Guest Posted January 22, 2012 Share Posted January 22, 2012 Hi I was wondering how often other settings are having staff meetings to discuss planning etc, i know that the EYFS is all about all staff planning together to put ideas for planning forward etc but we are presently meeting weekly and we pay our staff for this meeting, but when money is short in this economical climate i'm beginning to wonder whether we need to meet less or try otherways of everyone contributing ideas. what do others do? it's proving very costly!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 22, 2012 Share Posted January 22, 2012 (edited) we only have formal staff meetings once per half term as part of our inset day. In between we have fortnightly review meetings which last about 15 minutes usually at group time or story time when all the children are together, during this time staff discuss with me (preschool manager) any concerns and their ideas for future planning for their key children. Their planning sheets are ongoing so I just use threads from these to compile plans. Any other memos are written in the handover book and all staff sign once read, we only have 6 members of staff so this works for us. Edited January 22, 2012 by max321 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lashes2508 Posted January 22, 2012 Share Posted January 22, 2012 I aim to do once every half term but again because of economic climate but have been informed we can only pay for one hour which to be honest is not long enough so going to have to talk fast Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 22, 2012 Share Posted January 22, 2012 thanks for your replies, i think we are meeting too often we meet for an hour and a half every week, which is very costly and we have 10 members of staff, i think i need to give some thought to what we do, its great to hear what others do... Thankyou Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beau Posted January 23, 2012 Share Posted January 23, 2012 We did half an hour once a week. We discussed what we were planning on doing the following week, what we needed to focus on for observations and any specific issues with particular children. Sometimes the half an hour wasn't really long enough and we would overrun a bit if everyone was happy enough to stay. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thumperrabbit Posted January 23, 2012 Share Posted January 23, 2012 Ours is once a week for 1.5 hours we plan, discuss any problems with children, and if time review a policy or two. We used to have a meeting once a half term, but only ever got to sort out planning (and sometimes didn't manage that for the whole term) we never seemed to have the time to discuss anything else. I totally understand where you are coming reference costs, (we have just had to take a pay cut) but personally I would feel we were taking a backwards step if we cut back on our weekly meeting, interesting to see how others work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Inge Posted January 23, 2012 Share Posted January 23, 2012 ours was half termly so every 6 or 7 weeks for a couple of hours... but we always had a daily de-brief each day , being packaway it was done while we were doing that, and every morning had a short daily chat when setting up.. anything needing more we arranged a time during the week.. but we found we could do most of it while setting up or putting away... we were only a small team of 5 though and all worked 4 days a week so we all knew all the children really well when it came to planning it was so much on the spot and change as the session developed.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deb Posted January 23, 2012 Share Posted January 23, 2012 We're paid for 2.5 hours per week and have a weekly staff meeting and that's not long enough to improve quality. We often stay unpaid. I do understand the financial constraints on settings but I too feel it would be a backward step to reduce planning time, as manager this is vital to me. There are only 5 of us so that of course has some bearing on our ability to pay. Mind you we haven't had a pay rise in two years, and I think that whereas we were quite well paid I think we are beginning to lag behind others. Something I can hopefully address shortly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lyanne Posted January 23, 2012 Share Posted January 23, 2012 We're now for the first time ever paid for staff meetings - up to 1 hour at lowest rate of pay once a month. We are also now being paid for the setting up & tidying up time too, which is when we do the informal planning. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trekker Posted January 23, 2012 Share Posted January 23, 2012 We have a weekly meeting and our insets (max 5 days per yr) all paid. We have 5 members of staff. Basically all we manage to get done is planning but even that is seriously concerning me as it doesnt feel we are doing enough regarding the obs feeding into plans...also I struggle to get any input from around half the staff ...some even come to the meeting and say they "forgot" they needed to bring some notes on their key children ideas (which theyve been asked for since last summer!) I go in on my day off and run the meeting at the end of the day...its the only day every one can do so once again I have to sacrifice being able to go off and really make a day of it...and that fact that people are not really making the most of it is so frustrating! Its got to the point where I am wondering whether to cut back just because it seems pointless and I'm beginning to feel im wasting my time...but then I feel if I do, even for a while, its be such a struggle to get it all back again if needed as staff will have made arrangements for that time. I really do believ the weekly meeting is the ideal...when it works ( & with other staff it did!) it is great to have that time to talk about plans and so on...but it is just the bare minimum we really need I'd say. a weekly staff meeting and that's not long enough to improve quality this is also my concern..but I cant make the committee realise why I keep asking for more time!...this year our insets are being cut because staff were absent and we had to close on one session and we have to make that up during one inset day and we had to give up half of our last inset for the christmas party...and only having a total of 4 insets this yr due to the jubilee we only have 1 & half days inset left this year...very frustrating as really this is the only time we can try and focus on future plans, evaluation and improvements...without that we just tread water really... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mouseketeer Posted January 26, 2012 Share Posted January 26, 2012 Hi can i ask what type of settings the ones having 'inset' days are, do you just run them at a loss (no income, paying all staff to attend) and how well do the parents accept that you're closing for inset days. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest youngrisers Posted January 26, 2012 Share Posted January 26, 2012 We hold our staff meetings on inset days as we are based in a primary school setting so it makes sense when the school is closed to parents we are too. Our meetings are 3 hours till luchtime unless we are training and we always have nice cakes etc to share. This makes it more approachable to staff and they relaise the value of meeting to plan, discuss and work through documents poliies together even planning the SEf together.so far we have covered topics raniging from interaction with parents and child, the key person approach,letters and sounds, well being and invovlement and inspections matter. Over the last year we have also started KQm in Kent and worked on that too.Our staff value these sessions together and see it as an opportunity to share their knowledge and working practices. Yes we do pay them, but we think it is worth it so there is no misunderstanding about what has been planned for the benefit of the children. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mouseketeer Posted January 27, 2012 Share Posted January 27, 2012 thanks for info, we are on a school site but stay open when school closes, would be nice to close but would lose approx £400 a day from income as well as cost of paying staff for the day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trekker Posted January 27, 2012 Share Posted January 27, 2012 we open and pay staff but cannot claim funding for those days so yes open at a loss. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 28, 2012 Share Posted January 28, 2012 I am having the same dilema, We have 5 inset sessions to discuss issues, children and planning - and used to meet once per week for plannning as as trekker said some just come and listen without input other will deliver.so I stopped this. I plan for the continuious provision and staff alter according to the child's interest - now we are meeting once every two weeks - to discuss plans routines children and minutes taken and are distributed for memory recall however everything is forgotten as soon as they enter the setting. It is just a waste of my time and effort. I have 8 staff based on 30 children and paid for one hour per meeting or all day for insets. All I seem to do is to pay out without recieving input. any ideas are welcome Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mouseketeer Posted January 29, 2012 Share Posted January 29, 2012 I am having the same dilema, We have 5 inset sessions to discuss issues, children and planning - and used to meet once per week for plannning as as trekker said some just come and listen without input other will deliver.so I stopped this. I plan for the continuious provision and staff alter according to the child's interest - now we are meeting once every two weeks - to discuss plans routines children and minutes taken and are distributed for memory recall however everything is forgotten as soon as they enter the setting. It is just a waste of my time and effort. I have 8 staff based on 30 children and paid for one hour per meeting or all day for insets. All I seem to do is to pay out without recieving input. any ideas are welcome Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mouseketeer Posted January 29, 2012 Share Posted January 29, 2012 Doesn't seem fair does it that we,re not allowed to take inset days like schools for training/staff development without losing funding with all that's expected of us especially that we open at least as many hours a day as schools, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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