Can An Eyfs Coordinator Teach In Nursery?

[Guest]

Hi all,

I have a very big dilema , I am an EYFS coordinator currently teaching 26 children (13 per 15 hr session) in a school nursery, all has been fine till now, and i love it. However our Reception teacher (fairly experienced) has been under performing and to truthful is not suited to early years at all, to alleivate the problem seniour management (not i) have decided to put me in rec and her in nursery (out of sight? mind) telling me that it is not good practice to have a coordinator in the nursery As i have too much experience and that i should be the bigger class ! i am naturally devastated as i love my job. I can understand they want the best for the children and so do i, but i can't help feel that nursery has been overlooked, there may only be 13 children per group but nursey are very needy and need the guidance of an experienced eyfs teacher not a teacher who needs constant support! I have supported her so much over the year and fear when i am in rec will be doing 2 jobs. I know i haven't got much say in this i have to follow my leader but has anybody else experienced anything similar ?

thanks

lucy

[mundia]

Yes yes yes, Lucy. I was fs coordinator and in nursery for many years. I also had a teacher on capability procedures who was placed in reception because it was 'safe there' , and when she didn't cope there, was then placed in nursery. It was tough is all I can say, I was on SMT so I was her mentor,

 

Obviously you can speak to the head about your concerns but at the end of the day, it is their decision. I have to admit that after a year of this I did leave.

 

Do you have support in your nursery or are you alone?

[Guest]

Thanks Mundia,

i have support monday, tuesday and wednesday from a ta, but on thur and friday its just a parent volunteer in the mornings. I feel i will have to leave also, the rec teacher is under the illusion that she is moving because my experience in rec not because she is incapapable because they are too spineless to say. My main concern is that i don't think i will be able to let go of the nursery, my little boy is starting there in September and as i know she has no experience or desire to be in nursery i will be constantly over there etc etc. I have tried making suggestions like doing a job share between us with nursery and reception so i am hoping they will understand that this is the best slution in order to for the children to get the best xx

[mundia]

I can understand why your Head is doing this, even though it may feel uncomfortable. Many settings and schools, have a policy of teachers not teaching their own children (which can be fine but can also bring about all sorts of issues too, both for the school, and the child) and this may have figured in their thinking too. They may also think a small class with support too would be more manageable for her.

 

At the end of the day, Heads can move you to where they want, in my previous school, our FS manager was moved to year 5 and told you don't have to teach in the phase to manage it!

 

But, why don't you try it for a year and see how you feel. Ive worked with many staff in foundation who really really don't want the move but actually liked it in the end, and if you want to move on in your career (even sideways) you will need reception experience too. (unless you want to go to a nursery school)

 

Good luck with your decision making

[Guest]

I feel for you and the position you have been placed in, but I am appalled that the senior management team would place someone who sounds so unsuitable in nursery!

Why are they not doing something that is concerned with the actual problem?!

 

This is such an important time in a child's educational journey!

Gosh it has made me cross!!

 

I think that the best you can do is talk with the Head and make him aware of your views and feelings.

It is rubbish to say the EYFS co ordinator cannot work in nursery!

 

Good luck with everything!

[Guest]

thanks scarlett and mumbia for your replies, its comforting to know people understand me

. I know there is definately no policy with parents teaching their child because their are 2 staff at present in the school teaching their kids and and have been many more in the past. I too can understand their reasoning its just so frustrating when you finally feel you have truelly found a job you enjoy and then its taken away from you because someone has let you down. I'd worked previously in reception for 8 years before having my little boy and wanted to move before i got typecast as a reception teacher, so i feel like i've actually gone backwards again but with lots more responsibility with no recognition. Oh well lets see what today brings, hopefully know more tears i don't think i have any left. The hardest thing is people bringing in their little ones to see me and introducing me as their new teacher, that makes me really sad x

[mundia]

Hi Lucy, it sounds like this move will really break your heart, and I do hope you might be able to persuade your Head.

 

Some years ago I almost gave up teaching altogether, when I had a really bad experience in a school at the hands of a bully head. I gave it one last shot and found the most lovely nursery class, in a very challenging school where I felt at home and at ease. I job shared and me and my partner just 'clicked' and all went well for 3 years. Then I took on the role of maths coordinator, and turned around the maths teaching in the school quite dramatically. We got a new head who was so impressed with what I did (which also gave me the confidence boost I needed at the time), that she pulled me out of the nursery to do maths support across the school. I was devastated, not just that I lost my own class, but also that I lost out of working in the FS (we had a unit by then which I loved working in). I stuck it for one term, said Id give it a go, needed the money etc, but I just couldn't do it. My heart was in FS and that was that. I resigned, and within 3 weeks a FS manager job came up that I got and so I went to pastures new.

 

The point of my ramblings is that sometimes things happen for a reason, and sometimes we don't know what the reasons are. But each stage I learned something, something I could carry with me to my next post. And one thing I learned was that Heads will put you where they see fit, and at the end of the day you have just 2 choices: do it or leave.

 

Each time Ive faced this (3 times in my checkered career), I gave it a go, and then quit!

 

But, Ive worked with many a teacher who has given it a go and really enjoyed the chance once they got used to it.

 

Take care, sorry for the waffle, hope it makes sense.

 

Mundia

[Guest]

Hi all,

I have a very big dilema , I am an EYFS coordinator currently teaching 26 children (13 per 15 hr session) in a school nursery, all has been fine till now, and i love it. However our Reception teacher (fairly experienced) has been under performing and to truthful is not suited to early years at all, to alleivate the problem seniour management (not i) have decided to put me in rec and her in nursery (out of sight? mind) telling me that it is not good practice to have a coordinator in the nursery As i have too much experience and that i should be the bigger class ! i am naturally devastated as i love my job. I can understand they want the best for the children and so do i, but i can't help feel that nursery has been overlooked, there may only be 13 children per group but nursey are very needy and need the guidance of an experienced eyfs teacher not a teacher who needs constant support! I have supported her so much over the year and fear when i am in rec will be doing 2 jobs. I know i haven't got much say in this i have to follow my leader but has anybody else experienced anything similar ?

thanks

lucy

Hello,I too am EYFS co-ordinator and have taught in both Nursery and reception. In fact am moving back to Nursery from Reception next year. But the reasons given for your move are just excuses. Don't end up doing two jobs

[Guest lou73]

Well i think your head's view that you can't be in FS1 and be a Foundation Stage Coordinator is a cop out!!! of course you can....what a situation to be in. I really feel for you but think that the previous posts are correct. Could you ask to a year's trial in reception when your son is in nursery but with the chance to review when he leaves nursery, perhaps you can say that he should not be in your reception class and so you should be moved back into nursery then? I think to get experience across the phase is good but I agree that nursery needs the right person to bring the little ones on.....big hug X

[Guest]

Hi...thank so much for all you support it so reassuring to hear your advice and stories. Unfortunately i had a meeting today with my boss and reception teacher and it looks like the decision has been made, although its nice to know they think I'm a good teacher i think my heart and my head aren't on the same level yet.... i know what they're saying makes some sense but letting go is going to be horrendous. I have gained some positives, I'm going to at long last be made part of the SM Team so at least they are now reconising EYFS is important. I just can't help thinking that the problem has been brushed under the carpet and not dealt with properly....I'm hoping that like you said after this year I will go back to Nursery and do a whole early Years n & R phase, that way Iw ould really get to know the group over 2 years and miss out on teaching my son...who could be a handfil! ... i dread to think what tomorrow will bring ...role on half term xxx

[Guest]

This is such an important time in a child's educational journey!

Gosh it has made me cross!!

 

I totally agree. It drives me mad when people (especially head teachers) don't recognise the value of nursery education. The children's experiences in their first year of school could form their opinion of and attitude towards school for the rest of their lives.

I kind of sympathise with the head because it is very hard to get rid of a teacher just because they're not very good. they have to actually do something bad to be able to sack them, but I think it is ridiculous to think it's a good idea to put the with the most easily influenced children in the whole school!!

 

Oh Moomin, you must feel so stressed about this. I really hope it all works out OK for you. Please don't let yourself be put into a position where you are doing two people's jobs. I can't offer any advise of how to resolve this but I really do feel for you. Stand up for yourself if you need to. Good luck xxx

[catma]

It's hard, but at the end of the day we are Primary teachers who may or may not have a specialism in a phase but a HT in a primary school can place staff where they wish. As for being phase leader in F1 - I was nursery teacher, DHT, assessment lead, EMA lead and NQT mentor when I was last in school!! I never felt that I had the time I needed for any of those roles but it's what you have to do when you are at that level.

 

Teaching reception for a year may be a good way to get an overall feel for standards etc in that part of the phase which will aid you in your leadership role immensely!

 

Cx

[Guest whizzbang]

I am in the same position and sympathise. I was non class based as my FS1 setting has 90 children and FS2 has 45 children with 2 teachers split over 2 sites. My Fs2 'experienced' teacher turned out to be useless and so now am trying to manage the two settings and maintain a full time class teaching commitment. My FS1 setting has suffered greatly because of this and we are due the big o at any time.

My settings circumstances are fairly unique - which is why I have no choice but to do both but it is far from ideal.