Too Many Cooks!

[Guest]

Hi,

 

I am leader of a small pre-school and an early years teacher with lots of senior management experience.

We have a member of staff who is a graduate unqualified in childcare who is currently doing EYPS.

There is another experienced teacher on the staff and a very experienced NNEB.

 

We have really seen the unqualified member of staff learn and develop over the last year and she has had a total turn around in some of her understanding. She laughs with us about some of the things she used to do/say when she started.

 

But now I feel we have created Frankensteins monster!!

She has not finished her course yet but is beginning to question my judgement and decisions on a daily basis, particuarly at staff meetings. Now Im sure we all have things to learn but I think I am a pretty reflective practitioner with my finger on the pulse of creative learning. She goes on courses or reads books and then wonders why we aren't implementing all of these things straight away. She lacks the mangers overview of the whole picture and prioritising needs.

 

There is starting to be an atmosphere between us and I am finding it very difficult. She does her own thing. At lunch time we can free one adult up to do 'admin' type tasks. She doesn't even ask but just goes into the other room to print something off or write up obs. In addition she has been having to do some of my jobs in order to fulfil her 'leadership' requirement and she seems to be running away with herself. I don't like confrontation in such a small team but find I am now having to say 'sorry, could you do that later, we really need you in here' on a daily basis.

 

I know I need to sit down and have a talk with her but she is very stressed at the moment as her coursework deadline looms.

I also worry that this is more about me feeling threatened and wanting to be a control freak. But she changes things and moves things on my day off which drives me mad.

At the beginning of last week's staff meeting I had to get up and answer the door. When I came back she had started the meeting and was handing out an info. gathering form to do with her course. The Deputy was there so it should have been her if anyone who kicked things off, following my agenda. I came back into the room and had to wait for her to finish saying her piece before I could get on with my agenda!. Nobody would call me a shy retiring type but she is the least experienced/qualified member of staff and is bossing us all around and we are all feeling twitchy! We are all intelligent, reflective practitioners so it's not as though we all need a kick up the backside!

 

Any wise advice?

[Guest]

I know exactly how you feel, is this staff member your supervisor??? I have exactly the same problems with my second in command. This has been going on for nearly 18 months now, she too is the least qualified and experianced member of the team.

 

Even though every appraisal meeting, disciplinary, directors meeting, demotion even has been implemented, along with mentoring, training, action planning and support system, today she completely undermined me in front of a parent!!! I wouldn't have minded if she'd 'voiced' her opinion in private, and when I pulled her up on it she was mystified because apparently she had thought 'very carefully' before opening her mouth!

 

I've come to accept that it is her with the problem and not my managemnt style, over reacting or anything else! A good manager is reflective like you are, trouble is we can spend so much time reflecting on our own feelings and practice when actually it's not us that need to be doing so!

 

I'm very consultive with the entire team and everyone responds well to this, I hate confrontation but have now decided that having tried every technique in the book it's time for the VERY DIRECT APPROACH!

 

So now (only just) each and every time she does something unprofessional, offensive or down right annoying I'm confronting her about it! I am struggling and it isn't easy, there is nothing left to do though, she'll be looking at further demotion by the end of this year if things don't improve and I do have every proof we need to do so.

 

To be honest I'm not sure the traditional structure of early years settings works at all!

[SazzJ]

I too can sympathise too

 

I have a deputy who although has been longer qulaified than me does not understand the principles of the EYFS and it drives me mad. She takes it upon herself to do her own stuffa dn even then doesn't do things properly.

 

But again don't like confrontation and not sure how to deal with it in such a small staff team.

[HappyMaz]

The thing about doing EYPS is that you have to show how you lead and support colleagues to deliver the EYFS and clearly there is not much of a requirement for her to do that in your setting. From what you say there are no major changes crying out to be made, or weak areas of practice to target. As an EYP candidate you are under a lot of pressure to 'step up to the mark' and it may just be that she is so focussed on what she needs to do in order to provide the evidence that she is meeting the Standards that she has lost sight of the need to work within a team and not just charge ahead.

 

Managing the relationship with your boss when you are taking on a more leadership role can be very tricky - in a way it is a bit of a poisoned chalice. You have a bit of authority, but none of the responsibility. The picture you paint is one of someone running around like a headless chicken, trying to fit in as much as she can, and seize every opportunity she can to gather evidence.

 

I think if it were me I'd hold regular meetings with her to review progress and to raise issues that are causing concern. Thinking about the staff meeting issue, maybe she could have her own agenda item (just before any other business, perhaps) to talk about anything she particularly needs to, having agreed with you before hand so that you know what is coming up? You could use the meetings to plan what she needs to do over the next week/fortnight/month, and also how and when she will do it. I don't know what your daily planning looks like, but if you have agreed that she will do a particular job or carry out an activity with the children, this could be marked clearly on the plan so that the opportunities for her to go off and do her own thing will be reduced.

 

Sometimes you will just need to make it clear to her when she has overstepped the mark - undermining you in front of parents is just not acceptable and she needs to understand that she has no responsibility/authority in matters of that kind, which are solely up to your discretion to handle. Generally I think you need to re-establish the boundaries of her job and yours!

 

Then when she is feeling less stressed, I really do think a chat with her about how her behaviour is impacting on the rest of the team is necessary. She needs to reflect on how she can get a balance of leading the team and being part of the team, in the context of a setting in which she is not the leader. She might even use the meeting as an opportunity to provide some evidence about what a reflective practitioner she is.

 

I think the fact that you're worried that it might all be to do with your need to maintain control means it probably isn't that at all - it might help you to do a bit of reflection on the incidents you've described to look at them in more detail to work out what was going on - how did you feel, what might you do differently next time etc. That might help you prepare what you would like to say to her so that your points come across assertively.

 

When she has achieved EYPS what does the future hold for her in your setting? Will there be an opportunity for her to assume a leadership role? I think there need to be clear expectations on both sides so that she understands fully what her role will be post-EYPS. If she is going to continue working with you afterwards then I think some clear ground rules have to be agreed between the team otherwise there could be real difficulties ahead.

 

Sorry to go on, but its quite a complicated issue isn't it? Good luck!

[Helen]

I really can't add anything to Maz's superb reply. I'm an assessor for the EYPS for two providers, and I often see this situation from the point of view of the EYPS candidate, (eg managers not permitting them to carry out any leadership activities) so it's so interesting to hear the other side. I think you're being tremendously supportive to her, and allowing her to spread her leadership wings.

 

In terms of timescale, is she about to complete her written tasks and have her setting visit, or is there some way to go? That would have some bearing on how fast you need to add to re-establish job roles and responsibilities, create a unique job description for the EYP position in your setting, etc.

[Guest]

Great answers there.

 

My first reaction as a committee bod is that perhaps your staff are over qualified!?

 

That sounds crazy, but in a small team as you've found, too many cooks and all that ...

[mundia]

Hi there Edlee, what fantastic advice you have already been given, shame we cant bottle it really.

 

My first impression from reading your post was that this really is the art of true leadership that you are grappling with, for yourself as leader and manager, but also for your EYP, who is spreading her wings.

 

I think it is time to find time to sit down with her and talk about her experiences, and some aspects that you are finding challenging. At the end of the day, becoming an EYP does not mean a free for all to do what you like when you like and without any consultation. In fact Id argue quite the opposite, the more done in consultation with the manager, and bringing along the staff with changes they wish to make is the biggest part of showing that leadership. This is perhaps what she still has to learn and develop? If her degree is unrelated, she perhaps has never managed or led a team? It might be an interesting conversation to have with her about what makes a leader, what are leadership qualities..and which ones she thinks she has. Part of that reflective process.

 

At the end of the day you are the manager, I have been a teacher for many many years and still had to answer to my manager (head), and now that Im an EYAT, I still have a management structure to fit into. Your EYP needs to learn that perhaps?

 

So where do you go from here?

Maz hit the nail on the head really. Perhaps a weekly meeting with you to discuss boundaries and things she is planning, after discussion with you. If there are standards shew is concerned about not meeting for example, she can have the opportunity to say so (so if she needs to part run a team meeting you agree on the agenda for that in advance and when it is going to happen). This way she would begin to see herself more as part of the team and that leadership is shared respect and mutual understanding.

 

Plenty for you to think about, let us know what you decide and how it goes wont you?

[Guest]

Thanks Maz just taken your whole post for advice for myself.....now I know what to do I just have to do it.......