly promoted! The only 'different' funding I can think of would be the extra pots of funding available to groups with charitable status such as grants. The whole idea of the EYSFF is that every setting in the EYFS is funded on the same basis: the numbers of children attending our settings. Clearly some settings will be advantaged and some will be disadvantaged by this move - as you say pw, perhaps its better on paper than in reality. Only time will tell! Maz
Guest Posted February 17, 2010 Posted February 17, 2010 Charities can sometimes access grants due to their charitable status but as far as I aware there are none which can be used for sustainability or running costs. Those which can be accessed take so long to apply for it becomes a case of weighing up the actual gain against the time taken to apply. If anyone knows of any grants which charities can apply for for help with running costs, etc I'd be very pleased to hear about them. Oh and incidentally the Charity Commission Returns charities have to complete annually are also time consuming - very sometimes!
HappyMaz Posted February 17, 2010 Posted February 17, 2010 Thanks for that Holly - as is usually the case, the grass is rarely greener on the other side of the fence. Maz
Guest Posted February 26, 2010 Posted February 26, 2010 I know that PATA offer a sustainability grant for charity status groups and the lottery can fund projects more readily for "not for profit" or charity based groups. Playgroups etc often have committees to help them secure funding where many private nurseries are small businesses and the owner has to do all the form filling etc plus many oither things. I workedfor a playgroup run by parents and you get a lot more help by parents when you are a charity. Although my parents at the nursery are very supportive they see me as a private business and therefore are not really prepared to fundraise for extra equipment. The only way we can improve our premises is by raising the fees.
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