How Often Do You Meet As A Staff?

[Guest Cathryn1974]

Hi

 

I was just wondering how often you meet as a year group or phase with Nursery. I currently teach in Rec but am applying to be phase leader in Sept (over Nursery as well). I currently don't think we meet enough to discuss children's interests, obs, next steps etc. I think this could easily be a short daily thing and a longer year/phase meeting once a week. This way children are really being centre to our practice.

 

Nobody else I work with seems to agree and they just put out random things in the environment that aren't really based on what the children are doing and plan weekly CLL and PSRN teaching sessions that are simply from DM.

 

Let me know what you think it would be really interesting to see what you all do.

 

Thanks

 

Cathryn X

[Guest Spiral]

Hi Cathryn,

 

although we are a preschool, we do ensure that we hold at least two meetings per term. One is specifically based around the children's needs and development and the others are based around feeding back from training or teaching each other aspects, the last is to bring up any other staff business, such as routines and things to be aware of (bees nesting in the garden etc).

 

Hope that helps,

 

Spiral.

[Cait]

Hi Cathryn, My staff chat every Wednesday about their activities past and planned and children's next steps etc. They do this during snack and story and songtime whilst the students and I 'hold the fort'. I plan for my group individually and feed back what I'm intending to do in case they can make use of any of my planned activities within their own ideas.

 

We have more 'formal' staff meetings once a month for me to give them info on accounts, upcoming policy changes, training, ofsted things etc.

[Guest]

Although I'm not in nursery or reception so can't comment on what I do I would say that going from nothing to everyday might be a bit much if you're introducing a change like this. Some staff will resent having to give up the time when actually they are going to have to give up more time in order to plan from the children's interests anyway. It might also get them tied in knots with thinking they have to alter things every single day in order to meet all the children's needs which is something of an unrealistic expectation (and probably one you wouldn't have, just one they might perceive), particularly when you're starting from nothing in this area. I would say once a week sounds good, but they are going to need a lot of support if this is a new way of working for them.

[Susan]

When I was leading reception, we met every week as teachers and every week as a whole team.

Daily meetings were more difficult as staff were not employed to stay after school and had other commitments to go home to. That was before the introduction of PPA which should hopefully help now.

[Freefaller]

We are a 3-form intake school and have our PPA together where we talk about some important things. I do find though that none of my planning gets done during these2 hours as the children's interests tend to differ. I would prefer an hour to assess my class needs and then get together for a bounce-off of ideas. My phase leader won't fight for more time for Foundation stage and we still find it hard to work as a unit with the Nursery.

[Guest]

I am in nursery and we are soo lucky we meet once a week for an hour and a half - give us the opportunity to talk about the children and general stuff...it brings us altogether regularly...we get paid to do this...

[Guest jenpercy]

I allow for a SHORT evaluation/planning meeting every evening. Thing is before, I introduced this, staff used to go home early if finished. NOW they never finish before clocking off time. There is a great resistence to nre meetings. Take it slow. good luck

[JacquieL]

In school we had one Nursery/Reception staff meeting per week for discussing observations, assessment and planning, and one whole school teaching-staff meeting per week (and an SMT meeting for me in addition as well ) Everything else was discussed ' on the hoof,' as TA's had other time-tabled commitments in school outside our FS contact time. In the Children's Centre it is more or less the same set up for pre-school staff.