Is Your Nursery Discriminated Against Because You Do Not Allow In Loca

[Guest]

For many years we allowed local authority advisers into our settings. The advice was poor, ill judged and ill informed. Many of the advisers had not worked in nurseries for many years...if at all. We therefore decided not to participate in the programme. As a result we improved our Ofsted grading from satisfactory to outstanding in two of our settings and good with outstanding features at the other two.

Recently, the local authority has given £1000 per setting to implement the revised EYFS but we are excluded from this payment because we do not use their advisers. We still have to copy all the documents etc. Is this fair?

 

sandwiched

[HappyMaz]

Welcome to the Forum, stbartshouse and congratulations on making your first post.

 

My gut reaction as a provider would be that you can't pick and choose when to access support from your Local Authority. If you opt out of the system then you are rejecting any support or other services they have to offer, and that includes any free resources or additional funding they might distribute for whatever purpose.

 

In your position, I'm afraid I would view this 'loss' of funding as a natural consequence of my decision to go my own way. You sound otherwise very positive about your decision, so you might judge that the benefits of your decision outweigh the potential benefits of the thousand pounds.

[Rea]

Hi from me too ::1a

Well, its a shame you've missed out on the £1000 but your Outstanding's should more than compensate, I'll bet you're the envy of other local settings :1b

[HappyMaz]

Finleysmaid - does our LA still require settings to 'sign up' for advisory support as a pre-requisite for being able to access Nursery Education Funding and student bursaries?

[rosepetal]

Hello Stbartshouse,

 

I was just wondering what local authority you would have been with. I do participate with the early years advisors from my local authority but I do not know if we will receive £1000.00 to implement the revised EYFS. Just curious as I know different counties do things differently and I might not be in your county.

 

Roespetal

[louby loo]

Hi from me too! ::1a

 

As for advisory support - I just work with them, if they come up with a good suggestion I take it on board, If I don't agree and can justify why (professionally not personally) then I just smile sweetly make the right noises, nod etc................. and then just do our own thing anyway!!

 

At the end of the day they are just 'advisers'. Maybe different LAs are different, but it's always worked for us, plus we are asked by our advisers if other settings can visit us.

 

xxxx

[calicojo]

Interesting that some areas are getting an extra payment to compensate for all the extra work in implementing the revised EYFS. I very much doubt we'll be getting anything in Worcestershire! What about other areas?

 

Jo

[finleysmaid]

Finleysmaid - does our LA still require settings to 'sign up' for advisory support as a pre-requisite for being able to access Nursery Education Funding and student bursaries?

yes to my knowledge (last time i read it!!) but of course just because the advisors come in doesn't mean i have to listen to them

[HappyMaz]

yes to my knowledge (last time i read it!!) but of course just because the advisors come in doesn't mean i have to listen to them

I think you do have a duty to at least listen finleysmaid!

 

I must say I have enjoyed excellent relationships with our LA advisers. I have always treated them and their opinions with respect and have seen them as a valuable back up when I haven't known which way to turn, or when I've needed to chew over a problem or issue that has arisen within my setting. Neither one of us thought we had the monopoly on being able to identify what good practice looks like, and I at least felt it was more of a partnership than a 'them and us' point of conflict.

[Cait]

It would never occur to me to tell them to stay away! They are a useful resource and have been a very helpful backup to me on several occasions. Yes, we've had advisers who were clearly floundering, and they didn't stay long in post, but the great majority have been really friendly, helpful people who just want to encourage great practice

[Sue R]

I must say I agree with Happymaz and Cait - early years advisors are indeed a useful resource, sometimes have just the right suggestions to make and if they seem to be going off at a tangent - well, I'm experienced enough to make my own decisions .

 

I also agree with you maz, that having made the decision not to access their support, gained Outstandings along the way, then really it's not surprising that no money has been offered. There is no money in our area for the implementation of the revised EYFS, either - although, we haven't seen the need for much 'implementation' in our setting!!

[sunnyday]

Hi Stbartshouse and welcome to the forum.......am I right in thinking that you must be a fellow 'Kenter'?

 

Yes, my lovely forum friends we have been given this wonderful sum of money in sunny Kent ....... we kept that quiet didn't we :blink:

[Panders]

:wub:

[Cait]

Lucky old you! what are you going to spend it on?

[sunnyday]

Lucky old you! what are you going to spend it on?

 

Here comes the sob story........basically we need all the help that we can get to just 'keep going'......never feel that I can 'moan' about our level of funding as it is considerably higher than many other LAs - yours in particular - but it isn;t enough really - not when we work 'over ratio' i.e. 1 - 4.......yes, I know that is by choice but it is something I feel is important......

 

Just realised that I have accidentally 'side-tracked' - as to the original point.....I am happy to work with advisers - have come across all sorts over the years some good some not so good but as others have said I listen and take what is useful on board and pretty much disregard the rest........

[Panders]

Lucky old you! what are you going to spend it on?

 

Well not off to the Seychelles, Cait, although I have been sorely tempted. The money came with the proviso it was for implementing the revised EYFS, for training, printing costs, buying new equipment. I have had 4 advisors since 2002 and I am happy to say that I have found each one to be very professional, they have barr the last had a background in Year R and/or in addition run their own nursery. I have made firm friends with them all one way or another.

[anju]

Well, mine have been variable - not always that knowledgeable and some have been quite patronising. One was far too young to have had much experience. Like others, I listen and take advice where I feel it's useful/appropriate and don't where I don't!

[catma]

Ahhh, the endless debate on EYFS advisors again...they are just people doing a job you know.

Sometimes we have to work with really difficult people in settings too, they're so variable; I could tell you the stories but I'm far too professional!! :ph34r:

 

Cx

[sunnyday]

Ahhh, the endless debate on EYFS advisors again...they are just people doing a job you know.

Sometimes we have to work with really difficult people in settings too, they're so variable; I could tell you the stories but I'm far too professional!! :ph34r:

 

Cx

 

That is a really good point.

 

Fairly recently I was singing the praises of my SIP.....this to our DW.......basically I was saying that I find her incredibly easy to work with - DW's response was "well, yes, but you are really easy to work with too"! :1b

[Froglet]

You lot are my EYFS advisors! I learn so much from you all, gain different perspectives in particular those of the 'pre-reception' EYFS people.

 

Something that helps me sometimes is to try and listen for what the 'learning objective' is in any advice I'm being given. I often find myself in a situation where I'm surrounded by people with KS2 (or pre-school or KS1 or big school or... everyone's experience is different!) and the examples given to illustrate the advice simply don't apply to my particular context. If I ask myself what the learning objective is or what problem the advice is trying to solve then it becomes easier to see how to solve it for myself. Sometimes, however reflective we are, we all need someone to come and say 'why are you doing that?' and 'what about...?'

[louby loo]

You lot are my EYFS advisors! I learn so much from you all, gain different perspectives in particular those of the 'pre-reception' EYFS people.

 

 

............... and my advisors always sing's the praises of this fourm too!!!!!! ::1a ::1a

[Sharky]

It was one of our Advisory Teachers who gave me the details of this forum. As you say, you can take the advice if it fits. I don't always agree with mine, but I do know she is trying to help us. I believe they are all trying to help us

[Pimms o'clock?]

In reply to stbartshouse and being from Kent I would like to ask if they have sent staff to the 2 hour briefing sessions and/or the full day and do you intend to have staff training sessions using the materials they provided to do this with?

 

I guess what i am asking is have you sent staff to KCC training without getting any supply cover payment, are you intending to close for a day at each setting and lose income to 'cascade' the full day training? I think the £1000.00 is to help someway towards covering costs for all of this not just the cost of printing the documents.

 

I too am of the ilk that if they offer advice/information/support/encouragement or such like that will work for us then I might try it. Advisors are working to the LA agenda and the LA duty to support us all they shouldn't just give advise on a personal whim and should have the necessary training/advise/support from their line managers before being let loose on us.

 

Of late I have received an agenda via email about two weeks before a SIP visit explaining what they will be looking at and why and how what they are focusing on relates to the SEF. I have responded before now and said no need to look at such and such because we have or we are doing xyz and they have left it at that, I guess recording what I have said somewhere.

 

Oh and I keep telling the advisors of some great ideas I have got from here as they don't seem to be able to get on here unless they are administrators for particular projects. I am hoping that Steve will be able to help me transferring data from Superfox, supplied by our LA, onto PRAMS in the near future so this forum and our LA are both making my life easier!!!

Edited July 26, 2012 by Pimms o'clock?

[Panders]

I went on the all day training course and cascaded back, I went on my day off, so we didn't need cover. I haven't really spent v. much so far of the money, but as the new term starts there will be I'm sure plenty of training to send everyone off on and the money will really kick in then