Guest 2580 Posted July 27, 2012 Share Posted July 27, 2012 aaarrgghh I want to scream and thank goodness its Friday Im pretty new to my role as a deputy/manager to be soon... so I would really appreciate some advice and help! We are a fairly small nursery and dont have a cleaner Certain members of the staff team have this huge problem over cleaning-despite having a cleaning rota in place which is self explanatory they cant seem to organise themselves- some even think its more important than being with the children and updating paperwork! (I suspect so they can get home on time!) I have a rule that no cleaning starts before 5 (we are open until 6) and before starting cleaning they have to make sure they have updated they days paperwork. This seems fair to me.? my arguement is that if they are keeping their rooms tidy during the day (some even take that to the extreme!) they wouldnt have so much to do at the end of the day, ie if children spill paint on the radiator we clean it off while its wet from experience the children love to help with a water spray and a cloth. All they would need to do is hoover a rug and mop the floor? So at the end of the day theres this huge rush they whizz round dont do cleaning properly, For example I pulled a wheelable unit out and there loads of toys behind it- I then ask them to sort it out they get the hump! But they've already signed to say they have done this. Im letting off steam typing this so it probably makes no sense! Can you explain do you have 1 person who is rotad onto clean, do your staff do their own rooms, do you stay after closing to do cleaning, any ideas and suggestions would be good thanks. Sorry for going on Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted July 27, 2012 Share Posted July 27, 2012 didn't want to read and run but I could have written this word for word! you have my sympathies; we go round in circles with it - we even got a cleaner for a while and everyone stopped even tidying up! (needless to say the cleaner didn't stay long!) I shall watch this with interest - rant away, then breathe and relax! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redjayne Posted July 27, 2012 Share Posted July 27, 2012 I have had various options over the years - we had the school cleaner but that stopped as she grumbled about toys on the floor and wanted to clean and mop floors and toilets at 8am as the children were rolling in . We then employed a cleaner who came in after hours - she had her own key , but after 3 months the place was a mess and she was bringing her children in with her and they were trashing the place. So then we tried cleaning at the end of the day but staff were cutting corners and grumbling. A staff member from another nursery whose child was with us then offered to clean for us as she needed some extra income - this worked well until she went on maternity leave, so the job has been taken on by various members of my team for 6 months at a time - after work hours and paid pro-rata . this has been the best option by far as any grumbles about toys and not moving units etc get dealt with between them, and the 'cleaner' reminds the others to clear stuff away. It has brought out a slight competitive element as well to see if each can do it better than the last one ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
finleysmaid Posted July 27, 2012 Share Posted July 27, 2012 personally i dont think that i train my staff to degree level to have them do the cleaning!...yes they are responsible for leaving it in a state that the cleaner can come in and do, and occassionally my cleaner has the day off and i do it. I do not think that it is fair to expect them to clean the toilets and floors after a full day at work. Would it not be worth the money to get someone else in? surely if your staff are doing 30 minutes cleaning and you have 4 staff then that's 2 hours cleaning time for a cleaner?? Practitioners are qualified to look after children not clean....just my opinion (ducking now! :rolleyes: ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redjayne Posted July 27, 2012 Share Posted July 27, 2012 (edited) My staff are not made to clean - they offer - and occasionally have argued over who will take it on next. They see it as all part of their pride in their environment and workspace, and if the day was to come where none of them wanted to do it then I would employ an outside cleaner but I have no need at present. And yes it is my degree level staff who offer - ( I have 5 ) but it's their choice. No need to duck Finlaysmaid you are entitled to your opinion :1b Edited July 27, 2012 by redjayne Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HappyMaz Posted July 27, 2012 Share Posted July 27, 2012 personally i dont think that i train my staff to degree level to have them do the cleaning!... Oh finleysmaid can I have your permission to use this statement as a prompt for discussion in our Reflective Practitioner module? I can promise to preserve your confidentiality... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
finleysmaid Posted July 27, 2012 Share Posted July 27, 2012 sorry redjayne...it takes me so long to type that i acctually posted prior to your reply... it comes down to what works for your setting i guess. I just cant belive that my staff would have the energy to clean after a full day with our children! i have several who just don't stop.....actually perhaps i should give the children the mop, they'd do it in half the time! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
finleysmaid Posted July 27, 2012 Share Posted July 27, 2012 Oh finleysmaid can I have your permission to use this statement as a prompt for discussion in our Reflective Practitioner module? I can promise to preserve your confidentiality... he he he he i'm sure one of your students might say that i get her to do enough cleaning already! i just wonder how many teachers are expected to clean after a work day? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest SamG Posted July 27, 2012 Share Posted July 27, 2012 I've just left a setting to open my own and we got the children to help tidy the toys away, making a game of it. This meant that while some staff were doing the tidy game another member of staff could be cleaning the toilets. Once the room was tidy we would sit down and have a story and sing some songs before the parents came at 3pm. The manager's husband would then mop the floor when he came to pick her up after the setting had closed. I plan on using a similar approach in my setting when it opens (but without my husband mopping the floor). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted July 27, 2012 Share Posted July 27, 2012 my staff are on a rota to do cleaning and they do it at times when the children are engaged in whole group activites or having their lunch. Helping to clean and tidy as part of the daily routine helps my staff help each other and as they can appreciate how much it helps from when it is their day to clean.I hoover first thing in the morning as I am first in and I do any deep cleaning required at the weekends but thats because its my preschool and I choose not to employ a professional cleaner to save costs Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mouseketeer Posted July 27, 2012 Share Posted July 27, 2012 We have 30 mins from children leaving to us leaving, so cleaning gets done then (3or4 staff) used to get 15 mins but staff complained to committee that it wasn't long enough so committee agreed to pay extra 15 mins each....but they still manage to be out the door after 15 mins the biggest gripe seems to be that staff only doing mornings are very good at leaving mess for full day staff to clean up. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lashes2508 Posted July 27, 2012 Share Posted July 27, 2012 our cleaning is all part of the working day and it is on a rota system and part of our good practice and following H & S guidance , the children help where they can . In morning toilets are cleaned as part of risk asessment and floors checked . at the end of session carpets/rugs hoovered/ floor swept before being put away. Parents take toys home to wash and used to take teatowls etc but staff take it in turns .kitchen is down to who is on snack duty that day so pretty much all sorted . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
juliewilk Posted July 28, 2012 Share Posted July 28, 2012 he he he he i'm sure one of your students might say that i get her to do enough cleaning already! i just wonder how many teachers are expected to clean after a work day? Doing this on my phone so not sure if it will work. I teach in a nursery in a school. Between the morning and afternoon sessions in my lunch hour I clean the toilets, mop and Hoover whatever is required along with the wonderful nursery nurses I work with. No I don't need to do it after school as we have a cleaner. If ever for some reason there was no cleaner I would do it so the environment we were using was pleasant for everyone concerned. Most of the teachers I know aren't above doing unpleasant stuff. Ok If this post has worked I'm the one ducking now lol! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
finleysmaid Posted July 28, 2012 Share Posted July 28, 2012 sorry 2580 ...i seem to have taken this off topic slightly.... there is something about this topic that is worrying me :blink: having gone away and thought about it i guess it's about expectations. I expect my staff to keep the environment tidy, to clean what needs to be cleaned during the day (and yes i clean the loos at lunch time too ) but i employ my staff to be good with the children, to record their evidence, to work with the children throughout their day until they leave ...i do not employ my staff to clean...if we have am emergency or i ask them to help out they will gladly do so. I train my staff to be fantastic practitioners not cleaners ...i have trained cleaners in the past, it takes weeks to train them properly to go through all the health and safety rules to teach them to clean a toilet properly etc etc! i don't do this with the pre-school staff so therefore i don't expect them to know how to clean properly. I have some members of the team who are not good at cleaning ....my daughter for one but i don't ask her to clean...she's rubbish at it and would be offended if i treated her as a cleaner :blink: My cleaners come in for 2 hours a day (the equivalent of four staff for 30 minutes) that is their job and if they dont do it well then i can moan at them...! We are trying to be seen as a profession....we would not ask a senior teacher to clean their room at the end of the day (and i mean clean not tidy...big difference) IMO we need to have a shift in thinking here cleaners are cleaners and early years professionals are just that! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted July 29, 2012 Share Posted July 29, 2012 I am employ a cleaner to do an hour after we have finished. She hoovers, mops and does the toilets. As it is our own building the windows and kitchen areas need a good clean too. If practitioners did these jobs during the day they would be neglecting the children. I do have a washing up rota for the children's cups and plates from snack time and spills and wet floors are part of the practitioners duty to keep the room safe, but that's all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trekker Posted July 29, 2012 Share Posted July 29, 2012 (edited) we also have a 'end of session' rota - takes 30 mins though I usually end up staying on extra to finish up. We also have staff that seem to think they are cleaners and washer uppers rather than child carers...always having to remind them to leave it till later. my staff are on a rota to do cleaning and they do it at times when the children are engaged in whole group activites or having their lunch My committee kept suggesting this as an option when we also asked for extra time as we only used to be paid for 15 mins...however I never felt comfortable with it and argued that the EYFS states staff ratios are for staff 'working directly with children'. When you are cleaning you are technically out of ratio. We were on minimum ratios at the time and although we could have got the group together with one staff while another cleaned as we are in one room I didnt feel it was appropriate (and certain staff would probably have taken it as an invitation to get out of the real work!) Cleaning with the children is another matter but there is only so much you can do that way Edited July 29, 2012 by trekker 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted August 6, 2012 Share Posted August 6, 2012 I agree 'finsleymaid' a cleaner cleans and practitioners should be with the children.......they keep their own rooms tidy and safe, mop up spills along the way, etc. but CLEANING of the whole nursery toilets, corridors, rooms, etc. is down to our cleaner, the cook does all the kitchen cleaning, pot washing, etc. and we have an assistant who does all the snack and tea pots, jugs and cups from water stations, laundry, etc. as by this time the cook has finished for the day. Actually our staff have got it pretty darn good lol B) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted August 6, 2012 Share Posted August 6, 2012 Oh and the cleaner comes in everyday before the nursery opens......i am still snoozing at this time If cleaner, assistant, cook are off then all the staff muck in including the owner/manager/deputy....TEAMWORK gets the job done but very rarely does this happen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Poohshouse Posted August 17, 2012 Share Posted August 17, 2012 I do a bit of both. We employ a cleaner for communal areas such as toilets, halls, kitchen etc but staff clean their rooms (wipe sides down, hoover and mop). Never a problem fitting it in, staff are happy to do it and as a home from home setting I think it adds to our ethos, the children see the staff take care of the room too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caroljayne Posted August 20, 2012 Share Posted August 20, 2012 Hi I have a cleaner that comes in at weekend for 1 hour to clean. The staff clean at end of each day so ready for the next(toilets/rubish/flours etc.) This works very well and our lovely cleaner also does a deeper clean in the holidays. Carol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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